10 o'clock
But the truth is our Northern cities had not at that time felt the power of organized crime . New York , for instance , had not been shaken by an interminable succession of dynamite outrages nor terrorized by bands of Latin-born Apaches who live by violence and blackmail ; therefore , the tremendous difficulty of securing convictions was not appreciated as it is to-day . There was a universal suspicion that the last word concerning the New Orleans affair had not been written , so what followed was not entirely a surprise . Two hours after the verdict there was a meeting of the Committee of Justice , and that night the evening papers carried the following notice : `` MASS-MEETING '' `` All good citizens are invited to attend a mass-meeting to-morrow morning at 10 o'clock at Clay Statue , to take steps to remedy the failure of justice in the Donnelly case . Come prepared for action . '' It was signed by the fifty well-known men who had been appointed to represent the people . That incredible verdict had caused a great excitement ; but this bold and threatening appeal brought the city up standing .