Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-12-02
BRODERICk AND TERRY.
From the New YorS World.

! extraordinary occurrence which has
just been officially declared 10 have
happened in California. David :.
Terry is the Democratic elcctor thus
cleft out in the cold" Had the pend
ing election been as close as THAT of
1876 Judge Terry's defeat might have
changed the complexion Of our history
for four years at least. There can be
| but little doubt that the causes Of this
defeat lie far back of the pending
election, ana must be traced to the
killing of Senator David 5. Broderick
in a duel years ago by Judge Terry
Many old residents of the Eighth ward
! remember David = Broderck as a
young Democratic boss" in that part
of New York thirty-iive years ago.
Dave" the fire laddie" and stone
mason's apprentice, just before he left
New York for San Francisco owned
popular liquor saloon which was the
headquarters of the Tammany boys of
Houston, Spring and Narick street
neighborhoods. The immediate cause
of Dawes leaving on the first attack
Of the gold fever of lS49 was his un-
expected defeat for Congress in
Democratic district, for which un.
doubtedly he was himself responsible.
He had become a thorough political
organizer, and in his new home as
fireman and ward politician he almost
Immediately acquired an ascendancy
in Democratic politics. No sooner had
he secured residence than he was
chosen State Senator, and by an acci-
dent during his term he was made act
ing Lieutenant Governor. Dave" i'm
mediatcly aspired to be United States
Senator, and actually spent seven
years in a persistent and undaunted
struggle for the prize. Three times
in 1851, 1855 and 1Sj6-he prevented
choice by the Legislature rather
than see a rival chosen. In 1852 Jno.
B. Weller beat Broderick by only two
majority. In 1853 no election for
Senator occurred. In 1854 Broderick
hit upon the ingenious plan of choos-
ing himself in advance of the vacancy
and nearly succeeded in the scheme.
Believed to be in 1856 rs dead politi-
cally as Dennis Kearney now is, and
actually so unpopular as to be kept
under watch by the aristocratic vigi-
lance committee of that period. Brod-
erick, in 1897, by bold political moves
was chosen United States Senator, and
had so much power as to be able to
dictate who his colleague should be,
after obliging that colleague, Senator
Gwin, in a memorable letter, which
afterwards became public, to agree
that Broderick should enjoy all the
patronage. This was an agreement
which President Buchanan refused to
acknowledge, and this led to rup.
ture between the President and Brod-
erick who, on one occasion, on the floor
of the Senate, averred that "the Presi.
dents policy towards Kansas should
be ascribed to the fading intellect, the
petuant passion aud the trembling
dotage of an old man on the verge of
the grave" The rupture led to the
defeat in California of the Broderick
Democrats at the Congressional cleo
tions. During that canvass David S.
Terry, the recently rejected Hancock
elector, made campaign speeches, al
though, like Judge Noah Davis, he
was Justice of the Supreme Court.
Broderick having declared in stump
speech that he was following in the
lead of Douglas, Judge Terry retorted
by saying that cit was the lead, not
of Stephen but of Fred Douglass" "
Broderick was breakfasting in the In-
ternational Hotel of San Francisco,
with Mr.. Perley, friend both of the
Senator and of the Judge, when the
speech was read out from n morning
paper. Broderick was much nettled,
aud impulsively said: 81 have said
that Terry is the only honest men on
the bench, but take that back" Per-
ley spoke up sharply at this, and left
the table to go and pen a challenge,
which Broderick declined on the ground
that he had no quarrel with Perley,
and that if he had Perley was not his
equal. Then Terry stepped into the
gap, and, resigning his judgeship for
the purpose, sent Broderick a chal-
lenge, which was accepted. The duel
was fought ten miles out of San Fran
cisco, on the morning of September 13,
1859, with dueling pistols, at dis
tance of ten yards. Broderick's ball
struck the ground few PAGES imme-
diately in front of Terry-Broderick's
hair trigger failing him-while Terry's
ball lodged in Broderick's left lung
and killed him within few days.
His death was regarded by the anti.
slavery Democrats as an assassination
"a sentiment which the late General
and Oregon Senator, Il. ID. Baker,
made the topic of a celebrated funeral
oration over "Dave"--as his admirers