Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-04-20
An Eyewitness Of a Ne
gro Legislature Break
up.

!of the scene:
= * A concert of wolves:
or The caterwauling of troup of
angry mousers, would most aptly
typity the scene.
One gentleman becoming more
excited than seemed necessary,
the S eaker very politely request,
ed him mot to tear his breeches." :"
MIR. Carter, quiet young man
from Cameron Parish, stood puff
ing his fragrant Havana and
beating the DEVILS tattoo on the
table before him. He seemed full
ly aware Of the important p owls
ions OF all the bills proposed, and
whenever the ayes aud noes were
called he invariably decided that
the needed provision was carried.
Sometimes the noes were louder
and more obstreperous than the
ayes; but Garter knew a thing or
1.-TWO, and always decided "the ayes
thave it.
! The Speaker at one time re-
marked, 1.-The noise is so great |
cant hear" and with a pleasant
Iequivoge continued, 81 am partly
deaf, and have but one ear, but it
would take forty ears to hear all
Iyour motions. !" About half after
item o'clock many of the members
land a goodIy crowd of The lobbyists
bad punished their regular quart
Of benzine, and the yelling became
intensified. =
| Howls, wboops, screeches and
icat Calls swelled upon the agilat-
ed air as if a thousand devils had
'een let loose, and each Wed with
the other in keeping up the hide
Gus chorus. The prolonged and
leatening cries of cal s for the
yeas aud nays were absolutely
stunning. The thing ended in
riot-several negroes got into
cuffie on the Speakers stand.
They grasped one another with
that fraternal and. awkward hug
peculiar to the bear tribe, chairs
aud tables were overturned, ink
stands rolled and ratified across /
the foJr, and tables and papers
were strewn about the hall in mcst
admired confusion.
In the midst Of this a shrill.
piping voice announced somewhere
lp the scrimnage that the Senate
had adjourned sine die, which an
nouncement was received with de-.
risive yells and cries of you know
lhow it is yourself" GLOW are
your poor feet?" Bully boy with
IA glass eye etc.
The Senate, it was understood
in the lobby, bad fzzled out like
Il gorged anaconda surfeited with
"A hearty meal, and now its men,
bers and attaches poured into the
House to witness its death throes
and add to the confusion, which
had taken the shape of a DAhomi
an orgie, and only lacking the
cooking man to make the sem
blance complete. 1t was evident
that fire water" had gained the
supremacy and now ruled the
lOust.
Members left their seats and
crowded the aisles, and the MKT
ure of colors became so promiscu-
GUS as to have puzzled the most
expert adapter of the hues most
appropriate to boquets of this
character.
The noise increased with the
flow of strong drink. and as scores
OF voices rose each above the other,
the din became a lIideous Babel,
exceeding anything known in the
heavens above or earth beneath.
Further business was impossible,
and, the time for adjournment
having clearly arrived, venera-
ble colored chaplain. amid the din
and row, was called upon for
Fbenediction. For the little we
could hear, it mainly took the
form of a general dressing" He
"presspd De mem be.s, de Goberuur |
and all high in offs, der labors !
and de culled people" Waxing
strong in zeal and perspiratlon, he
then bestowed "bressing on de
Presidum and de Cabinet" CON-
ing down on the long list of of
ticiAls, until it, seemed problemati-
cal where he would wind up-but
a vigorous amen, reaching above
the drunken pandemonium, final.
lly brought it to an untinIely close. |
Brother Hunsacker now mounted
a desk and proposed, with violent
gesticulations, that all join hands
and sing the DoxolOgy, the same
which had been 50 ably wsrbled