The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-10-29
SENATOR PLATTS PAPER
fcontlnned rrom sIxNh Pagel

Continued from Sixth Page)
he had to tight with them when they
came as they did into his district.
( Upon this Grlswold took part in the
\ conversation, and asked him whether
he had fought them with his wooden
sword" referring to the story that
4 when oashlered he had been compelled
. as a punishment to wear a wooden
sword. Lyon took no notice of this
question. apparently did not hear it and
went on to say that when Connecticut
people came into his district they came
with strong prejudices against him and
his politics, but that If he should so
\ into Connecticut and talk with the peo-
pie, he could open their eyes and effect
a total change there. Upon which
I. Griswold going outside of the bar laid
his hand on Lyons arm and said to
. him, 'if you were to enter into Con-
necticut for the purpose you mention,
you could not affect the opinion of the
meanest hostler." Lyon said that he
knew better; that if he were to go down
there and establish newspaper for six
nine or twelve months he could effect
a revolution there so that the present
members would not be reelected.
The conversation went on in this vein
until Lyon said he believed seriously
he would so there and set up a news
paper and fight the Connecticut repre-
sentatives on their own ground. To
which Griswold replied, referring again
to the sentence of the court marshal,
IF you go into Connecticut you would
better wear your wooden sword"
4 Whereupon Lyon spat in his face.
a Griswold at first appeared as if he were
4 about to strike Lyon, but refraining,
4 wiped his face and walked away.
The matter was Immediately taken
4 up by the house, a resolution intro
4 duced for Lyons expulsion, and COM
mittee of inquiry was raised and testi-
mony taken, including the dispositions
A of the speaker, the other Connecticut
y members who were present, Samuel w.
n Dana, Joshua Colt and Chauncy Good
rich and several other members of the
y house.
This testimony was taken before the
committee of the whole house in open
q session, each witness giving his testi-
mony orally. which was reduced to wri-
N ting by the clerk. After the testimony
was in the matter was discussed in the
u house for several days; Lyon speaking
in his own defense, used an expression
in the course of his remarks which was
n Immediately bounced upon as being in
\ decent, and which still further protrac-
4 ted the heated discussion. Finally an
" amendment was proposed to be add
Il ed to the resolution of expul-
sion joining with the offense of his at
B tack, "a gross indecency of language
n in his defense before this house,
In the course of his defense Lyon
asserted that he had in Vermont chas-
tised Senator Chapman, who had come
to the house and testified before the
committee on the whole for an ms lit
offered him in that state. Chapman ad-
dressed letter to the chairman of the
U committee Of the whole, denying that
Lyon had chastised him for an affront
which he had put upon him and stat
y ed at length fracas which had occur
4 red between them, because Chapman
had on an occasion called him an Gig
,norant Irish puppy" 7 quote from
A Senator Chipman's version of the af-
fair as it appears in the proceedings
of the house:
"Mr. Lyon rose in a violent passion
\ grasped at my hair that was turned
4 back with a comb, which he broke in
Fl the grasp. / was at that moment
AZ mending a pen; ] instantly rose, in
q tending to avenge the Insult with the
knife in my hand; but Mr.. Bradley
had seized Mr.. Lyon from behind
round the arms, and drew him back a
little; upon which, Mr.. Lyon bearing
n himself in Mr.. Bradley's arms, threw
his feet upon the table to kick across
The awkward appearance of Mr.Lyor
II at this moment, and the grinlaces OF
his countenance provoked me to laugh
/ dropped the penknife seized Mr.. Ly-
on's feet, and in this manner with the
VI help Of Mr.. Bradley, who still kept Fis
n hold, carried him across the room and
! laid him on his back in a corner. Mr.
L Bradley and I returned to our seats
laughing very merri1y at the scene. in
4 the meantime Mr.. Lyon rose from his
corner, stood a short time in apparent
agitation, and without uttering g
Il word. At length he turned upon his
n heel with these expressions: Damn it
Il / will not be mad forced a laugh. and
I left the room"
The debate upon the resolution fol-
\ Lyons expulsion grew so warm that
one member declared that II
The member from Vermont were
not expelled, he supposed, that II
would break up the present session
without doing any business, would di-
vide the states against each other, end
finally end in civil war.
Williams Of North Carolina moved tc
strike out the words, 'ibe for this disor-
derby behaviour expelled" and ms art
\ in their place sis highly censurable, and
h that he be reprimanded by the speak
er in the presence of this house" The
speaker then took part in the discus
sion and said:
\ What could the speaker say to him
He could only say, you have done an
act which would disgrace a black
guard; come and take your, seat in The
house. You have insulted US with
words which show your defiance of rs
but come and sit with us, and be our
brother legislator. Were these proper
words to be addressed to the member
The speaker would sooner address him
in words of thunder which should