Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1858-02-19
4 More Graphic Description Of the
Fight in Congress.
.p9adence Of Al1any Ereniag Journal.l ]

Did you ever watch him, when, parading
the hall, his head thrown back with the
eonceitcd air Of London cockney, his
,ascivious eye staring brazenly at the Ia
dies gallery, his thrust out elbows see
saving like dancing jacks under vigor-
Gus pulling of the string, and daintily
treading the floor, much as a peacock with
tsil-feathcrs widespread would do if sud
denly stricken with the spring
/ keitt must have been a "nigger driver
ere he came to Congress. His vulgar swag-
ger, authoritative shake of the head, and
the whip-like jerk Of the arm, as he march
es up and down the aisles on the Demo
cratic side Of the Chamber, crying out to
his party colleagues, in sharp tones, "Stand
upv "Go through the tellers p "Sit
DOWN" "Don't vote p "Vote now
all indicate that he has oficiated as whip
perrin of gang of slaves ona cotton or
rice plantation.
/ Last night, during the tircsome procee-
diDgs, Keitt was unusually ostentatious
and noisy, strutting around the area in
front Of the Chair, talking and laughing
loudly, blackguarding members, and regu-
lating things generally, till he made him.
self SO offensive that the Speaker, with
marked emphasis, repeatedly pronounced
his trivial motions out of order, while not
few gentlemen in the galleries longed
for the privilege of leaping on the floor
and ".aking the conceit" out of tho CAB
bling popinjay below.
About | !, Mr. Grow crossed over to the
Democratic side Of the Chamber, to confer
with Hickman, Douglas Democrat, of
Pennsylvania. Having finished his con-
ference, Grow was passing down the side
aisle 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
custom, objected, saying, 81 object, Mr.
Speaker; let US 60 on 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, if
you want to object. You have no busi-
iness here, any way" Grow replied in
an off hand tone, "This is free Hall, and
u mau has rIgnt ~ be wnere ne pIeases IN
it"-still continuing to walk slowly down
the aisle. Kcitt rushed to the area, and
turning round faced up the aisle, just as
Grow reached the bottom of it. With a
swagger, Keitt said to Grow, "What do
you mean by the answer you gave me ?"
Grow coolly replied, 81 mean just what
l said, that this is free Hall, and man
has right to be where he pleases in it,"
keitt retorted, "Pll teach you," and seiz-
ed Grow by the throat Grow knocked
away bis hand, stepped back foot or so,
and steadily eyed him. Keitt addressed
in intense anger, saying, "Pll let you know
you ID Black Republican puppy
Grow now rctorted with emphasis, 81 have
a right to be ,rhat please, and to be
where please in this Hall" Instantly !
Keitt again seized Grow by the throat,
and Grow as quickly knocked off his hand
with his left arm, which slowed Keitt part
ly round, and at the same time dealt him
a heavy blow with his right fist, which hit
keitt Just behind the left ear. Keitt fell |
as suddenly as if struck with an axe. As
be was going down, Grow gave him an
emphatic shove between the shoulders,
which caused him to strike head foremost,
with his heels upwards, presenting to the
galleries the appearance of man trying
to plunge through the floor of the House
into the vaults beneath.
a hundred accounts of this affair have
gone out. The above l give on the very
best authority. The slaveholding version
Of Koitfs fall is, that he trirped and fell.
He was knocked down by Grow.
And now the melee became general
As Keitt fell, Grow was seized by half-a.
dozen Southerners. among whom was
Barksdale of Mississippi. They assert
that their sole object was to stop the fight
Some believe them. But, in the twink
ling of an eye, from forty to fifty Repub-
licans came dashing across the hall to the
scene of the encounter, headed by John F.
Potter, of Wisconsin, who leapt into the
midst of the fight, by the side of Grow,
With the bound of tiger, commenced hit.
ing right and left among the patriarchs
with great vigor. Not exactly apprecia-
ling the pacific nature of Barksdale's de-
nonstration, Potter gave him two or three
Settlers which Barksdale, in the pell.
nell going on around him, supposed were
lealt by Elihu Washburne-who just then
to be lowering in that vicinity
-whereupon Patriarch Barksdale set him
elf in hostile array against Puritan Eli
ah. just at this juncture, the mass Of
oelligerents and peacemakers we're crowd