The Portland daily press., 1868-03-16

ticulars and we make the following extracts
from his account:
Members of Congress are not unlike other
men. They are, it appears, easy victims of
womens wiles and influnces. The colored
brother is evidently over modest and much out
of favor for he didn't get single ticket. The
sharpest eyed conservative couldn't find an
African or mulatto face in the whole gallery.
Out in thelrotunda, and wandering idly up
and down the corridors of the House, were
hundreds OF negroes, but not one looked down
from the seates in the Senate to worry Mr.. |
Brooks or Mr. Salisbury or any other good |
democrat. The women were out in great |
force; it was gala day for them; l suppose |
some of them may have had vague idea that |
Andrew johnson might be led in chains. They
filed three quarters of the gallery. / should
say on a rough estimate that the audience of
the day was composed of three hundred men
and seven hundred women and girls. With
free admission, first come first served, there
would have been say seven hundred men and
bows and three hundred women and girls.
Down in front, between the clerks desk and
the senatorial seats, were two large cloth-coy-
cred walnut tables; that at the presiding Off
GERS right for the use of the Presidents
counsel, and that to the left for the managers
on the part OF the House. 1t was a quarter
past one o'clock when the managers came in
arm in-arm, Messrs Bingham and Wilson,
Williams and Logan, Stevens and Boutwell,
They had been standing, as we in the repor-
ter'S gallery cOuiu see, DuSU Wlllliu bue loDUy
for several minutes, with score or two of
members clustered just behind. After they
were seated and Mr.. Edmunds of Vermont,
Mr.. Vickers, the new senator from Maryland,
and Mr.. Patterson, fresh from the g DRY of New
Hampshire, had been sworn, the Sergeant-at-
Arms standing on the steps OF the clerks desk
summoned the accused, calling ont in loud
and nervous voice three times, "Andrew
johnson, President of the United States"
ANDRE W johnson, President Of the United
Ia1x t1Anf nf
United States"
That was the eliminating movement of the
DAYS scene. 1t was curious, not to say some-
| what amusing, to note how the call affected the
galleries. There was rustic for moment
| then hush, then another rustic as everybody
| bent forward, and then great quiet fell upon
| the whole chamber. Andrew johnson did
| not appear, but General Butler did, coming in
| at the main door, just on the instant, with MS
| hat in his hand and standing for moment as
| he passed his hand over his head and looked
| around the chamber. 1t was funny coinci-
| dence-one couldn't help smiling at the odd
| occurrence. I've notion that the grave Chief
| Justice himself must have smiled little; it
| was the one comcal incident of the day..
| The Presidents counsel soon appeared, if
| he himself did not, and took their seats at
| the handsome table on the right, and in a
/ moment more the legal contest had begun. On
the one side were Henry Stanbery, tall, spare,
| courteous-a gentleman always; Judge Ben
jamin II. Curtis, formerly of the Supreme
| Bench short, square, and with very reserv-
| ed look; Ex-Congressman Thomas A. r..
| Nelson, a Tennesseean, who tried to be neu-
trail during the war, gray headed, smooth
| faced and awed by the occasion. On the other
side were Thad. Stevens, the central figure of
the scene, sitting half lifeless in great arm
chair; Judge Bingham, very alert brown
haired and sharp faced; Judge Wilson, grey
eyes and hair, slow OF speech, a genial West
erner; Judge Williams, a Pennsylvania dairy
man in appearance; General Butler, so well
| known that need not outline him; General
Logan, of such head and hair and face that
1 you would take him for Cherokee Indian
chief; Governor Boutwell, dark haired grave
of mien, in every line of his face puritan of
the puritans, whose voice is first, last, and all
| the time for justice, justice, justice, between
humanity and Andrew johnson.
The Chief Justice is not easy in his duty as
presiding officer, fer he is rusty in his remem-
brance of congressional rules and he half put
| Mr. Stanbery's motion for forty days delay
| before anybody saw what he had in his mind.
Then Mr.. Edmunds sent up his proposition,
| viz that the President should make answer
| by the first and that trial should begin on the
sixth of April. "That's the proper thing
that's right said Mr.. Sumner, as Governor
| Morton moved to go into secret session for
| consultation. The Senators retired to the re-
ception nevertheless. The spectators and
members of the House were adjust two o'clock
left in possession of the chamber. There was
| a real jolly time for the next two hours. l
| couldn't pick out many dignitaries in the
| thousand auditors. In the diplomatic gallery
| were Baron Gerolt, the Prussan minister, a
| small grey headed sober faced man. M. Ber-
| thaney, the French minister, young ard
| good looking, with the air of well-to do Bos-
ton merchant; M. Blaque Bey, the Turkish
minister, round of face, bald of pate; Mr..
Baughbee, the new minister from Greece, one
of the pleasantest little old gentlemen in
Washington. Besides these there were a doz-
en- ladies and score of secretaries and at
taches, with possibly another full minister or
two unknown to the populace. Elsewhere in
the galleries one could hardly find dozen
notables on the floor. L saw Gov. Ward of New
Jersey; Lieut-Gov. Woodward of New York;
Ex-Minister Bigelow and three or four more
public characters. During the long waiting
the halls and corridors were turned into
grand promenade, down which ladies in bright
dresses walked with chatter and laughter
1t was ten minutes past four o'clock when
the Senate returned to the chamber. The
galleries were wearied of the long delay, and
at least third of the spectators of the morn
ing had gone home. The interest of the occa-
sion was decidedly on the wane. Before the
Senators could take their seats it was already
flashing northward by telegraph that they
had fixed the twenty third instant as the time
when the President must file his answer
There was no vote in open Chamber. The
Chief Justice who presided, but did not vote
in the secret session, merely read the order
adopted there, and so the galleries saw that
the forty days naQ been cut down to ten. The
managers of the House, through Mr.. Bingham
then asked that the trial should begin as soon
after the 23d they could file their replication.
This proposition was lost without DIT bate by
vote of % to 26. The Republicans who voted
in the negative with eleven Democrats being
Messrs Antnoay, Edmunds, Fessenden, Fer
ry, Freylinghuysen, Grimes, Henderson
Howe, Morrill, of Maine, Morrill, of Vermont,
Sherman, Sprague, Trumbull, and Wiley. 1t
must not be understood that these gentleman
favored delay; they were only unwilling to
say tina the trial should commence at GER
tam time whether or no. Three or four prop
ositions were then offered, and while they
were pending, the longest speeches of the day
were made. Finally at ten minues past five
the Chief Justice declared that Mr.. Conkling's
proposition had been carried by a vote of 40 to
Ii, and so it was settled that unless otherwise
ordered the trial shall begin as soon as posi-
BILE after the twenty third instant, as the man.
ayers of the House have filed their replication
to the Presidents answer
A good days work was done, says every
body. The House if well satisfied with the
orders made by the Senat, rial court. The
great mass of out siders, thinking through to
the substance of all their work, are also sat
isfied for they believe The time allowed is suf-
fcent forsan innocent man, and as much as
the country can afford to give To a 0uiltv