Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1852-04-23
The. .BattIeloT the sand boxes! A FighI:
DemagORue Weller ". Banker Beck
el-Great Excilemenl!-IIear!

auesnatAtelot the 81 mo noAesi kAHnls
DemaEOsue Weller ". Banker Beck
el-Great ExcilemenI!-IIear!
The FIRST fght under lhe new constitution,
came OF yesterday. 10 Ihe House OF Represen.
Iatives. ia this city. Il was a ehivalrous-a
&c iOri0Hs affair; and created intense excite.
menl 10 the Hall aud on The streets adjoining
thereto. Weller. who had scarcely recovered
from the delivery Of that Ihroal-tearing. impu.
dent aud Infamous speech OF his, aud whose
nerves we're excited under The terrible rebuke
Of the House the day previous; on the Kossush
arms resolution, took exception 10 some remark
Of Mr. Reekel, and without the least exertion
OF violence 10 bis nature, sue,eedsd as u ual
Ia making a fool Of himself. But let Us give
the history Of Ibis famous affair; as il IS destined
70 immortality il should have a flung his'ori.
cal notice.
The House appropriation bill came back from
The Senate with an amendment, approPralng
somewhere near three hundred dollars 10 pay
the expenses incurred BY The joint commi'tee
on KUssuIh's reception. The particular sum
was understood 10 the Senate 10 be The amount
The committee had expended in behalf OF IhaI
mission. Among others, Mr. Beckel, the
! Democratic member from Montgomery, made
some remarks on the subject. He said that il
was understood at the time that no expenses
should be paid by The Legislature, that he had
been in favor Of making an appropriation 10
pay all kossuIh's expenses in the State, but
that this was voted down. lie said that The
bill the House was now called upon 70 pay, con
lained among others, the bill Of KossuIh and
suite at The Neil House. lie thought that IL
should not have been included, as the city CON-
miuee had offered to pay that bill, and as we
did no, propose 10 pay the bills al other points,
he thought we ought not TO do so here.
Mr.. Weller rose aud stated that he did not
know where the gentleman from Montgomery
got his news, but whether no made the state
ment on his own responsibility, or from the in
formation Of others, it was false!
Mr.. Beckel replied that It was moi false, that
he had beed so informed by one OF the Coum'
bus Commiuee, and there was then a gentle
man in the House who could subsanIaIe his
assertion. Weller repeated the charge in u
most offensive form, when Beckel, with much
emphasis, told Weller he was liar!
The seats OF the combalanIs are about 90 or
80 feet distant from each other. Upon this
decided opinion Of BeckeI being delivered, Wei.
Ter seized a sand.box from his desk and hurled
il with al mis- power al Becke. Ii took effect
upon his desk, and was smashed TO aloms.-
Beckel lhereupon seized has sand.box, and
threw it at Weller but without huing him.
BY this time there was general muss over
The Hall. The Speaker became alarmed for
the dignity of The House, and with the free use
Of his hammer and lungs called TO order and
called The SergeanI.a1Arms 10 keep order in
The House. Members were all on their feet.
, Those within range Of the fire Of sand boxes
were fast moving out OF said range, the coura.
geous ones were rushing up 10 prevent further
demonstrations, while Imid ones were calcula
ling how far it was 10 the door, and the proba.
bility Of their getting there safe and sound!
Meanwhile, as soon as Weller received the
discharge Of Becke's arm, he attempted to
rush towards his enemy FOR the purpose OF at
r lOck;ng him al closer quarters. But with the
desperate courage Of the man who cried out
"hold me, or | shall hit somebody" he was IN
D a most secure distance, and before he had gone
three steps he was seized by some of the mem
bers, aud held fast. BeckeI, in the meantime
stood calm, composed, with the powder dry, and
his eye on the approaching foe.
The SergeanI.aI. Arms came rushing in, aud
! amid all sorts Of cries and The greatest conlu.
> sion The wrath of Weller cooled Off When
tho Speaker finally restored order, out Of chaos,
Weller apologised FOR his conduct. Beckel al.
so apoIogised to the House for the part he had
i been made TO play in The farce, and for the
d time being the affair was dropped. Whether
"pistols and coffee for TWO" will be tho end
thereof, remains yet to be seen.
: So much for this affair. 1t has about an
equal mixture OF the u1crous and The disgrace.
: (ul in it. Weller first transgressed The rules Of
h debate by charging Becke with ialsehood.
+. Whether the exchange of inksIands and sund.
boxes was exactly The proper way to dispose
the question: is matter Of practice TO be settled
= under The new constitution. We hope the
9 commissioners now in session to revise the
+ mode Of practice" will report something def.
mite on this topic.
We learn that The fragments Of the unfonu.
nate sand boxes have been gathered up, and one
lot, Ofer being carefully labeled, has been de.
posted among the cTiOsities in the State Lii
brary, along with that manuscript copy of Kos
suIh's speech, Ond another LOT is held subject
to an order which is expected from Barnum, to
) be put on exhibition in his Museum.
And thus terminates the famous bate Oflhe
Sand Boxes, in the Ohio Legislature |
o. S. Journal.