The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-01-30
BE111cosE couanEssmEN
4 Memorial Scene In the House Yearly
Thirty Years Ago.

1emof14l Scene In the House Xesrl,
Thirty Years Ago.
From Ben: Perley Poore's Recolloctiona
The scrimmage in the House of Rep
resentatives early or Saturday morning
February 9, 1858, was an exciting affai
as seen from the reporters gallery. 1
was inaugurated by Keitt, of Soutl
Carolina, who rushed belligerently a
Grow of Pennsylvania, when he re
ceived-not from Grow, however,
blow that knocked him down. A doz
en- Southern men at once left theil
seats and rushed to the spot while a.
many anti-Lecompton men came to the
rescue. Foremost came Mr.. Potter
of Wisconsin, o very athletic. com
pact man who bounded into the
center of the excited group, strik-
ing right and left with tremendous Wig
or. Washburne, of Illinois, and his
brother of Wisconsin, also were promi,
nent, and for q minute or two it seemed
as though we were to have u Kilkenny
high. on q magnificent scale. Banks.
dale had hold of Grow, when Potter
struck him q severe blow, %supposine
that he was hurting that gentleman.
barksdale, turning around and sup
posing it was Elinu Washburne who
struck him, dropped Grow and struck
out at the gentleman from Illinois.
Cadwallader Washburne, ~perceiving the
attack upon his brother, also made q
dash at Mr. Barksdale. aud seized him
by the hair, apparently for the purpose
OF drawing him "into chancery" and
pummelling him to greater satisfaction.
Horrible to relate. Mr.. Barksdale's wig
came off in Cadwallader's left hand, and
his right fist expended itself with tremen-
dous force against the unresisting air.
This ludicrous incident unquestion-
ably did much toward restoring good
nature subsequently, and its effect was
heightened not a little by the fact that
in the excitement of the occasion Barks-
dale restored his wig wrong side fore
most.
The Speaker yelled and raped for
order, without effect. The Sergeant-at
Arms stalked to the Gene of battle.
mace in hand, but his american eaglen
had no more effect than the Speakers
gravel. Owen Lovejoy and Lamar, of
Mississippi, We're paving each other at
oas point-each probably trying to
persuade the other to be still. Mr..
MaSS. the grny-haired Quaker Repre-
sentative from Ohio, was seen going
asra and there in the crowd. Davis,
OF Mississippi, got q severe, but acct.
dental. blow from Mr.. Grow, and vari-
Gus gentleman sustained slight bruise.
and scratches. A Virginia Representa-
tive, who thought Montgomery, OF
Pennsylvania, was about to "pitch
in," laid his hand upon his arm
to restrain him, and was perempto-
rily ordered to desist or be knocked
down. Mr.. Covode, Of Pennsylvania,
caught up q heavy stoneware spittoon,
with which to "brain" whoever might
seem to deserve it, but, fortunately, did
get far enough into the excited
crowd to find an appropriate subject for
his vengeance, and all over the hall ev-
erybody was excited for the time.
Fortunately, it did not last long, and
no weapons were openly displayed.
When order was restored, several gen.
tlemen were found to present an excess
sively tumbled and disordered p
ance, but there remained little else to re-
call the excitement. Gentlemen of op-
posite parties crossed over to each other
to explain their pacific dispositions,
and that they got intoa fight where
their only purpose was to prevent q
fight. Mutual explanations and a
hearty laugh at the ludicrous side of
the drama were fol1owa1 bv unia% anlo