National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-10-30
TIE ATTA0K ON MR. sBNER.

D6NeFal reSpeCBdDle anu 1hpdItLd1 VIII
nesses have furnished us the facts connect
ed with the assault made upon Hon, James
B. Sener by friends of Mr.. Beverly B.
Douglas at King William Court house on
Monday last and from which Mr.. Sener
narrowly escaped with his life. He is still
at King William Court house in a helpless
condition, and is disabled from further
prosecuting the campaign in which he was
engaged. We have been anxious for the
truth to reach the public, and especially the
people of the First district of Virginia, sat
isfed that they will fairly judge the princi-
pal and accessories and condemn where it
is just.
By arrangement between Messrs. Sener
and Douglas they met at King William
Courthouse on Monday last for joint dis
cussion. Mr.. Douglas led off, and was lis
tened to attentively by the crowd present.
Mr.. Sener followed his competitor, and
when he arose to speak quite a crowd came
upon the portico of the hotel and gathered
around the speaker, who were known and
recognized as the friends of Mr.. Douglas.
Mr.. Sener had been speaking for about ten
minutes, when, in reply to some remark of
Mr.. Douglas, he said: "The Democrats
"have cast aside one of their great lead
"ers, Mr.. Beck, of Kentucky"
Mr.. Douglas (interrupting) said : 'Mr.
Beck declined reelection, and you misstate
his position" Mr.. Sener accepted the cor
rection. Mr.. Douglas thensai ''Youm
confine yourself to the truth" To this
Mr.. Sener replied: 81 always endeavor to
do So"
Nh. Douglas. '"You have not done so in
this instance"
Mr.. Sener. "Any one who says have
attempted to make misrepresentation tells
a falsehood."
Mr. Douglas. eff you do not retract that
remark 1 will throw this tumbler in your
face"
Mr.. Sener. 81 you do, will throw this
one at you"
Both missed their glasses-but neither
was thrown-when the crowd, who had
gathered around Sener at the opening of
his speech, rushed upon him, bore him to
the end Of the portico and threw him to
to the ground below, a distance of five or
six feet. One of the crowd jumped down
upon him, and stamped him about the
head and body, breaking his arm in two
places and cutting and bruising him Sc
riously about the face and head.
But for the timely rescue of Mr.. Sener
by some Of his friends, the impression is
general that he would have been killed.
The statement which has been going
the rounds of the press, that Mr.. Sener
apologized for what he had said to Mr..
Douglas, we are assured, is not true, as he
did not see Douglas after the attack was
made, and has not communicated with him
in any manner since.
We have given plain statement of the
facts ss they occurred, and would gladly
acquit his competitor from any intent or
purpose to willfully lead or encourage such
brutality but when we state that, al
though at his own home, where we have
always heard Virginia gentlemen were ex-
trayagant in dispensing their hospitality,
Beverly B. Douglas, one of the high
spirited gentlemen of the Old Dominion,
ashamed of the consequences of his work,
fed to his room, equipped himself and
mounting his horse rode away, without
stopping long enough to ascertain the con-
dition of his victim, we are forced to be-
lieve that he instigated the whole affair,
and that he deliberately drew Mr.. Sener
into the discussion of a question totally
foreign to the issue between them that he
might perfect his devihsh designs. We
are strengthened in this opinion by the
fact that Douglas has been frequently
urged by friends to make Sener fight or
brand him a coward" The Conservative
press of Virginia have extensively copied
the statement that on one occasion he had
publicly denounced Sener as a liar, &C., all
of which we are assured is untrue. The
crowd of Douglass friends gathering
around Sener when he commenced speak
ing, the fact that Douglas escaped I'M
touched, and that no other individual re-
ceived scratch except Sener, and the
hasty retreat Of Douglas to his room, and
his inhuman carelessness of the result of
Sener' injuries, unerringly point to we'll
laid scheme to perpetrate a foul and dis
graceful wrong upon Mr.. Sener.
Mr.. Douglass and his followers were de-
ceived as to the ability of Mr.. Sener; they
had overTated Douglas and moderated
his competitor. Sener was more than his
peer in debate, and he has at last been
forced to resort to brute force to accomplish
what he lacked the brain power to do.
Rendered desperate in political and pc
cuniary fortune by life of wild and reck-
less dissipation, Beverly B. Douglas has
shown his willingness to step down from
the high position of Virginia gentleman
10 that of the bully and rufian, that he
may regain, at the expense Of an already
impoverished people, that which he has so
recklessly squandered = reputation and
money.
If the people of his district donot rebuke
so foul wrong at the polls on election day,
then, indeed, have we mistaken the temper
and honor of that section Of the State
which has furnished to the nation the
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