Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-10-01
Buffalo, Sept. 20. 1857.

the body guard of Mcssrs Thampson
and Rusch of Davenport, who had been
here good part of the day The
group drove up to Myers Hotel. We
saw them get together with Mr.. Kusch
around table, and Mr. Thompson
standing near by, with thirteen glasses
well filled from four bottles, which
were then empty, and two other bottles
yet uncorkcd, filled with a sparkling
fluid q don't mean vinegar and in all
they had nine bottles; and some Of the
body guards were very fuany to say
the least of it. Cigars were then passed
around, but as strange as it may seem,
there was but one Of our citizens par
took with them AS | saw, the drinking
being confined entirely to the Dayen-
port light guards, (then rather heary)
These rrcimlnarics over, a chairman
WAS elected 10y the single vote Of an
old veteran in the ranks, who was
thus, by his own vote, made chairman,
Business commenced. Thompson took
the stand amid a sullcn calm. There
were present fifteen of our citizens, OF
which three or -four only were Republi-
cans. These friends of freedom looked
as though they would rather be crcp~d
They started by winding up the aiore-
sad shrieher, (rhompson) and starting
him. He spoke one aud one quarter
hours. ! will not give my opinion OF
his speech, but that OF his own earnest
friends. Some say he did tolerably
well, others that he was bitter speak
or Others that If that was a specimen
he had better stay az home but sup
pose it was the first. and thought he
might improve. lie raked poor Ben
Samuels fore and aft :; misreprcsentcd
him in his views of Banks. lie told a
number of things that the people could
not swallow. He sad he was from the
same State with Buchanan, and if Blu
chanan knew that Thompson was
pitching into him he would retire from
public life at once. He produced
something that he called james last"
and We all gave IN" then, and knew
that the poor old man was in FIX"
from the air Of triumph he put on when
he brought forth james last ~ After
reading one section over and over
again, he shook it in triumph, and he
was then asked to read the ,choie let.
ter. This he refused to do. Finally,
he said it was in reply to Prof. Sill
man, and forty otho thieves" some
say he said, Others say he didn't Now,
sir, if old Buck has caught himself in
writing to that Prof Silllman, please
let Us know, for we are all afraid down
here that he has caught himself. If
you have any of his letters please send
them to Buffalo 7. O., Scott CO., Iowa.
Thompson said that if the people saw
TT to elect him, that he would not
disgrace himself, but finally corrected
himself by saying that he meant the
county. He then gave a few general
flourlshes to let us know that he was
IN earnest and gave way for Mr.. Rusch,
who is some pumpkins" lie COM
menced by smiling, then bowling, then
smiling, then bowling, then smiling, and
then bowling, and said, Il am, fellow
citizens, candidate for the Senate on
the Know Nothing ticket, so tho Dem
ocrats say. But they can't beat me,
and if they don't mind they will get
beat themselves. He was farmer,
and had been SO a long time, and he
used to crack his vip and drive his
oxen to break prary. He had broke
heap ofprary, but now his prary was
all broke, and he had put his pillow in
the corner. and quit cracking his vip at
his oxen, but he was going to crack
his vip at the black Democrats" Said
We must excuse HIM as he could not
talk good English, he had always been
at work on his farm, and could not
take time to learn English well, and he
had expected to speak in his own Ian
guage but as there were but two or
three Germans present he would not
He said that Republican party had not
been IN existence long, but he had al
ways beer Republican from the first.
and left the Democratic party but was
still democrat. He then bowed and
spit, and then spit and bowed, and spit
aud bowed again and then stood aside.
then said good night and retired. |
think the people were pretty we'll
satisfied that he was unfit for the Sen.
ate. He must talk in English there,
and yet he does not maks himself fair.
" understood. Some of the Germans
want to know down here, if Mr.. Rusch
will speak the German language in the
Senate, if moi, they think he could not
make himself better understood there
tAan AseA end b he'd bsttss stay at
49, - 49, ~ ~inN