Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-12-31
THE NATIONAL ARENA.
Some Famous and Infamous CeDgres-
siOnai ReWc"u" ters, Suggested by
the Weayer-Sparks Ser. manage.
How statesmen Fight
Washington Star.

w
The Sparks-Weaver scrimmage in
the house the other day was not a
very creditable affair, but does not
by any means come up to the belilg-
erent mark Of preceding scenes Of
the kind at the national capital.
Some of these exciting affairs may
be briefly recaptulated:
Mr.. Reuben NJ. Whitney came to
Washington at the invitation of
President Jackson, to assist as a con-
tributor to the Globe in the work of
des roying the Bank of the United
States. He was summoned as a
witness before a committee appoint
ed to investigate the administration
Of the executive office He refused
to attend, and was arraigned before
the house for the contempt. Whit
ney's excuse was that he could not
attend the committee for fear of
danger to his life from the violence
of the members. MIR. Peyton, Of
Tennessee, a member OF the com-
mittee, as it appeared from the evi
dence, had taken ofense atan answer
of Mr.. Whitney, and broke out in
the committee in these words: "Mr.
Chairman, 1 wish you would inform
this witness that he is not to insult
me in his answers if he does, I will
take his life on the spot" The wit
ness claimed the protection of the
committee, on which Mr.. Peyton ex
claimed, "You. shan't speak; you
shan't say one word while you are
in this room; if you do I will put
you to death. Henry A. Wise,
chairman Of the committee, then adj
ded, "Yes, this insolence is intolera-
BILE" Soon after, Mr.. Peyton, OBJ
serving the witness was looking at
him, cried out, His eyes are upon
me; he is looking at me; he shan't
do it !; he shan't look at me" These
ordinations were accompanied with
violent cursing and swearing. Mr..
Wise admitted that he was armed
with deadly weapons, and said: q
watched the motion of the right arm
OF the witness, the elbow of which
could be seen by me, and had it
moved one inch he had died on the
spot. This was my determination
Such scenes were common then,
and the halls of congress acquired
the name of the Bear Garden
ASSAULT UPON JACKSON.
On the 18th of January, 1885, an
attempt was made to assassinate
Gen. jackson on the portico of the
capitol, at o funeral ceremony,
by Richard Lawrence, a painter by
trade, and resident of Washington.
He exploded two caps on the pistols
in the attempt. The pistols were
afterward found to be well-loaded,
and Jackson's escape was considered
miraculous. The would-be assassin
was knocked down and taken into
custody. Gen. jackson always be-
lieved that this act was perpetrated
at the instigation of some of the
friends of the bank.
Prior to this, in 1888, Gen. jack
son was assaulted while sitting down
reading a newspaper on the boat at
Alexandria, but the friends of the
assailant succeeded in getting him
out of the way in good time.
It was in these days, that Henry
A. Wise made an ugly face at Speak
er Polk on the street and spat at
him.
THE CILLEY-GRAVEs DUAL.
In February, 1888, Mr.. Cilley, of
Maine, charged in his speech in the
house that James Watson Webb,
editor of the New York Courier and
Inquirer, had received a bride of
$4,000. from the bank of the United
States. Graves, of Kentucky, took
up Webb's quarrel, and Henry A.
Wise bore his challenge = to Cilley.
Gen. George W. Jones was Cilley s
second. Bladensburg was the place
and the weapons rifles. The rifles
rang out and both missed. The
challenge was withdrawn to give
opportunity for reconciliation. The
attempt failed and the principals
again took position, Wise remarking
that if the matter was not termina-
ted by this shot he would propose
/ to shorten the distance. The rifles
rang again and Cilley fell dead.
THE wIsE-sTANLEY scRIMMAGE.
/ Henry A. Wise, the ajax in these