Mrs. Besant joined in the fray anonymously, and a letter appeared
also from my own pen. There were articles on the subject in the
provincial newspapers, and amongst the London journals I must
especially commend the _Weekly Dispatch_, which never wavered in
faithfulness to its Liberal traditions, and stood firm in its
censure of our prosecution from first to last, even when other
journals turned from the path of religious liberty, proved traitors
to their principles, and joined the bigots in their cry of "To prison,
to prison!" against the obnoxious heretics.

For some time after this we pursued the even tenor of our way.
Many of the wholesale newsagents, who had been frightened when
our prosecution was initiated, regained confidence and resumed
their orders. Early in October we removed from Harp Alley to
28 Stonecutter Street, which had just been vacated by the Freethought
Publishing Company, and which has ever since been the publishing
office of the _Freethinker_. About the same time I issued a pamphlet
entitled "Blasphemy no Crime," a copy of which was sent to every
newspaper in the United Kingdom. It traversed the whole field
of discussion, and gave a brief history of past prosecutions for
Blasphemy, as well as the principal facts of our own case. In
November I announced the preparation of the second Christmas Number
of the _Freethinker_, the publication for which I paid the penalty
of twelve months' imprisonment. Before, however, I deal fully with
that awful subject I will redeem my promise to inform my readers
of the nature of our indictment, and what were the actual charges
preferred against us by Sir Henry Tyler on behalf of the insulted
universe.