Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-02-15
(Fron tie AIhaay EVentpg Jolnall

Did you ever see Lawrence n keith Do
YOU ever watch him parading the han, his heaa
thrown back with the eOnceited air ola LONDON
cockneY, his laseiviOns eye staring bFazenly At
the ladies, gallery. his thYust-Out elbows see
saving ike dancing Jacks under vigorous
milling of the string, and daihtily trading the
door much as a peacock with tail-feathers wide
spread would do if suddenly stricken with the
spnng-haIts
came to Congress His vulgar sWagger, author
itatiye shake Of the head. and whip-like jerk OF
the arm, as he marches up and down the aisles
on the Democratic side Of the Chamber, crying
out to his party colleagues, IN sharp tones
STAND up!" "Go through the tellers Sit
downl" t.Don't votel" HYote mol" all indicate
that he,has OBLIGATED as whiPPer-in Of q gang
of slaves on a cotton or rice plantation.
Last night, during the tiresOme proceedings,
Keitt was unusually ostentatiOus and noisy,
strutting around the area in front Of the Chair,
talking and laughing loudly, Safeguarding
members, and regulating things generally, uu
he made himself 50 offensive that the Speaker,
with marked emphasis, repeatedly pronounced
his trivial motions out of order, while not few
gentlemen in the galleries lODged for the priv
lege of leaping on the floor and "taking the con-
ceit'' out Of the gabbling pOpinjay below
About ", Grow crossed over to the Democra-
tic side of the Chamber, to confer with Hick-
mao, Douglas Democrat, of Pennsylvania
sing down the side aisles Of the area, on his
way back to his seat just then Gen. Quitman
asked unanimous consent to submit motion
out of order. Grow, according to the usual Gus
tom, objected, saying, 81 object, Mr.. Speaker;
let us go on in the regular order" keitt, who
was sitting two or three desks from the aisle
where Grow was passing. said to Grow, in the
most insOlent manner, 'D-n you, 60 over to
your own side II you want to object. You have
no business here any way. Grow replied IN
an off hand tone, This Is a free Hall, and man
has right to be where he Pleases in it''-still
continued to walk slowly down the aisle. Keitt
rushed to the area. and turning round faced up
the aisle just as Grow reached the bottom Of il
With swagger, Keitt said TO Grow, ''What do
you mean by the answer y0u gave Ine?" Grow
coOlly replied, 81 mean Just what said, that
this is free Hall, and man has right to be
where he pleases In IT. keitt retoFted, I'll
teach you" and seized Grow by the throat
Grow knocked away his hand, stepped b-ck
foot OF so, and steadily eyed him. keitt
addressed him in intense anger, saving, "IIl
let you know, you id Black Republican pup
py" Grow now retorted with emphasis, 81
have right to be aehGt l please, and to be
tehere please in this Hall" Instantly Keitt
again seized Grow by the throat. and Grow as
quickly knocked of his hand with his leit aTnl,
which slowed Keitt partly round and At the
sane time dealt him heavy blow with his right
fist, which hit Keitt lust behind the left car
As he.Was going d0En, Grow gave him an EN-
phatic shove between the shoulders, which eau
sed him to strike head foremost, with his heels
upwards, presenting to the galleries the appear
ance of man trying to plunge through the floor
ofthe House into the vaults beneath.
A hundred accounts of this affair, have gone
out. The above 1 give on the very best author
ity. The slayeholding version Of Keitfs tall Is,
that he tripped and fell HE WAS KNOCKED DoWN
BY Grow.
And now the melee became general As Keitt
fell Grow was seized by. hall -a-dOzen Southern
crs, among whom was Barlsdale, of Mississippi
They assert that their sole object was to stop
the fight Some believe them. But, IN the
twinkling of an eye, from forty 10 fifty Republic
cans came dasbing across :he hall TO the scene
of the encounter, headed by John z. Potter, OF
Wisconsin, who leapt into the midst ofthe fight
by the side of Grow, with the bound Of tiger,
and commenced hitting right and left among
the patriarchs with great vigor. Not exactly
approaching the pacific nature Of Barksdales de-
monstratiOn, Potter gave him two OF three set
tiers, /" which Barksdale, in the pell-m going
on around him, supposed xere dealt by Elihu
Washburne-WhO just then happened to be ho-
veFing in that vicinity Whereupon Patriarch
Barksdale set himself in hostile array against
Puritan Elihu. Just at this juncture the mass
of billigercnts and peace-makers were crowding
between Barksdale and Potter, the latter IN the
meantime having seized the former by the hair
tide hair Of the said Bar ksdale buta rig, which
the said Potter had torn OF, and for the time
being converted to his own use. CadWalladeF
G. Washburn, of Wisconsin, (tllese Washburns
are all ebloods, y seeing the bald Barksdale in
conflict with his brother Elihu, felt his paternal
spirit stirred within him, and rushing upon
BarksdaIe, brought down one or two blows
ION the top Ofhis head where the wool ought to
grow"
What became Of Keitt after Grow set the law of
gravity in motion upon him, nobody seems able
to tell, except Keitt himself-and he won't The
first that was seen of him after his headlong
plunge he was sitting on . sofa, in asafe corner
Of tie hall, pale and haggard, looking Ikea
whipt rooster who feels no disposition TO sgO inn
and renew the fight
All this time the speaker was calling loudly
to ''order," rapping incessantly with his gavel,
and shouting for the SeFgeant-at-Arms- This
colossal functionary seized the mace. (Which.
looks hike an Indian war-cIub, with small me-
talic eagle perched theFeOn,l and rushed among
the struggling surging, tossing members Pot
ter, seeing big fellow with bludgeon joining
in the gaelee, was about TO wrench II out Of his
hands, when the shTilI voice Of the Speaker
(COl Orr has a voice like a steam whistle,) urg-
ing on the Sergeant suggested thai the individual
might be GiOssbrenneFs iEhereaPOn be struck
mt IN another direction Potter Is an athletic