Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-02-20
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CAni. HeYdf indicated.


The yesterdays issue of the Republican
Banner contained pleasant little outpour-
ing of its sarcastic humor, with reference to
the case of Captain Heydt, Superintendent
of the Capitol and Wade Hickman, mes
senger Of the Senate For the information
of those who are not acquainted with the
"altera natura" Of that Venomous sheet, we
give below the plain facts of the case with
ont comment and without endeavoring to
influence public opinion:
Chap. XIV of the Acts of the State of
Tennessee act, authorizing the Gov
ernOr to employ a Superintendent of the
Capitol and Capitol Grounds" passed May
Is, 1866, says in its second section:
"Be it further enacted, That it shall be
the duty of said Superintendent to take
care of and preserve the capitol, and all
the furniture, fixtures and statuary within
and about the capitol grounds, and keep
the same in good order And he shall
have authority to preserve order among
visitors and people who may be in and
around the capitol, and to keep improper
persons out OF the different offices and
rooms, in the absence of the regular occu-
pants
tendent by virture of said act, which clear
ly defines his duties and properly applies
to the case alluded to.
Wade Hickman is waiter of the Senate
his duties are to sweep and clean the
Senate floor, to start fires in said hall and
supply the same with coal He has no
business whatever in any other room, least
of all in the dead of night in such as are
occupied by the proper officers Of the State
household. If there should be any doubt
about it, (the following paragraph chapter
278, section 3, Of the Acts of the State of
Tennessee" an act to provide for the
completion of the Capitol and for other
purposes passed February 18th, 1866
will remove them:
And no officer of any department of the
government shall use said apartments for
lodging or sleeping therein, or place beds
therein or employ them for any other use
or purposes, but for the discharge Of their
appropriate official functions therein"
Wade Hickman having been found &c
cupying the committee room of the Hall
of Representatives with velvet carpet and
silk curtains, smoking leisurely cigar and
sweetly contemplating those four flames Of
the chandelier, which he had lit up for his
special benefit, was ordered out aud repri-
manded by the Superintendent of the
Capitol, Capt. Heydt, in which there is
nothing wrong he made his appearance
in the Captains own room, where he had
no business whatever, at the improper
boar Of midnight, and would not go when
ordered out in which there is a great deal
Of wrong; whereupon Capt Heydt, very
naturally, we are bound to say, spoke to
him, perhaps, in less polite way than he
would have done had he come in daylight
and on some official business, drew a re-
peater which anybody would have done,
who sees an unknown person in his room
about midnight, that defantly refuses to
leave it, aud the repeater not being loaded
called upon the Waterman, who with some
difficulty, and not without a stout struggle,
succeeded in getting said waiter Of the
Senate ont Of the room.
For using hard language, and drawing a
pistol without a load in it upon an intru-
der upon his own room, in the dead OF
night, Captain Heydt was fined $40 and
costs.
We refrain from making any remarks,
and give nothing but plain statement OF
facts leaving il to Che public to form their
own opinion Of the merits of the case. II
seems to us, that Capt. Heydt, in acting as
he did, simply performed his duty, taking
care Of the public property, and preserv-
ing the same from abuse and injury, for all
Of which he deserves not punishment and
fine, but credit and praise.