The Indianapolis journal., 1894-02-23
TUMULTN THE HOUSE
Series Of Dramatic Incidents
Growing Out of Arrests.
Action of the Sergeant-at-Arms in Carry
ing Out 'Czar' Crisp's Orders De-
nOunced in Strong Terms.
PROTEST FROM MIR. CUMMINGS
Who Refused to Submit to the In
dignity Offered by Snow.
Scene Created by General Sickles, Who
Angrily Questioned the Right of the
House to Order His Arrest.
PROSECUTIONS THREATENED
Warrant on Which Action Was
Taken Found to Be Defective.
Fuel Added to the Fire by the Irrepres-
sible Reed-PrOpOsed Caucus to
Consider the Situation.

WASHINGTON, Feb. PIN the House
Of Representatives, to-day, there were q
series of dramatic incidents which may pos
sibly culminate with legal proceedings
against the Sergeant-at-arms for false i'm
prisonment of members of Congress. Ser
geant-at-arms Snow, acting by virtue of
the general warrant of arrest, issued last
Monday, has been apprehendng members
wherever they could be found. The war
rant contains the names of fifty-six Rep
resentatves. Mr.. Srow began last night to
arrest members on the floor of the House
on the warrants charging them with alb
sence Monday. This was in accordance
with colloquy between Speaker Crisp and
the Sergeant-at-armS during the session
yesterday. Mr.. Snow asked if he was ex-
pected to arrest members on the floor. Mr..
Crisp answered that the Sergeant-at-arms
was expected to execute the order" This
was accepted as meaning that arrests on
the floor should be made, and Mr.. Snow at
once began to carry this idea into effect.
He arrested seven Representatives as they
sat in their seats. Deputy Hill made
many more arrests. In each case the men,
ber was tapped the shoulder and told
that he was released on parole to report
when required.
This morning the arrests began again and
continued until interrupted by a stirring
scene. Representative Cummings, of New
York, came down the middle aisle of the
House just as the session was about to
open. Deputy Hill stepped up to him and
notified him that by virtue of the warrant
he held Mr.. Cummings would be placed
under arrest and his parole taken. The New
Yorker flushed and took the matter seri-
ousy. He stepped back, and, in bitter lam
guage, denounced the effort to arrest him.
He refused to recognize the validity of the
warrant.
81 give you fair warming" said Mr.. Cum
mings, that if you touch me you act at
your peril"
For a moment it looked as though there
would be serious trouble, as Mr.. Cummings
plainly intimated that he intended to resent
the slightest touch indicating arrest by the
use Of force. The deputy quickly withdrew.
however, as the orders of the Sergeant-at-
arms are to avoid indignities to Representa-
tives in every possible way.
A riotous scene followed when General
Slckles denounced his own arrest This
eliminated finally in the discovery that the
warrant under which members had been ar
rested was faulty. in that the names of
those arrested had not been included lin
the warrant. BY this time the House was In
such a tangle that Mr.. Bland moved to
adjourn. Despite the efforts of the Repub-
licans to hold the Democrats in session in
order to force them to find a way out Of
their predicament. the motion was carried
Members who were apprehended threaten
to secure suitable redress, and they talk of
legal proceedings for false imprisonment.
Sergeant-at-arms Snow says: 1.-The greatest
care has been taken to avoid giving offense
to members. My orders to deputies are to
proceed with the greatest caution and defer
ence. We do not arrest members as though
they were tramps or common drunks. They
are merely notified that their names are
o. the warrant, and then the member is
touched to make the service effective 4"