The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1853-03-16
Clerk of the House Of Representa-
tiVes. ,4-.afs r

On the morning OF the 9Th ult.. in the
House Of Representatives, ofthis State, q
difficulty occurred between Mr.. BARNuM
member from Cuyahoga, and the Clerk oi
the House, Mr.. M. H. MEDARY, during
which the Clerk seized the crutch Of Mr..
George, OF Carroll, and struck Mr.. Barn.
um very severe blow on the head. A
committee was Immediately raised by the
House, consisting of Wings and Demo.
Gratis, who reported all the facts of the case,
on Monday evening.
The committee reported that during the
morning session OF this House, Of March
9TH, 1858, whilst the regular order Of the
day was Bills for third reading, and i'm.
mediately after Bill known as the Pro.
bate Bill (H. No. 279.) had been read a
third time, Mr.. George T. Barnum. mem.
ber OF the House, from the county of Cuya-
hoga, rose and made substantially the fol.
lowing statement: s}
"Thathe had not been in the habit much,
Of troubling the House with fault finding.
but that some two or three days ago, the
Bill introduced by himself, relating TO the
jurisdiction of Justices Of the Peace, had
been ordered to be engrossed, and should
have been put upon its final passage before
the Bill which had just been read, but that
owing to some "hocus pocus" operation
Of the Clerk, which he could not under
stand, it had been kept back--that this was
owing either to the dishonesty or gross in.
competency Of the Clerk; which he did not
know and did not care, he (the Clerk.
might take either horn Of the dilemma
and concluded by moving that the Bill be
laid on the table," The motion TO lay on
the table was lost, and the Bill then pass.
ed. Immediately after, the Bill introduc.
ed by Mr.. Barnum, (H No. 2l6,) was ia.
ken up for third reading. and during the
reading Of the bill, the difficulty occurred"
The committee then 60 on to report the
whole facts OF the case, and say, $50 far
from endeavoring to give the bill No. e7s
the Probate bill-precedence, the clerk
appears to have displayed considerable
anxiety to have put Mr.. Barnum's bill on
its third reading as speedily as possible, :"
and that the reading ofihe Probate bill first
was ''accdental." d
The committee conclude their report, by
saying, "that in the discharge ofthe duties
imposed by the resolutions Of the House,
they examined number of witnesses Of
both political parties, all Of whom, at the
close ofa protracted official intercourse,
bear testimony to the efficient manner in
which Mr. Medary has discharged the du.
ties Of his office. and to his uniformly at.
tentive, courteous and gentlemanly de.
meanour."
After the reading Of the report. Mr..
Hughes, of Cuyahoga. rose and offered
the following preamble and resolutions:
Whereas. On the 9Th day of March 1853,
and while the House Of Representatives
wasin session, and engaged in business,
Mahlon II Medary, Clerk Of said House,
did commit gross, wanton, and unjusti.
fable assault upon the person Of George
I. Barnum. a member of this House Of
Representatives, from the County of Guy.
ahoga. and whereas, to preserve the dig.
nifty of this House. renders 1t obligatory
upon its members, to forthwith dismiss said
Mahlon H. Medary from said Clerkship,
fherefore he IL t5g ~