Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-06-07
THE DAY BOOK.
MONDAY MORNING, June 7, 1869
J. H. Platt among the Baynites
PLATT and BAYNE GROSS BAYONETS.
A BIG THING OFF ICE.
A BIG THING OFF ICE.
V L r Y Ii 0 II

l
j. II. Plat, the nominee of the Pc
tersburg Convention, radical, for Con
gress, and DR.. Bayne, Independent can
didate for the same, both from this dis
trct, were the heroes of the occasion.
About 81 o'clock, Saturday evening
a small and shabby crowd of negroe
and few white men assembled in tn
corporation Courtroom, in the City
Hall, to see what was to be seen ant
hear what was to be heard.
And what a sightl And what Ian
guage, or rather gibberish, did they SCI
and hear. But, however, they recket
not of that, for they were all ignoran
together.
After the meeting was called to order
and President, in the person of Capt
Nichols, elected to preside, Platte, the
Green Mountain Boy, led off.
The personal pronoun +, was his all
absorbing theme. He said he came here
to endeavor to set himself right before
the Republicans Of Norfolk-to refute
certain damaging charges that had been
made against him.
He expatiated on his martyrdon since
he came to Virginia, told how kind (?)
he had been to the black race, how many
he had gotten into office, how he looked
upon them as brethren, and thought it
was hard that he should be prosecuted
by those for whose political salvation
he was striving, and for which he had
ever striyen hard that he should be
kept between the two fires of the Nor
folk wing of the Republican party and
the rebellious opponents.
He came here merely to satisfy his
Norfolk brethren that the alleged char
ges against him were false he didn't
come to get their votes-but would like
to have them if they would honor him
with them.
Exactly, we all understand you, MIR.
Platte. He didn't come to get their
votes, and yet he went to the expense of
coming here, renting the City Hall. AID
endured the fatigue of near Y three
hours speech just for the sake of con-
vincing his brethren about here that he
was neither saint nor devil, that the
charges brought against him were false
and yet he didn't care for the purpose
OF influencing their votes. 'Shew fly +!
90 tell that to a horse marine, Platte
the Bayne negroes won't believe you -
not muchly.
During his harangue he was frequent
ly interrupted by the Bayne negroes,
who propounded a thousand and-one
questions, some OF which he answered
satisfactorily, others he didn't, and
some he or ANY other man, couldn't
answer at all, for they were unanswtr-
able.
w. H. Brooks and two or three other
white friends of the Doctor gave Platte
the lie direct regarding "a bogus paper
which the latter produced as genuine.
The paper related to the Petersburg
Convention matter, which is the bone
OF contention between the Baynites and
the Platte faction, and embodied pro-
position Objectionable to the Baynltes
which Platte said Brooks had pro-
nounced fair.
Heappealed to Brooks to substantiate
what he said when the latter positively
denied the statement and called on Jno.
Dunbar and Lewis w. Webb, whites,
to sustain him, who according y arose
amid the darkness and did so.
This created both considerable stir
and stink among the black-brds who
were, however, prevailed upon to sub
side, and Platte continued.
After much sweating and very SUI
perIor caviling, Platte finally caved,
and the irrepr essible DR.. Gorilla Ape
Bayne assembled the stand and ted
his Uranium above the crowd, stuck
about four inches out of long tailed
black coat, which was cut a la miltaire
and buttoned up close in the neck.
He prefaced his remarks by clearing
his throat, kicking up behind, stretching
his neck forward, and Hopping his
| wings in spread eagle style--the whites
of his eyes the while rolling like all ere.
alton.
Heagreed with Mr.. Platte concerning
| his structures on Mr.. Walker, which
were anything but flaltering, of course.
On that pint he had nothing to say
as enough had already been said. But
he had a few questions to put direct tt
Mr.. Platte, and challenged him to deny
them. He literally waxed the Green
Mountain Boy.
He proved that he, twelve months
ago, was opposed to negroes holding
Office, although he had spoken to the
ontrary. This gave him the lie beau
tifully. and was the happiest hit of the