The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-10-03
BENTON AND FOOTD.
A Famous Scene in the Senate as
Man now Living Saw 1T.

X200 UOW 0kvAuk DIV IL.
rad in your papera few days q
an article from Mariweather's Wee
ly, giving q statement furnished
4 Col. Jacob Thompson of q scene tn
occurred between Senators Bent(
. and Foote, correcting MS he elaine
o the report Of the same in The Ce
Y fury. / desire to correct the CORE
ton. AS to what is said in the mag
zine, I know n"ti'ing, rs I have ~
, seen it, but as to the fracas, 1 kno
? everything, for I vas there. AS c.
Thompson evidently knows n0lhir
about it, and must have obtaine
from an imaginative, or second-han
authority what he n~arrates, I te'
impelled to place upon record an q
curate account of the occurrence
l was sitting in the old Senate CALLER
north Of aud facing the President
chair, and immediately over Foot.
The latter occupied q seat on the Out
er circle, and I think. the SO .ond @
third desk from the middle aisle.
was looking down on his bald pat
when he was uttering the scathin,
remarks alluded to against Benton
The latter also was in full view, seat
I'd on the outer circle, perhaps five o
six desks further north and east from
Foote, and further from the middl
aisle.
It may be well to state here tina
there had been a great deal of bittel
feeling existing between these sen
ators for a considerable time, gener
ated on an acrimonious political de-
bate. In this Fonte was the most er
ring, for he had a greater gift of in
vective than any man / ever heard.
It seemed to be NO trouble to him to
annihilate every person in his way
to whom he was not friendly, and he
certainly did not lack will to do go.
Benton was not q bit more lovely
in disposition, indeed l+ss so, 1
think, for he seemed. to possess more
hate naturally in his feelings than
any other man / ever knew, and he
was not slow to express those feel
ings in the most whitening Ian
guage. He hated and eve forgot
to hate. excepting only in the case of
Gen. Jackson, who, from being re-
garded his greatest enemy, became
in the end his greatest friend.
But Benton was supremely egotis-
tical and vain. It was, II, Thomas
HI. Benton, have set this ball in NO.
tioL;" and he did not concede the
equality Of any other man in the
Senate. For many of them he had
perfect contempt. FOote was one of
the members. OF this class Benton
did not wish to stsop to speak at all,
even refer to, if he could avoid it.
FOote knew this, and his self Is eem,
so extraordinarily large, was galled by
it. I am inclined to think that the
greatest cause of the difficulties be-
tween them was in this very plainly
contempt for Benton.
had frequently attacked him
with his severea and abusive language,
and Benton had told the Senate
that if that body did not protect MIN
hereafter from such attacks he would
take the matter in his own hands and
himself.
When Foote began his speech I
think there was q general excitement |
IS to what might be the result. None
If US had to wait long before Foote
began one of his famous hypothet-
cal climaxes of denunciation, which. |
when he had filled it up high
enough, was to point out the party
referred to by toppling over and
overwhelmingly crushing him. Ben
on sat in his great arm chair locking
It him and awaiting the end. Then
Instantly arose, and with a ire
nend0us push of his right hand, sent
lis roller chair creaking over the
lo0r backward. He stepped into
he aisle leading toward Foete and
with q furious look and a
[rm tread. He had made but two
three steps ia that direction when
'oote hastily put his hand into his
eft breast pocket and drew there
rom a pistol, which looked about
tx or seven inches in barrel. He
ocked it and hastily retreated to the
enter space, in front of the Secre-
desk. Here he was at once
lrrOunded by other senators, who
'ok the pistol away from him, and
saw one put it in his desk. Benton
'ent no further toward him when he
1T his place, but, rather, toward
is own chair, and entering the en-
violently and frantically {
led, "Let the assassin shootW Then ,
e pushed toward Foote again. utter ]
g Let the assassin shoot" and
JADE an apparent effort with both
aDds to bear his Dreast in the most 1
leatrical style. II have no arms! I |
ave no arms!" he reared again and
,ain- At this time, however, Foote {
Id no pistol as Benton doubtless could l
e, and his action was merely
parade. In retreating from Z
enton, FOote left a place where, if c
had desired to defend himself or 2
'e his pistol, he had nothing to do /
turn slightly to the left, toward c
e wall, and without endangering b
lyone. But to hurriedly leave his a
ace and get into the center of the b
amber, where he could not fire v
lthout danger to senators, was an t
ton not to be explained on any n
her ground than that of shrinking v
IN the contest. I know that he v
d the reputation of being a brave b
M had fought many duels and f,
Is ready to fight more-and 1 think il
was really game. But none of US a
} always the same, and he had o.
ery reason to believe that Benton tt
ant work. Writer in National 81
In