The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-05-21
FIGHTING IN TIE COUNTRY.

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FIGHTING il TIE CoUETRf.
The disease affecting Little Rock is rapidly
snseading to the uttermost corners OF ths
safe. When Baxter company attempts &c
orpanize. q Brooks gang pouncc upon tnem
caniure their arms. and disperse the enemy
IN the other hand, if Brooks company
trirs to reach the bcsicged capital, they arr
sct uron by the opposition, and thus tne
whole State IS in virtual condition OF war
rho farmers are Numbered about their crops
or taken entirely away, and all sorts OF busl
| ness, except the business OF war, Is para
lyzcd. .
At2 o'clock, as sat down to write, l wa!
startled by the report of firearms ut tht
State. House. There were about fifty shot!
| IN rapid succession. ran down to snuhtht
battle Lreeze-I get near all The fights ately
rs it is the safest place / can Finland fount
| that the S'atc-House braves were firing at
squad of BaXter's across the river, fui
| mile eff. The bullets could not have reached
the enemy unless there had been some Oh.
on mdde-sround to pick them up ana shoo'
them again. Indeed, they 60 say that TIE
fearful foe which the State-House veterans
| TO town with basket OF eggs.
Well. | came back from the bloody nelu'
81 to sneak. and sharpened my pencil Tor
| ,,owinu description Of the saDglllnary con.
f,.st Win myself as a central figure, covered
with glory and playing with cannon-ballS,
80 IN sncak. when l heard cheer in the BaX'
tcr I,np which swciled out louder and big
yrr and bigger until it filled the whole city.
| I waited for it to cease, but it didn't 1tgrew
| in fury and volume Again / dropped my
pencil and ran into the Baxter lines to see
what was UP this time. The whole camp
WIS in confusion. The great buildings had
emitted their contents of soldiers into the
street. Soldiers, officers, and Baxter mig
gers were running around like mad,
wiooping and yelling, hugging each other
like giriS, borSc-piSiols and all; crying,
swearing, shouting, laughing, singing, and
dancing. IT was the strangcst scene ever
looked upon. and | have seen several things.
tried to find ont what was the matter, but
all were ..too full for utterance - that is.
for uttering anything sensible and connected.
Il was not until had grabbed Il M1jorG en-
cral by the coat-tail and pulled him away
from eight colonies who were hugging him
that found out what was the matter.
"Grant," he gasped, "Oh, glory Grant
has decided for us proclamation just come !;
SAYS old Brooks must give up the State
House. We've got justice at last. Hurrah
for the people, and down with the id
thieyes-whopee !"
The street was literally jlmmed with men,
and all in al ecstaoy of delight. Some lite
rally cried while they shouted for Grant and
Baxter, and all were mad with enthusiasm.
I went up to Governor Baxter's room. The
scene there is beyond the power Of descrip-
ZION. They did not have copy of the pro-
clamation, but two or three old chaps who
had seen it were trying to repeat it, and a
pretty muss they made; but it was all the
same, for the main poiht-BaEter's recogni-
tion-they We're all certain about.
Every moment fresh squad came in to
take the Governor by the hand and shout
and cry. Do not misunderstood me men
actually wept for joy. Ore old senator said
he had been drinking whiskey constantly
for forty-tiye years, but all he had ever drank
put together did not make him feel so good
as this one bit Of news. And the major
generals. how they flew around and shook
hands with everybody, while great drops of
rolled from their noble broWs.
Everybody was happy; everybody running
over with joy.
passed on up to the State-House, distant
another square. There men were violently
disputing. Some didn't believe the procla-
nation was genuine, and all were express
ing vigorous opinions one way and another.
But sadness and gloom predominated. The
negroes were drilling, and had their cannon
on the Bakeries. They knew
was in the air; but couldn't un-
derstand what, and were nervous and per-
picked. .
The Brooks leaders say that if the procla-
nation is genuine the jig is up with Arkan-
sas, that northern men will have to leave,
md all such stuff. There are as many north
,rners for Baxter as against him. 1t is not a
)arty fight in any sense. 1t is hard to tell
ust what sort of fight it is, but party has
little to do With it.
As close this letter at night the excite
nent and cheering continue. Occasionally
here is a pistol-shot, either designed or acct
dental. There has been no one killed to-day
IS | have learned, but some have been
wounded. So many men are drunk tonight,
md as all are loaded down with pistols, we
must expect some bloodshed before morn
ng. s
There were several attempts made to read
the proclamation in the Legislature to-day,
but the Joy and emotion were so great that
men could not command their voices, and q
newspaper correspondent finally had to per-
form the duty. ....-
IF the Legislature, in trying to settle mat
tiers, should 60 back to the election returns
and correct them all over, it will turn out
Baxter, two judges of the Supreme Court,
and every State officer but one, for they
were all fraudulently returned as elected,
when they were not. Such recount would
assuredly put in Brooks, Of whose election
in the first place there is not the shadow OF
doubt. This-Would- make a quaking all
round, and it is doubtful If the Legislature
have the nerve to do it. " ...-
While it is certain that Brooks was elect
ed, and counted out by the most atrocious
and glazing fraud, it is also certain that he
Is not the choice of majority OF the people
much as Brooks beat Baxter in 1872. SO
you see it is pretty mess all around.
The Supreme Court gave Brooks ttty
thousand dollars out of the treasury to carry
on the war, but just what authority the SUI.
preme Court had for being so lavish with
other peoples money might raise an inter-
esting series Of questions. But Brooks Is
spending the money and will soon exhaust
the pile, and call bis "court" together to
vote him more. This Arkansas Supreme
Court is about the biggest farce on the judi.
ciary that is now or ever has been in the
world.
There is very little discipline in the Bax-
ter "army"; they get drunk and fight each
other nearly as much as they fight the enemy.
The whole thing Is ridiculous farce, but
almost too bloody to be comicaI.
The BaXterites gained victory last night
of magnitude. They captured grooks's fam
lily carriage and coachman. They took the
arms away from the cOachman and let him