Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-11-27
CALIFORNIA.

Ihe ueleat OF u u OI seVerai
presidential electors in a state Is All
extraordinary occurrence which has
Just been officially declared 10 nave
happened III California. David s..
Terry is the Democratic electOr thus
cleft out in the cold" Had the pend
ing election been as close as was that
of 1876 Judge Terry's defeat might
have changed the complexion of our
history Tor four years at least. There
can be little doubt that the causes OF
this defeat lie far back Of the pend
ing election, and must be traced to
the killing of Senator S. Broderick
in a duel years ago by Judge Terry.
Many old residents Of the Eighth
Ward remember David S. Brouerick
as q young democratic t'boss" in that
part Of New York thirty-five years
ago. Dave" the ''fre laddie" aud
stone-mason's apprentice, just before
he left New York for San francisco
owned II popular liquor saloon which
was the headquarters of the Tam
many boys of Houston, Spring and
Varick street neighborhoods. The
immediate cause of "Dave's" leaving
on the first attack of the gold fever
of 1849 was his unexpected defeat for
congress in a democratic district, for
| which undoubtedly he was himself
responsible He had. become a thor
ough political organizer, and III his
new home as q fireman and ward pol
itician he almost Immediately ac-
CURED an ascendancy in democratic
| politics. No sooner had he secured
a residence than he was chosen state
senator, aud by all accident during
his term was made acting lieutenant
governor. Dave" Immediately as
pred to be United States senater,and
actually spent seven years i'll a per-
sistent aud %undaunted struggle for
the prize. Three times-in 1851, 1855
aud 1S56-he prevented q choice by
the legislature rather than see a rival
chosen. In 1852 John B. Weller beat
Brederick by only two majority. III
1858 no election for senator occurred.
In 1854 Broderick hit upon the ingen-
lous plan of choosing himself in adj
vance Of the vacancy, and nearly sue
ceeded in the scheme. Believed TO
be in 1856 as dead politically as Denis
Kearney now is, and actually SO uh-
popular as to be kept under watch
by the aristocratic vigilance commit.
tee OF that period, BrOderick, i'll 1857,
Ivy bold political moves, was chosen
United States senator, aud had sc
much power az to be able to dictate
who his colleague should be after
obligiug hat colleague - Senator
Gwin-in u memorable letter whici
afterwards became public, to agree
that Broderick should enjoy all th'
patronage This was all agreement
which President Buchanan refused tt
acknowledge, and this led to u rup
ture between the president and Brod
+ erick, who on II occasion oil TIL
/ iden's policy toward Kansas shoult
/ be ascribed 10 the fading Intellect, TIL,
pe%tulaut passion aud the trembling
/. uotage OF ali old man on the verge o
the grave" The rupture lead to III
Il defeat in California of the Broderic'
i democrats at the congressional eiec
: tions. During that anvass David s
U Terry, the recently rejected ilaucoc
Z elector, made campaign speeches., a.
= though, like Judge Noah Davis, b
was Il justice of the supreme cour
y Brouerick having claimed in a Stun
: speech that he was folio wing the lea
of Douglas, Judge Terry retorted b
II saving that sit was the lead not
Stephen but Of Fred. Douglass.
o Broderick was breakfasting III the Ii
l. ternatiomal Hotel of San Francisc
d with Mr.. Perley, a friend both OF tn
&c senator and of the judge, when ii
t., speech was read out from a mornin
x paper. Broderick was much nettle'
l. and impulsively said 81 have sal
z that Terry is the only honest man @
IL The bench, but l take hat back
Perley spoke us sharply at this, all
re lett the table 10 go and pen a cha
lenge, which Broderick declined
lie the ground that he had no QUAR-
9. with Perley, and that if he ha'
L Perley was not his equal. The
Terry stepped into the gap aud +
IN signing his judgeship for the pu
at pose, sent Broderlck a challenge viii
IL WAS accepted. The duel was toug
ten miles out Of SAT- Francisco
er the morning OF September IS, 49,
81, with neutrality-suspicious. at a distance
at ten yards. Broderick's ball stru
~, the ground a few PAGES immediate
NJ IN trout of Tsrry-Broderick's ha
trigger failing him-while Terr!
on ball lodged in Broderck's left lu
an. aud killed HIM within a few da'
as His death was regarded by the all
rs slavery democrats as an assassinati
,ce a sentiment which the late gene
no, aud Oregon senator, E. D. Bak
or. made the topic of y celebrated fun
he al Grafton over "Dave"-as his
mirers continued to call him to
day of eutombing his remains bene
a conspicuous monument i'll LIZ
Mountain Cemetery. Terry was
dicted for murder aud imprisOi
OIL but never tried. During the Ct
isn war he was in the confederate arl
Vi After the war he returned 10
re- Francisco and practised law and
.u's entered politics. In August, 1879,
tne unsuccessfully ran OH the kear
us ticket for encouragement. TINS y