Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1881-01-20
BRAWLS IN CONGRESS-.
A General Resume of Certain Disgrace
full Scenes.

From the Washington Evening Star]
: TheSparks- Weaver scrimmage in the Hous
l the other day was not very creditable atfai
but does not by any means CONF up to tn
}, belligerent mark of preceding scenes Of tn
l kind at the National Capital. Some of thes
D exciting affairs may be briefly recapitulate(
Mr.. Reuben M. Whitney came I'd Washing
: ton at the invitation of President Jackson, t
assist, as contributor in the Globe, in tn
work of destroying the Bank of the Unite
States. He was summoned as a witness be
fore committee appointed to investigate tn
administration Of the Executive Office. HI
; refused to attend, and was arraigned befor
the House for the contempt Whitney's eX
cuse was that he could not attend the com
mittee for fear of danger to his life from th'
violence of the members Mr. Peyton, O
Tennessee, q member Of the committee as i
appeared from the evidence, had taken offenst
at an answer of Mr. Whitney and broke ou
in the committee in these words: ''Mr Chair
man. / wish you would inform this witness
that he is not to insult me in his answers L
he does, will take his life on the SPOT" The
witness claimed the protection of the COM
mittee, on which Mr.. Peyton exclaimed
''You shan't speak; you shan't say bne word
while you are in this room; if you DO / will
put you to DEATH Henry A. Wise, chairman
of the committee, then added: 'Yed this in
science is intolerable.' Soon after Mr.. Pey-
ton, observing that the witness was looking
at him, cried out: "His eyes are Onme; he
is looking at me; he shan't do il : he shant
look at me" These exclamations were ac-
colnpanied with violent cursing and wearing
Mr.. Wise admitted that he was armed with
deadly weapons, and said: Il 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 would have died on the
spot. This was my determination.
Such scenes were common thea, and the
halls of Congress acquired the ma ne of the
Bear Garden
On the 29th Of January 1885, atattempt
was made to assassinate Gen. Jacksn on the
portico of the Capitol, at a funeral CEREMONY,
by Richard Lawrence "a painter by trade, and
resident of Washington. He exp1dled two
caps on the pistols in the attempt The pis-
tolls were afterwards found to be wei loaded.
and Jaekson's escape was cOnsideredmiracu-
lOus. The would be assassin was Knocked
down and taken into custody Gen. jackson |
always believed that this act was per1etated |
at the instigation OF some of the faends of !
the bank
Prior to this in 1888, Gen. Jackson was as
saulted while sitting down, reading news
paper, on the boat at Alexandria, but the
taiends of the assailant succeeded in getting
him out of the way in good time
1t was in these days that Henry A. Wise
made an ugly face at Speaker Polk OH the
street and spat at him.
In February, 1888, Mr.. Cilley. OF Mime,
charging in his speech in the House. that
James Watson Webb, editor of the New York
Courier and Enquirer had bribe 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 Cillev.
Gen. Geo. W. Jones was Cilley's second.
was the place and the weapons
we're rifles. The rifles rang out and both
missed. The challenge was withdrawn TO
slve opportunity for reconciliation. The at
empt tailed and the principals again took
position, Wise remarking that if the matter
vas not terminated by this shot he would ,
propose to shorten the distance. The rifles :
ang again and Cilley fell dead.
Henry A. Wise, the Ajax in these scenes. ,,
truck Stanley, from North Carolina, blow =,
It the race course. Stanley demanded the :
sual satisfaction. The demand was with :
raWn for explanation. Wise explained that
Stanley came in collision
With him unintentionally near the race
curse, he deemed it to be his duty, as a gen.
leman, to say that the blow inflicted by q
i'm ON Stanley through sudden impulse :
reduced by erroneous impressions, demand =
1g his profound regret" Stanlev's friends 1
Did him he was bound to accept the expla- r
ation which he did =
In 1o42, Joshua r. Gidding, of Ohio. after T
avlng been expelled from the House for an !,
<presslon OF his views on the subject of +
avery, was promptly returned to his seat f.
y his constituents. In subsequent speech ~ ~
e said: Il will not speak of the time when :.
aWson, OF Louisiana drew a bowie-knife for "
y ASSASSINATION. l was afterwards speak
g with regard to certain transaction in
hlch negroes were concerned in Georgia
hen Mr.. Black, of Georgia, raised his
udgeon, and standing in front of nv seat 81
ID to me, If you repeat that language til
AIN | will knock you down, and having ar
me curiosity on that subject, repeated the it.
nguage. Then MIR. Dawson, of Louisiana. tn
e same who had drawn the bowie knife. II
It his hand On his pocket, and said with wi
oath which l will not repeat, that he ca
'uld shoot me, at the same time cooking Sc,
pistol, so that all around me could hear tn
e click" ala
1t was in April, 1850, when the compro- en-
Sc measures were under discussion, that
scene between Foote and Benton took
zee in the Senate. Foote was making a
'ech and making allusion to Benton. Ben
rose hastily from his seat, pushing his =,
III violently from him, and without re- ss sei
TX or gesture moved up the aisle toward VI.
Ote, who was about twenty feet distant. aie
nton had no weapon in his hand or upon AM
person. FOote, perceiving Benton's move i an'
MT, advanced to meet him, drawing ard pc c
king five-chambered revolver. Members Il
ervened, and order was restored. Benton Iea
4 pistol had been brought to assassinate Lol
4. Foote replied he had only brought it yot
self-defense. Benton replied that was aht m
'ays the pretext of an assassin. sio
n 1854, Churchwell and Cullnm had their
ito" in the House. Ch,nchwen pro.
!nced language used by Cullum Infamous I
alse. Cullum who sat about fifteen feet Ore
n Churchwell, sprang from his seat with nor
b fists appraised, and exclaiming, cd lea,
n you, You d-n rascal" tried to sget att, low
l. Cullum said Churchwell drew q pistol nd
him. The Speaker pounded the Sergeant mo-
Arms fumed and-held up his mace!, But CON
n succeeded as it always does -after a wei
6y'
was on the 22d of May, 1856, that Pres IS !