The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1866-08-09
DOUGLASS.
His Own Account Of the Mob In,
Chicago.

lronl the puollsnlhS house OF Appleton
Co., "a brief treatise upon constitutional
and party questions and the history of po-
litlcal parties,' as he received from Doug
las himself Though the book contains
nothing that is not generally known in re-
latiOn to the career and political principles
of the great statesman, we extract the fol-
lowing descriptive account of the disgrace.
ful riot with which the abolitionists and
know>nothings of the city greeted his re,
turn to Chicago after the passage of the
Nebraska bill in 1854. 1t is given as re.
lated by Mr.. Douglas:
When l returned to Chicago I was met
at Buffalo by friend, who brought letters
from other friends at Chicago, protesting
against my return, and warning me that
| would be inevitably killed if / did |
insisted upon going, and did so. | arriv-
ed there in the morning, went to my hotel
and after a few days, three or four, iss ucd
notice Of a speech to be made by
me in front of North Market hall. Al the
newspapers in the city denounced me, and
published daily articles encouraging per-
sonal violence, reminding the people that
in 1850, on the passage Of the compromise
measures, [ had returned and succeeded in
quelling an outbreak against those meas
ures, that this thing could not be done a
second time Know nothingism had iu-
ring the Nebraska bill, been organized in
the United States for the first time and in
Chicago the anti-Nebraska men had or
ganized into know-nothing lodges and
probably included within those lodges
nine tenths of all the men in thecity. 1t
was ascertaned that they secretly determin>
cd and bound themselves by their oaths not
to allow ne to speak; and it was known
that orc Of these 30 or 40 lodges ordered
by telegraph, and received by express from
New York, the night before Yves 10 speak
25) of Colts revolyers.
When the day arrived the flags were
hung at half>mast on the shipping in the
harbor, and for several hours before the
time appointed all the church bells iu the
city were tolled, at which signal the mob
assembled in force of about 10000 |
had 10 or 80 men who pretended to be
with me privately, but not half dozen
were so openly; they we're all afraid At
the appointed hour repaired to the meet
ing and went upon the stand, and was
greeted by that unsarthly yell taught and
practiced in the know~nothing lodges--a
howl no man can initiate. | stood and
looked at the mob until the how ling ceased
When they ceased commenced by saying
that 81 appear before you tonight for the
purpose of yindicating the Kansas>Nebras-
ka act Before the sentence was ended
the howl be gan asain. When it ceased |
would begin, and as soon as | commenced
it was renewed. At times | appealed to
their pride, as the champions of free
speech, for hearing; the hJwling was
renewed; at other times would denounce
them as a set of towards who came armed
with bowie kni7es and pistols to put down
one man unarmed-afraid to hear the truth
spoken, lest there might be some honest
men among them who would be convinced.
At one time | got hearing for ten or
fifteen minutes, and was evidently making
an impression upon the crowd, when there
marched in from the outside body of
800 or 400 men with red shirts, dressed as
sailors, and thoroughly armed. who moved
through the crowd Immediately in front.
and percmptorily ordered me to leave. |
stood and looked at them until they ceased
yelling, and then denounced, and put them
at defiance, and dared them to shoot at an
unarmed man. The pistols began to fire
all around the outside of the crowd, cvi>
IDENTIFY into the air; eggs and stones were
thrown at the stand, several Of them hit
ting men who were near me, and for sew
cral hours this wild confusion continued
The wonder is, that amid that vast excited
crowd no one was so far excited or mad
dened as to fire ball at me. The stand
was crowded with my enemies, reporters
and ewspaper men, and this was undcubt-
cdly my best protection. | stood upon the
| front of the stand, in the midst Of that
confusion, from o'clock in the evening
until quarter past II at night when
suddenly drew my watch from my pocket,
! looked at it in front Of the crowd, and in a
/ distinct tone of voice said, at an interval of
silence; "It is now Sunday morninS-Ill go
to church and you may go to hell ~ and
retired amid TIE upIoar, got into my car
riage and rode 10 my hotel The crowd
followed the carriage, and came near
throwing it off the bridge into the river as
we crossed; they had seized it for that
purpose, and lifted it, but the driver whip
ped his horses violently, and dashed
through and over them, and went to the
fremont House. where / retired to my
room The mob at least 1000, followed
and commenced their howls in Lake street
fronting my room. The landlord begged
me to leave the house, fearing they would
burn it up, whercupon | raised my window
walked out on the balcony, took a good
look at them, and told them that the day
would come when they would hear me, anc
then bade them good night.
! Flowers.
Flowers are the silent yet cloquen
teachers of innocence. and their nreachine