Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-10
MEETING OF THE FACTIONS.
A Breezy Time In Memphis.
Hunter and Shaw for Who
Lasts the Longest"

Burlesque itself was forestalle
and outdone last night at Assembl
Hall. Never since the memorabl
contest in "Pickwick Papers" has
had its equal. The hackneye
phrase of "Pandemonium turne
loose is the only expression tina
would convey any idea of it. W
looked for breezy time when tina
meeting came of, and in th
language of the good book, we wer
not disappointed.
| 1t was q Hunter meetino-o,
rather it was TO hare been a Hunte,
meeting-quite a different thing
But it wasn't. The Fates, and Ed
Shaw, and Barbour Lewis, and f
w. Louis, willed it otherwise. The
way of it was this:
The Barbour Lewis Ed Shaw F
w. Louis faction nominated 8
county committee. Hunter is q can.
didate for the Chancellorship. He
knows that the committee wont
nominate him for the position, and
so he is determined to ignore the
committee and h ave q new one APP
pointed that 0M nominate him.
That was what the meeting last
night was called for Circulars were
sent to the "leading men" of the
party that could read. A half
dozen was all that it was necessary
to print. A band, consisting of
four or five kettle and big bass
drum, was sent around town during
the early part of the evening to
drum them up. By hard work they
got up a crowd that half filed the
Assembly Hall.
The meeting was called to order
by Giles Smith, who nominated
Judge Hunter for chairman. The
Granny was about taking the seat,
when in marched F. w. Louis and
Ed. Shaw, with Steve Grayson's
band, drumming and fling in the
most vigorous manner, and from
fifty to seventy five followers shout
ing Justify. In moment all was
in uproar. Both bands struck up
"Hail Columbia" and each faction
commenced to shout for its leader
Hunter or Louis. Somebody NOM
mated F. W. Louis for chairman
and declared him elected. Louis
was about to take the seat, but the
Granny already had it. and showed
fight so he moved his hand up
closer, and babe them thunder
away. Hunter, putting both hands
to his mouth and forming an i'm
prOmptu speaking trumpet, an
nOunced that Joe Lusher, Beecher
and Giles Smith were the nomi-
mating committee. A roar from the
Shaw faction, and a rattle of the
drums drowned his words. This
enraged belligerent Hunter man,
and he went for Steve Grayson, the
leader of the band. The police
promptly interfered and prevented
a collision, but in the melee some
body slashed a hole in Steve's bass
drum. Steve was about to send him
to kingdom come when the police
got his pistol away from him.
Cries of Louis" and Hunter"
meanwhile continued without ceas
ing, and were heard above the din
and roar of the drums. And so
they had it nip and tuck until
all at once, in the midst of the din,
'out went the lights-out all, and
"sich another getting doaon stairs
you never did see Every mode
of egress was instantaneously
Some of the crowd sprang
out on the shed, and "snaked'
down the columns, but the greater
part of the crowd got down the steps
In the streets the crowd yelled
and shouted, and the drums beat
Just as they did in the hall. Steve
Grayson just reared about his
bass drum, and was going to do ter
rible things if he could "fnd the
man that did it. He didn't find
him.
After several minutes, delay the
lights were lit again, and all parties
returned to the hall, to renew the
same scenes previously enacted.
The Hunter faction took the stage
and the Louis-Shaw faction kept
down by the door, but the drums OF
both parties kept up a deafening
roar. Thus matters stood when we
left at eleven o'clock, and thus Shaw
swore they should stand until the
police made them break up and go
home.
No blood was spilled, much to
the disgust Of our friend, the cor
oner. We met him in the early
part of the evening, and he was in
high glee, but as the evening wore
on and nobody hurt" his spirits
fell. He said he wouldn't give a
cent for such a meeting. "Why,
you don't want anybody killed, do
you?" asked we. "Vell-I don't
say dat-but business is business,
you know !"-MemphtS Appeal,
April s.