Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1860-07-20
whangdoodle Convention.

nominate district Presidential Electur. The call
had been pretty widely published IN the Jcgrsoni-
an and Union 8 Anericon and this fact coupled
with the boast Of the leading whangdoodles, that
all the whangsn Tennessee, a small COrporal's
guard, were in favor of Robert J. Breckinridgcs
nephew, led US to expect pretty respectable gath
ing. We knew the leaders about here would do
their best to bring out crowd aud get up an en-
thusiasm to Offset If possible the triumphant meet
ing of the Union party here, on the 18th of June
The vast turnout on that occasion, and the enthu-
siasm shown for Bell and Everett that day, had got
the lancey men down, and they felt that 1t would
require desperate effort to rally their scattered and
dsprited forces
Well, the day came Last Saturday morning
was ushered in brightly and cheerfully, and nature
seemed compaSsionatey disposed for once to favor
even the cvil-doers. Everything about town, how
ever, wore the customary aspect Of summer quiet
0nce in while the far-ofT boom of single little
cannon perhaps was heard and a couple of solitary
looking darkics beat doleful rub-a-dub cut Of two
drums. This certainly looked dscouraging, and if
breckenridge had been here, he, no doubt would
have sent Mr. Yancey his unconditional resignation.
But unfortunately for that misguided young man,
he is kept in the dark to the real state Of affairs
and knows oily what the wire-workers tell him,
and has really been so far misled and kept in the
dark as to say in his late letters and speeches that
the party using him are for the Union and the Con-
stituton.
But to return TO the Convention; When the
whangdoodles were asked to account for the very
tame opening Of their show, they would reply that
the best part of it was coming in on the Nashville
train and up the Dover road that all the Nashville,
and Robertson and Chatham county doodles were
coming by the first, and the Stewart county mount
ed cavalry, on horseback, by the other. This kind
o modified the general anxiety, and the arrival of
the ten O'Clock train was patiently awaited. At
length it came. The whistle, that announced the
coming OF host Of whangdoodes that was to over
town, and utterly annihilate fhe Opposition,
sounded long and loud. A few of us OPPOSE
tion feers, urged by a curiosity to SEQ the arrival
of the vast concourse, went down to the depot and
were there when the train arrived. At first we
thought we had got to the wrong place. SO quiet
and lonesome did everything appear After awhile,
however, some signs of encouragement appeared
Delegates actually made their appearance to the
number, perhaps, of hundred all told-but there
was no committee to receive them or to show them
the way up town, or do anything at all for them
No committee, no reception, no hollerin-nothing
at ell but the quiet getting out of the aforesaid
hundred hard-looking delegates They stood about
there for a while, if in doubt what to do, and
really we believe if the cars had Immediately re-
turned that many Of these dsconsolate wanderers in
search of Convention would Indignantly have
shook the dust of their feet against city, and
returned to the inviting shades of their blackberry
patches Being however this was not the case,
they determined to go up town and hunt for BILL
O., and ask him if this wasn't the day and place
for their Convention.
So they forme! a lne-and, reader you ought TO
have seen that "pereession." We can't begin to
describe il. barley could give Immortality to his
fame had he seen II and pictured it. 1t was made
up of all sorts and sizes of men, in all imaginable
styles of dress, and with faces indicative Of all de-
gress and kinds Of passions and propensites-a
hankcring after blackberries, however, predomina-
ting in most physognomiesl The line being form
ed--about near straight as worm-fence-they
took up their unheralded march, headed by SOL
itary man, PLAYING A FIDDLEll And right
here we must say that if the whangdoodles ever
have another office to give away that man ought to
have it! Thus they marched from the depot up to
the square, the indefatigable fiddler fairly THROWN
his self away on such tunes as Rack back Dairy
Money Muss," "Lize Strickland" and the like
Thus they went through our Streets the procession
receiving few accessions rs they went along, and
some of the leading whangdoodles here going in
'front.' walking backwards, and making signs to the
rear, as if it was mile Off else trying TO per-
suade themselves that the solitary fiddler was a
band of music that would prevent any orders being
heard
In the meantime, too, some Of the mounted cava-
ry on horseback had got into town, in some way
unknown to any committee of reception, and had
taken position in the extreme rear, about fifty or
hundred yards from the head of the procession;
and this was doubtless wise precaution, since
had they boon any nearer to the wild blasts of the
fiddle their high metallcd chargers would, beyond
que 'tion, have split them. Many of these chargers
looked like the real Ara6iGn--the free, untamed
Bedouin, who glories in the proud boast that all he
gets he steals, and yet is pdssdbiy honest tool The
impression made by this grand cavacade, as it
wound through our streets, must have made our
noble Irish people feel that il was proud day for
their partyl To have two drums and fiddle 'al
beatn' at wunst," and two hundred people and
horses all a-walkin along together-ah lit was
a proud day
After the imposing array had thus satisfied the
anxiety ofthe populace TO see them, and efectually
extinguished the little handful of people here who
dare to hold out for the Union, the Constitution and
the enforcement of the Laws they proceed, still
led by the unwearied fiddler, to the Courthouse.
Arrived there the fiddler took position against the
wall, and set in fresh, and although admenished
that they were done mastering, he still persisted in
playing, but was finally persuaded to forego his
arduous service to the party and let the convention