The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-05-08
WASIIINufUNI May Z
SENATE.

70 his Action At the Fort Pillow MaSsa,
}, ere.
\ WASHINGTON, May7.
Q SENATE.
y On motion OF Mr.. Ingalls,, the resolu.
Q ton was adopted calling on the President
!, to communicate To the Senate what meas.
9 ures have been taken to prevent the occu.
2 patton Of Indian Territory by white set.
u tiers.
The House bill to prohibit military in.
reference In elections was read twice, and
!, by u vote OF "a against 81 the Senate disa.
y greed to the motion OF Mr.. Edmunds to
! / refer II to the Committee on the Judiciary,
and then laid 1t on the table 10 be called
Q up hereafter.
Consideration was then resumed OF the
: resolution asking for authority TO take
testimony In the contested case OF Spot.
ford against Kellogg.
MIR, Edmunds submitted an amendment
70 the pending resolution, authorizing the
Committee TO take testimony only 80 far
as relates TO any charge OF personal mis-.
conduct on the part of Kellogg that may
render him liable tn expulsion or Oensure,
Rejected; yeas 20, nays "a.
Mr.. Conkling submitted IN amendment
to the pending resolution that the inquiry
shall be confined TO the matters alleged In
the memorial OF Mr.. Spoford to be new
and different from those covered by pre-.
vtous inquiry. Disagreed to-yeas 20,
nays 27.
Mr. Hoar submitted a resolution as fol.
lows: And said committee are further in.
structed to inquire and report whether
bribery or other corruptor unlawful meas.
ures were used to secure the alleged elec.
tton OF Spotlord, the memoralist.
Mr.. Salisbury said he was instructed by
the committee to acceptthe amendment.
MIR. Edmunds offered an amendment
recognizing the validity and tinality Of the
decision which secured Kellogg his seat.
This was disagreed to-yeas 20, nays q.
Mr.. Logan offered an amendment em.
powering and directing the committee
further TO make inquiry whether any un-
lawful or corrupt means were used to dis |
organize the legislative body that elected
Kellogg so that 1t might elect SpofFord,
the memorialist. This was disagreed to-
yeas 10, nays2S.
The Senate also rejected (yeas 10, nays
26) Mr.. Hoars substitute, offered on the
previous day, declaring that the Senate in
October, 1877, decided the question on its
merits and seated Kellogg.
Tho Senate then passed the resolution OF
the Committee on Privilegesan and Elections
authorizing them to take testimony in the
matter ot Spoford contesting the seat OF
Kellogg with the amendment Of Mr.. Hoar,
and which had been accepted without d.
vision. The vote on the adoption OF the
resolution was: yeas 90, nays II.
All the votes taken to-day were strictly
OF . party character.
The Senate by party vote OF 81 to 15
took up the House bill to prohibit militia
ry interference at the polls.
Mr.. Blaine submitted the following
amendment:
Amy person who shall carry concealed
deadly weapons at any place or within q
mile Of any place where general or spe.
cial election for representatives in Con-
gress is being held shall, on conviction
thereof, be punished with fine OF not less
than $500 or more than S. 1000, or with i'm
prisonment for period OF not less than
six months or more than five years, or
with both fine and imprisonment at the
discretion Of the Court.
Mr.. Morgan obtained the floor, and with
out further action on the bill the Senate
adjourned. ElT
Mr.. Chalmers called up as a question OF
privilege the resolution offered by him for
Investigation into his conduct at Fort
Pillow. He said his friends had pointed
out to him the difficulties in the way OF
such an investigation, and that he himself
recognized the danger OF rekindling the
flames Of passion and prejudice which all
good men desired tosee covered up in their
ashes
TIE FORT PILLOW MASSACRE.
But 1t was hard thing TO ask soldiers
who had lost all save honor to permit that
also TO be taken from them by repetition
OF accusations that were utterly untrue.
The action OF the House yesterday had,
however, satisfied him that the gentlemen
were not willing to go into an investiga-
ton, and therefore lie had concluded to
accept the advice OF his friends and make
his own statement.
He narrated incidents OF the attack on
Fort Pillow, in which attack he had been
early in the day In command OF the Con-
federate cavalry, butabout o'clock in the
morning Gen. Forest had arrived and
taken command. He admitted that q
number OF the garrison making rush for
the gunboat had been fired at and killed,
but II any had been killed in violation OF
the Hsages OF the war most searching ex-
animation on the part of the Congress
Committee had been unable to fix any re.
sponsibility for it, at least on the general
officers in command. He denied that any
wounded men had been burned up in the
quarters that had been set on fire on the
morning after the capture OF the fort He
asserted that forty per cent Of the garrison
were saved, wholly untouched. 4 part Of
the Federal troops had run out OF the fort,
and nearly all OF those were killed or
wounded, but large number OF the garri.
son, (mostly white mem had remained
and they gathered around Gen. Forest and
himself fer protection, and had been pro-
tected.
AS to the Confederates taking advantage
OF flag OF truce in order to gain better |
position, that statement was not true. He
said so in vindiCation OF his dead com.
mander,-for glory is the soldiers pride, |
the soldiers wealth and honor The gar
rison OF Fort Pillow numbered 67 men, |
OF whom about forty per cent were saved |
that about three hundred were killed and |
wounded and about two hundred and fifty |
on the Confederate side.
Remarks were made by Mr.. Garfield as
TO the impolicy OF reopening the subject |
with the intimation that the officers were
not SO responsible as had at first been sup
posed. But the general impression at the
time had been strengthened by an order
issued about three weeks previously by
General Forest, that II the fort were sur
rendered the garrison should betreated as
prisoners Of war, but II the works were
stormed no quarter might be expected.
He was glad that so much had been done
| by the gentleman IRON Mississippi to dis.
connect his name from the responsibility
in the matter.
The subject occupied the attention Of
the House for a long time and at one
period there were indications Of trouble
between Messrs. Chalmers and Burrows,
in consequence ofan allusion made by Mr..
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