Connecticut western news., 1880-05-26
An Exciting Career.
THE LATE EX-Gov. FooTE OF MISSISSIPPI
 AND SOME OF HIS PECULIARITIEs.

An Exciting Career.
 THE LATE EX-GOv. FOOTE OF MISSISSIPPI
 AND SOME OF HIS PECULIARITIEs.
 While in Congress, the late Ex-Gov. Henry A. Foote had noteworthy en- counter with Thomas H. Benson, against whom he had personal antipathy. The trouble began when Congress met in the winter of 1849. MT. Foote in the Democratic Senatorial caucus moved that, upon charges which he had pre- pared to array and sustain against him, MT. Benton should be discontinued as Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The motion was carried, and MT. Benton resigned; so strong was the feeling between them that Q personal en- counter was expected at any moment. The bitterest personalities were ex- changed between them on the floor of the Senate, each growing hotter as time advanced, but 1t was not till the 17th of the following April that the quarrel cul minated. MT. Benton on that day made long speech on the Territorial ques- tion in which he commented severely on several Southern Senators, Mir. Foote among them. At its conclusion MT. Foote arose and, saying that he "did not intend to be personal, " went through maneuvers which are thus described in the Congressional Globe:
 .Mr Foote, who occupies 8 seat on the outer circle, in front of the Vice-Presi- dents chair, retreated backward down the aisle towards the chair of the Vice. President, with 8 pistol in his hand, MT. Benton moment before having sudden ly risen from his seat and advanced by the side. aisle outside the bar towards him, following him into the aisle, down which the Senator from Mississippi had retreated. In moment almost every Senator was on his feet, and calls to Or der,' demands for the Sergeant-at-Arms, requests that Senators should take their seats, from the chair and from individual Senators, were repeatedly made. MT. Benton was followed and arrested by MT.
  sion and excitement which prevailed he was heard to exclaim from time to time :; T have no pistols!' 'Let him fire ? Stand out of the way! T have no pistols! T disdain to carry arms ? Stand out of the way and let the assas- sin fire ? While making these exclama- tions MT. Benton was brought back to his seat; but breaking away from MT, Dodge of Wisconsin, who sought forci- ply to detain him, he advanced again towards MT. Foote, who stood near the Vice. Presidents chair. MT. Dickenson took the pistol from the hands of MT. Foote and locked it up in his desk, and MT. Foote, on the advice of MT. Butler, returned to his seat"
 A committee of seven which investi- gated this scandalons affair severely cen sured both parties to it, but exonerated ! MT. Foote from any design to murder | Senator Benton. He had another affray at about this time in which Colonel J. c. ! Fremont, Benton's son-in-law, called him a liar and was promptly slapped in the face for his pains. A challenge passed | from Fremont to MT. Foote, but no hos tile meeting took place. MT. Foote was principal in four duels, in two of them he sent the challenge. His first affail was in 1928 and in it his antagonist used @ pistol borrowed from Gen. Jackson with which he shot MT. Foote in the Jeff shoulder. A personal dispute at the bal with Sargent s. Prentiss in 1853 was fol lowed by cartel from MT. Foote; the parties met at sunrise October 5, neal Vicksburg, weapons pistols and distance ten paces, and again Foote was hit in the left shoulder. A second meeting re suited from the first and MT. Foote was dangerously wounded and was confined to the house for three months. His las
 was fought in 1887 with MT. Claiborne and five shots were exchanged, the las
 of which wounded MT. Claiborne in th' hip, MT. Foote escaping unhurt. Hi
 rencontres and street fights were man, but are hardly worth detailing. He long went by the sobriquet of "Hangmal Foote," which was given him because il
 the Senate in 1948 he told Senator Hale
 of New Hampshire-who had just mad
 8 speech defending the spiriting away o
 slaves brought to Washington by thei
 masters-that, had he used such languag
 in Mississippi he would at once hav
 been "strung up on one of the lofties
 trees in the forest" and that he (Foote would willingly have. pulled at the rope
 MT. Foote afterwards expressed deep re
 gret.for having used such indecent Ian
 guage in the Senate.
 CEn1U1oD. More than twentysscellu Ali: