The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-02-07
ASSAULT ON MR.. GREELEY.

Just as our paper was going to pres last
week. an aaaanlt WAS made E the { ipitol
grounds, on Mr.. Greeley, of the New, York
Tribune, by Mr.. Rust, a member of Co. gress
from Arkansas. The particulars are til sta.
ted by Mr.. Greeley
=" was conversing with two gentem n on
my way down from the Capitol, after t.e ad-
joQrnment of the House this afternoon, hen O
stranger requested a word with me. | st fpped,
and my friends went on. The strange who
appeared in the prime of life, six feet hig /, and
who must weigh over two hundred, thus egan
=" is your name Greeley?'
eyes
" Are you nOn-combatant p
"' THAT is according to circumstances
" The words were hardly out of my taouth,
when he struck me stunning blow n the
right side of my head and followed it >ay two
or three more, as rapidly as possible. My hands
were still IN my great coat pockets, fol / had
no idea that he was about to strike. H. stag
gered me against the fence of the walls from
the Capitol to the Avenue, but did not t:et me
down. L rallied as soon as possible, AID saw
him standing several feet from me, Wits seve-
raj persons standing or rushing in between US.
/ asked, Who is this man? / don't know
him. and understood him to answer, With an
imprecation, You'll know me soon enough,
or You'll know me hereafter when he turned
and went down toward the street. No one
answered my inquiry directly, but some friends
soon came up, who told me that my ssAailant
was Albert Rust, M. c., from Arkanss. He
gave no hint of any cause or pretext may
have had for this assault, but l must in sr that
it is to be found in my structures in N nday's
Tribune letter of Thursday evening ast) on
his attempt to drive Mr.. Banks out of lie field
as candidate for Speaker, by passing a reso
luton inviting all the present candle ates to
withdraw. | thought that mean tr, k, and
said so most decidedly; / certainly t. ink no
better of it, now that have made the quaint
ance of its author.
"The bully turned, and walked down along !;
followed, conversing with two friends Cross
ing Four-and a half street, they dropped behind
to speak to acquaintance, and waikiki g along
toward the National Hotel soon found myself
in the midst of a huddle of strangers One of
these turned short upon mel saw it vas my
former assailant-and said, Do you aow me
now?' | answered, Yes; you are Just, of
Arkansas He said something Of that he
would do if / were combatant, and replied
that l claimed no exemption on that sccount.
He now drew heavy cane, which l .asd not
seen before, and struck pretty heavy blow at
my head, which | caught on my left q IN, with
no other damage than a rather severe bruise.
He was trying to strike again, and | was en-
deavoring to close with him, when sew, gal per-
sons rushed between and separated u. did
not strike him at all, nor lay finger "a him !;
but it certainly would have been a plt ,sure to
me, had | been able, to perform th public
duty of knocking him down. ] cannot mistake
the movement of his hand on the Ave iue, and
am sure it must have been toward Saistol in
his belt. And the crowd which surro lnded US
was nearly all Southern, as he douhtle Is knew
before he renewed his attack on me-"
Mr.. Rust's version, as published in he Fi6-
une, is as follows: I
"Mr. Rust says that when he first approach
ed Mr.. Greeley, it was not his intentiCA to as
sault him, and that he had told his fri hds that
be should only demonstrate with him len; but
when he inquired Of Mr.. Greeley, " auld you
resent an insult?' Mr. G. replied, ! do Il know,
SIR in such tone that It provokea him to
strike him. He also says that Mr. Greeley
struck him in return. He says that T. g., at
the second meeting, added to the rem ark, that
he believed it was Mr.. Rust, and GU have
treated me very ungenlemanly hen Mr.
Rust again inc uired, Are you MOI combat
ant? Mr.. Greeley said, | don't shell r myself
under that plea but when he requt tied him
to fight, Mr.. Greeley said that he haI- nothing
to fight with"
The resolution of Mr.. Rust, which i've occa-
sion to the comment in the Tribune that pro-
voked the assault on Mr.. Greeley, is ~ follows:
Whereas one hundred and eigh cen inef