The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-07-08 00:00:00

GAMBETTA IN THE FIELD!

Gatuteetta, w? 'so mane IS Dow qulte famlllar to newsmeer
reader., ham been elteted for the department of the Vow
The Parts correepcndent thee notices a meeting held
it the avour, prevlnut .c the ottctit

Ali hough the name of ilmbetea figurea upon only
one published list, and receives no support from the
newspapers !.enerally, there is little doubt of his elec.
tion. I was present two nights ago at a meeting in
which the prestige which he enj le was manifest.]
in a moist unmistakable manner. After the trust
noisy and frothy talk about liberty, which gene-
rally ends in the enunciation of the moat into-
Irrant sentiment., the name of Gambetta was
proposed as a candidate. The chairman of the
meetirg—if the gentleman who was perpetually
dancing about the phdforna, engaging In violent alter-
cations with every individual on it, could be called a
chairman -was opposed to Garebetta, and ch alined to
put his name t the meeting ;on which a most
amnaing, scene occurred. A gentleman in the gallery
in a velveteen coat, straw hat, atcl white trousers,
appeared anxious to precipitate himself upon the
proposer of Gambetta, whom he perceived below,
and was only appirently restrained from flinging
himeelf head-long into the pit by li friends, who
held on to his coat tail. He was firstly prevailed
upon to go down to the stags. The meeting
"MA eppropriately held in the theatre of " Lee Folies
BergOire so," and it has probably seldom been the scene
of a broader fares. The propea,r of Gambetta looked
the part of the handsome lover prepared to die on the !
alter of his affections. With one hand on his heart and
the other in the air, he awaited his rival. Meenwhile,
all the other politicians who eurrounded him were
rang rig themselves in grout s accoroirig to their reepec.
two proclivities, some gesticulating with frantic but
inaudible violence at the audience, and thus preparing,
! apparently, for single combat among themeelves, while
the chairman was coospicuouely pugilistic. At this
moment the gentleman in the velvet coat dashed from
the side scene., and threw himself into an attitude at
the footlights. The proposer of Gambetba glared upon
him in a " tine fret sy' " the audience for a moment held
their breaths, and each man seemed COORCIOII9 that the
eyes of Eur, pe were upon him, and assumed a pose.
In another moment it was evident the combatants
would be locked in deadly struggle. Suddenly the velvet
coat dashed from the scene, shouting that he was mils-
taken, and had no cause of quarrel with anybody. He
was hooted at indignantly by the agitated au dense
and a white-haired man proposed the Republic as the
base, Monarchy as the middle, and the Empire as the
Pip, in opposition to Gambetta. The supporters of the
y, ring Dictator" trembled with rage and enthusiasm;
igitleeel, the intolerance of one gentleman near me was
to treat that he struck his nelghhour in the eye for
differing from him. This wasthe signal tor the body of
the meetirg to rise and roar in chorus with the chairman
and his supports-re, who finally took to flight, leaving
us to fight it out as we best might. We wore, how-
ever, prevented from doirg anything serious in this
line, partly by the inveterate rrejudice which every-
body seemed to entertain agaiost blows, and partly
because the lighte began to be put out, BO the nomina-
-1 tion of Gambetta non this occasion, at all events,
I fell to the ground.