St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-03-15
Ben Wade and Robert Toombs.

While the Homestead bill was under
discussion, Mr.. ToOmbs referred to it
with sneer, as a measure for white
paupers, when Mr.. Wade Immediately
arose and said:
"Sir, you sneer at the Homestead bill
because it gives land to the landless, do
youq What is your pet scheme? Buy
ing Cuba, stealing niggers for the mig
gerless. We will go to the country
upon it. Land for the landless, against
niggers for the niggerless. | am very
glad that this question has at length
come up. l am glad, too, it has an
tagonized with this niger question. l
have been trying here for nearly a
month to get straightforward vote
upon this great measure of land for the
landless. glory in that measure. 1t
is the greatest that has ever come be-
fore the American Senate, and it has
now come so that there is no lodging
it. The question will be, Shall we give
niggers to the niggerless, or land to the
landless p"
Wade one day replied to Toombs of
Georgia, and to all appearance used
language which would compel Toombs
to challenge him. Several friends went
to Wade and begged him to desist, but
the old man grew more and more vio-
lent, until TOombs indicated his inten-
tiOn of calling Wade to account for the
language he was using, when Wade
quietly sat down, seemingly having ac-
cOmplished his object.
The Southern men looked at each
other in surprise, and it was manifest
to all that Wade had deliberately sought
quarrel with Toombs. That night a
friend of the Southern Senator called
on Mr.. Wade, to know if he would re-
tract the offensive words he had used.
''NO, l won't take back a word" was
Wade's emphatic reply.
"Then, said the friend of Mr.. Toombs,
ait will be necessary for Senator Toombs
to challenge you to mortal combat"
''This is just what want, and we
might have got to the point without all
this palaver," said Wade.
"YOu surely cannot be in earnest, Mr..
Wade" said the Southerner.
"Why, of course l am. You see, sir,
we Northern men don't like to fight
Now, am opposed to the code, and SO
are my constituents; but you fellows
have broke Summers head, and we must
spunk up a little, or you will break all
our heads. The shortest way to end
the matter is to kill off few of you,
and have picked upon old Toombs as
my man; he will have to challenge me.
Then, of course, l will have the choice
of weapons, and will take my old rife,
and - me if don't bring him down at
the first crack"
When ToOmbs heard of what Wade
said, he replied: 81 can't challenge
him; if do, he will kill me-"
1t appears that Toombs and Wade
had been out together shooting with a
rifle several times, and while Toombs
could shoot well with a pistol, he was a
poor rifle shot. Wade was an old hun
ter, and, at distance of a hundred
yards, could hit a dollar almost every
shot.
Mr.. Wade afterward said to the
writer: eff old Toombs had challenged
me that time, as 1 expected he would,
| would have made him put patch on
his coat, the size of a.dollar, over his
heart, and the old fellow would have
got demoralized when he saw me draw
ing a bead on it, and missed me, while,
- me if l wouldn't have cut the
patch 7" .......
Not only did Toombs refuse to chal-
lenge Wade, but no Southern member
could ever be induced to send him a
challenge, no matter what he might
say.-Correspondent Spirit Of the Times.