Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-07-16

The author of the recently published
"Casket of "reminiscences; tells hew
be came 10 be called 'Hangman
Foote.'
II $40 q. Zoe Summer of is4s that
several slaves, belonging to persons in
Washington City. escaped North, and
it was charged that certain members of
Congress from ,hs re States had
VI pea to run the underground rail
road. There was great excitement
but we let Gov. Foote give the story in
his own characteristic way - --i5-
When ! reached NY seat y the Fen
ate Ga tbs poEHih$ aftef the flight Of
there poof children of bondage had DC
cured. | found Mr. Calhoun on his feet,
and announcing, with a feTyid
vehemance of tone and psannFr. very
unusual VIII. ssis grave and solemn
Senator, what he depicted as
a fearful outrage upon the whole
body of Southern shareholders
-an outrage, he said, which, y
tamely submitted TO, would Il d sH,'it
time bring about the entire overthrow
IF the system alike indispensable to the
enjoyment and prosperity of the cot
ton and tobacco growing region re to
the wealth trS greatness OF
athes portions of the repub-
lie. When he closed his remarks,
not without striking indications
L L 80 ssE AaSr r.1aH
said; u row leave this matter in hands
81 my younger friends from the South.
have stood here long in the front Of
battle, almost single-handed and alone,
defending the rights cf Etf slayehold-
inc constituents, and / begin to feel 1t
to be high time that such men
as your colleague, Mr.. Davis, and your
self come forward to my relief" Tt!s
was an appeal whish found it almost
impossible 10 resist, though really ] had
never seen the time when l would have
either gone or sent an agent IN
quest of a runaway slave, and
had always been disposed 70 tTe-
opnize he f--t taa.sa.t one whose acute
fiess and intelligence were such as to
enable him to achieve his own deliver
ance from thraldom might be well
presumed to be aitosether capable of
enioylns 4 State of freedom and
OF creditably maintaining his new
found rights. Waiting a few minutes
for that Boanerges of debate, John
P. Hale, os New Hampshire, to close
most stormy and indignant harrangue,
in which his facility in the application
of potential and striking epithets had
been fully displayed / leaped to my
feet and made, as | must frankly con-
fees, under the overwhelming. ex-
element of the moment, one
of the most funny, rabid and
insulting speeches that has ever
dishonored a grave and digni6ed par
liamentary bcdy, IN which told Mr..
Hale, ia plain terms, that were he to
visit any thickly settled vineinage IN
Mississippi, and there use such Ian
guage as that which lie had Just ut
tered; I did not at all doubt that he
would incur the hazard of being
strung upon one of the Hottest trees of
the forest: and that in such case, should
there by any want of an eEecntlOner, l
would myself turn hangr an for his
benefit. These frantic and indecent
words had scarcely been enumerated
ere became painfully se..sible of the
stupid and pr6ecoming nature of my
ecn1uct. and l would have really given
worlds to recall all the nonsense / had
uttered. .
In less than forty-eight hours l re-
ceived hundreds of Anonymous letters
filed with the host cadstic reviie-
nents. and others enclosing the most
hideouF eaiicatures of person whom
these same caricatures denominated
''Hangman Foote." IpOsitivel Fly writhed
in agony. Never had my self--e-pec.
suffered such e-.eie humiliation. L
fe!, that the tabled shirt of Nessus was
actually enveloping MY limbs.