Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-06-30

caucuses of Slidell, Jesse d. Bright,
Howell Cobb, Benjamin, and that faction
in Washington-for they met at Cobbs
house chiefly, and one day it came to me
straight as a wire that they had deter
mined to force Douglas into fight, and
that it had been proposed that Slidell
should insult Douglas in the drinking
saloon of the Senate, and, if he resented it
shoot him down. | wrote to Douglas at
once, but knowing his habits so well OF
leaving letters unopened for days and
weeks together. l sent the letter to
friend, and commanded him to make
Douglas open it, and peruse it, that he
hight be prepared. And in that letter |
said: eff you are pushed to the..wall, tele.
graph for Tom Hawkins of Louisville"
Well, came on from the South soon
after that, and went up with George Pugh
to see Douglas There we found nobody
to pay much attention to us. Douglas
seemed absorbed with something else, and
looking out of his library across the fhall,
I saw Roger A. Pryor and Albert G.
Brown, of Mississippi, step into another
room. I asked no questions, but came
away, aad soon afterward started for
New York. When got to Relay House
there was about three minutes delay, as
the western train had just come in, and
saw get out of it and step toward the
Washin gtor train-who, but Tom Haw-
kins? -4tt
"Tom," 1 cried, "what are you doing
here p a
"What are you doing away from Wash
| ington ?" said Tom.
"Going to New York;
"New York, what? Do you get me
here and then run off to New York ?
1 Douglas has sent for me- The fights on.
"I'll get off my baggage at Baltimore" !"
said I, ''and return to Washington to-
might"
And with that the trains steamed con-
trary ways.
] found out the matter at Washington
that same evening. The conspirators had
ARRANGED to force an Insult upon Douglas,
and then, if he challenged, he would lose
| the vote of the North. Ii he refused, no
body in the South would touch him. The
Icreature of the conspirators to insult
[ Douglas was G. n. Fitch of Indiana
still alive, believe-and he had done it
/ in executive session the day before ]
reached the city. Douglas had demanded
1 a retraction or a fight, and Tom Hawkins
had been sent for.
/ found the Douglas household all warm
for the duel. Mrs. Douglas and the
j Cuttses and everybody were bound to see
Stephen out. His wife said he might LOSE
the presidency or anything before he
should be beaten by Jesse Bright and old
Bucks myrmidons. Billet doux had beer
-fpassing all day betwixt the Buchanan
headquarters, in the Vice Presidents room
tof the capitol, and one of the committed
rooms where the Douglas men sat in coun
tciI. The messenger for Douglas wa
Roger A. Pryor, and for Fitch, judah L
} Benjamin The Fitch gang were Slldell
who was the arch conspirator, and blood
thirsty as bat !; Bright, who was jealou
iof Douglas, and despised him; Cobb, etc
/, When Judah P. Benjamin, the secont
= came into the committee room will
cay, letter, and, among Richardson o
i1no'heA Iii: 7ugh, Pryor, Brown and the rest
hlllu9,s, rS,. "a, wilkins glanoing at him, the.
iS"N ! ON t- - ack and turned pale. Thel
ssy ne -; d irr ury-eeeL wa.
and said; "Why, M 80 ->''' -
glad to see You" o,d Ton, won
We all met that night, anu 49, : oln W.
in place of Pryor, to arrange th9 I PaTIleu su
lars, and force fght or pesce. We kne'
by his look that tie thing H,ss seitDu
They knew that it was coming to e Oioo y,
by Toms big eyes. And they wrote b Il
traction. He had it in ten minutes.
We arranged to try Douglass courage
by telling him that the duel was to come
off next morning. Tom, who was a sim.
ple-hearted fellow, raised objections tc
this. and refused to have anything to do
with it. We entered Douglass library,
and there he stood, with as pleasant q
smile as I ever saw, waiting to hear the
result.
"Mr. Douglas" said I, how do you
fsel?"
Very we'll What is the news ?"
! "You are to go to the field tomorrow
morning at five o'clock, and fight with
shot-guns."
We all looked at him piercingly, to see
how he stood it.
Every well" he said, make all the ar
rangements."
We watched him again, and he was as
quiet as l ever saw him-almost cheerful
Tom Hawkins could stand it no more.
He said: "Mr. Douglas, they have re-
tracted."
DOugias dreW sign, WneIner OF feIleI
or regret, do not know. He was a splen-
did shot with a fowling- piece, and he
would have fought his weight in wild
cats rather than be crowded out of the
path of his ambition. He was the great
est leader any party ever had, to my
mind, "Do you want to be introduced to
Tom Hawkins?" "No," said I, without
thinking about it. " If it isn't offensive,
prefer not to know Tom Hawkins.-G
A. Z. in Chicago Tribune.