The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-08-26
THAT WIGWAM DEDICATION.

| THAT WHY WAN DEDlCATlON.
/ That barn-like structure on the Jail lot on
! Columbus street has not been erected by the
county, as some have enormously supposed,
/ for calaboose to relieve the pressure upon
the black hole under the court house; but
has been put there by our republican fel-
| low citizens Hon. W. Bushnell generously
contributing the lumber as place for hold
ing their political meetings, in which the
big injuns' of the party are to do their
spouiing, whence it has been iacetiously nam
ed THE Wigwam,' though its resemblance
to an Indian lodge SO named is about equal
to that Of canal boat to dog cart. The
erection of the Wigwam was deemed neces-
sary from the fact that when republican
meetings were called in the court house yard
so many democrats were IN the habit of at
tending from curiosity as to greatly out.num-
Der the republicans, and when in the course
of speech it came in order to shout for
"IIaycs," the democrats would drown ont the
republicans with shouts for "Tilden,n which
made it unpleasant for weak republican
nerves.
The dedication of said "wigwam" was fixed
for Tuesday evening, the object being to util-
ize the occasion as sort of "love feast" to
soothe and mollify the disappointments in.
tllcted and cool down the angry passions
excited during the fierce struggle in the
"slaughter-pen' during the afternoon Hon.
Franklin Corwn had been literally adver-
tised in bills posted over the city to make the
dedlcatory speech.
What was intended to ne a grand pageant,
however, turned out to be a very tame and
dull ceremonial. Mr.. Corwins struggles to
maintain "order-rr!" during the afternoon
as president of the convention had so ex.
hausted him that he was unable to make the
promised speech at the "wigwam." In spite
of an hours vigorous dram pounding and
scieeching on the arpiercing fife" through
the streets in the early evening" less than
three hundred people gathered at the wig.
wam," and they found the place anything
but comfortable Charley Blanchard, having
been induced after Il great deal OF persuasion
to take the stand and make the dedlcatory
speech called the thing a "sweat house," and
allowed" he'd about as soon face the lmp1
dent TIldenites in the court house yard as
sweat off the little flesh there was left on his
bones in steam cauldron like this
Then, after repeated calls, Z. +. Bull was
persuaded to mount the rostrum. He said
gentlemen of the jury" and proceeded to
defend his party IN buslness-like way, as he
had sften before conducted a like hopeless
defense in the court house. He honored the
FREE TRADER with a favorable notice. for
which he has our thanks. Then he launched
out in violent attack on the opposite party
against The unhappy party whom he was de
Tending. as he is wont to attack witnesses
who tell hard stories about his clients. The
chief of these sinners was one Samuel j. Til.
den, whose testimony he solemny assured
the aforesaid Jury" was wholly unworthy of
belief, Just as he had often before assured ju-
ries in the court house of the utter talsity of
the testimony of honest farmer Hodge, when
steal the horse. Doubtless he was quite as
successful in convincing the Jury on this
occasion that the unfortunate Samuel was a
"very bad man" as he usually is IN persuad-
ing granger jury of the badness Of honest
Hodge.
There was now terrific yelling for Blush.
nell THAT is, as terrific as two or three
hundred men in bake oven gasping for
breath are capable of,-but Bushnell was evi.
IDENTIFY not in the humOr to torture the Jury"
any further on that occasion. Mayo, howev.
er, was less considerable, and being called at
ter Bushnell's peremptory REFUSAL promptly
came to the fire. He Is understood to have
uttered something in his earnest and vehe-
ment way about reform; but exactly what
his poirt was our intelligent informant was
unable to make out. With Mayo the list OF
spouters seemed to be exhausted, and the
meeting dispersed.