The American. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1857, 1857-10-10

WOOD, No. S74, North Capitoi street. between
and @.
HrsRY BorER, Agent for Alexandria
H See first page.
ORIGIN OF THE "PLUG UGLIEs."
There is something exceedingly ridiculous, to
one who knows the real origin OF the name and
extent of the association, in the wild exaggeratons
that have appeared in the Democratic papers during
the last year or two respecting the wonderful and
atrocious deeds Of the Plug Uglies" Of Baltimore.
Rumor has attributed to them the might Of giants,
the Grocty of tigers, and the blood-thirstiness
Of cannibals, with power Of selEmultiplication
surprising all reasonable belief. Not satisfied with
disturbing the peace and setting the laws at de-
fsnce in the community in which they live, COM
posed Of about two hundred and fifty thousand
souls, they have sent large detachments Of evil
doors to neighboring cities and made necessary
the incorporation of the power Of the General Gov
eminent through it's armed foreign soldiery to re-
store quiet at the Metropolis Of the Union-a city
Of at least sixty thousand inhabitants According
to some accounts there were eighty! and, accord
ing to others, one hundred and ffty!!! of these
fends in human shape present at the late corpo-
ration election in single precinct of the Fourth
ward Of this city, and Heaven only knows what
would have become OF the Capital of the United
States and its thousands OF inhabitants, had not
the redoubtable Captain Tyler--not John Tyler,
the x-President--but the mighty man of war, in
terpoeed with his ONE HUNDRED AND TEN MEN, in
the uniform OF United States Marines, and taken
from them their swivel which spiked, as it is said
to have been, wouldn't 60 Oft
So says Democratic rumor on the subject, but
what says simple, unpretendiDg Truth on the mat
teri Feeling DESTROYS to know the actual power,
character, and number of the Plugs" of Bati-
more, we have ascertained from sources entirely
worthy of confidence the following facts in regard
TO these /" American boys"
On Saturday evening, during the Spring Of 1865,
about half dozen young men, who belonged to
the Mount Vernon Hook and Ladder Company"
Of Baltimore, were RECALLING themselves at res.
taSrant in the vicinity Of their truck house. when
one of them proposed that the sgliest man present
should be required to treat the company. The
lot fell upon one, who shall be nameless here, who
complied with the conditions Of his newly acquired
dignity. Another Of the parties present was then
selected as the second ugliest of the company,
and he was required to stand treat" and did so.
Big Plug" and Little Plug" having been thus
selected, an order was adopted that every new
member should be required to stand treat, under
the penalty of having his face BACKED, and being
hung up to the awning of segar store near. All
of those who joined the party subsequently com.
piled with the above regulation, with the exoep-
ton of one whose fate did not precisely learn.
II appears that there had been some talk among
the "boys" present, of forming social glee club,
and the present being deemed fitting oppor-
tunity for carrying the scheme into operation,
. club was accordingly organized to be called
1.-THE Plug Ugly Social Glee Club" who sere-
naded several Of their friends who had lately been
married. Some, however, Of their acquaintances,
whom it was intended to distinguish in similar
way, preferred giving entertainments to being Sc
renaded. This club continued to exist for about
two months, after which it was disbanded. Thus
ended the Plug Ugly Social Glee Club, but in the
autumn of the same year, 1885, about month be-
fore the Congressional election some of the "boys'
were talking about political club, and it was pro-
posed TO adjourn to room and form ons The
persons present, about twelve in number, organ
issd themselves into an association to be called
the "Native American Plug Ugly Association for
the regulation and protection of the Twentieth
ward from Foreign and Democratic intrigue"
Having thus associated themselves these twelve
soourgsrs Of the Democratic race, and more espe-
ciaIly Of the "New Market Company" some most
unworthy members of which had been the terror
- S~~~rx p.v,t,,-~..x ~. G. ~, laat Ave end
or thirty years, caused an advertisement to be in
serted In the Baltimore Clipper, the tenor of which
= admirably indicative Of the nature and spirit of
the association The advertisement runs az fol-
lows:
"ATTENTION PLUG OGLIESi
~Thers win be meeting Of the Native American
Plug Ugly Association on evening at their Uqly
Hal Twentieth Ward, and all Ugly Natives of the
Twentieth Ward are respectfully invited to be on
hand
big PLUG, President"
"LrrTLs PLue, Secretary.
At the m ,eting, which took place in consequence
Of the above notice, several new members were
elected making the association TO consist Of t,oen
ey-fSSriH members in all, " tried men" who, to
uss the language Of our informant, would stick"
Subsequently, 1t was resolved to have some trans.
parencies painted, some Of which were prepared
By Little Plug" and others by "Dutch Plug"
These trsnsparencies, it would seem, are the same
that have scared the Democracy Of the Monumen-
III city, with the Empire Club at their head, and
caused the name Of " Plug Ugly"to be used to
Tighten Democrats and children with. II is proper
10 state that, according to the best information
that We have been able 10 obtain, the young men
who compose the association are mechanics and
business men, all above 81 years Of age, who work
Or their daily bread, and who for sobriety and
general propriety Of conduct, are surpassed by
none In the city where they live.
Such, then, is the true and simple history of an
association which, as magniHed and misrepre-
ssnted BY Democratic Editors and penny s-liners,
has been the terror Of nurseries and Democratic
meetings. There can be no doubt that acts of
violence have been committed by r,gfans, styling
themselves /" Plug Uglies," and in all probability.