Soapbox speakers in Grants Pass could usually gather a crowd, but if listeners disliked the speech, the orator could expect more than just an argument.
The Rogue River Courier wrote that an "anarchist of the red-haired type" showed up in July 1910 and began a speech on Sixth Street in front of the Layton Hotel. Those listening lost patience when the speaker referred to the "Father of this country" as a thief and called ex-president Theodore Roosevelt a murderer.
The speaker sensed the unrest in the audience and quickly departed, promising to resume on Wednesday. An eager audience showed up on Wednesday, but the speaker didn’t. His assistant, a local man known as "Gold Teeth," arrived and took the stand to continue the rant. When he asked for a glass of water, someone turned a hose on him. Others began pelting Gold Teeth with stale eggs they had intended for the first speaker. Doused by eggs, Gold Teeth made a run for it.
The newspaper said it was an "outrage which should be punished,” but no one was arrested.
"Traveling Anarchist of the Red-Haired Type." Rogue River Courier 8 July 1910 [Grants Pass Oregon] : 1. Historic Oregon Newspapers. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.
