Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-03-09

hlpped 1t on the ground, and fmpeIturb-
ably proceeded, making not the slight
est allusion to the incident His mar
velous nerve charmed his audience, hos
tile though it was. and those who had
come to stone him remained to applaud.
In the outskirts of Louisiana, No,
stand four immense sugar trees. which,
if the Druidical religion were in vogue
in the Mississippi valley, would be set
aside as objects Of worship by Demo-
Gratis They form the corners of rec
tangle about large enough for a speak
er's platform. Beneath their grateful
shadow, with the Father of Waters be-
hind him, the eternal hills in front of
him, the blue sky above his head, in
the presence of a great and curious con-
course of people, Frank Blair made the
first Democratic speech delivered in
Missouri after the close Of the civil war.
Excitement was intense. Armed men of
all shades of opinion abounded on every
hand. When Blair arose to speak he
unbuckled his pistol belt and coolly laid
two navy revolyers on the table He
prefaced his remarks as follows:
Fellow citizens, l understand that /
am to be killed here today / have just
come out of four years of that sort of
business. If there is to be any of it here,
it had better be attended to before the
speaking begins.
He then proceeded with his speech,
but had not been going more than five
minutes until man of gigantic pro-
portions started toward him, shaking
his huge fist and shouting: "He's an
arrant REBEL Take him outl Take him
outl'' Blair stopped. looked the man in
the face, crooked his finger at him and
said, ''You come and take me outl''
which put an end to that episode, for
the man who was yelling, s'Take him
out suddenly realized that Blair's in
dex finger which was beckoning him on
would soon be pressing the trigger of
one of those pistols if be did go on, and
he prudently declined Blair cordial in
vitation
Speaking Under Difficulties.
He got through that day without
bloodshed. but when he spoke at War
rensburg a little later he had not pro-
ceeded quarter of an hour before
prominent citizen sitting ON the speak
er's stand started toward Blair. with a
pistol in his hand and with mighty
oath. yelling, ''That statement is
liel' which instantly precipitated a
free fight. in which one man was killed
and several severely wounded. Blair
want ~, NTH i,ia er,as,ob o,,,;5 ,o,,e,1c,,
interruptions. know venerable, mild
hammered, Christian statesman, now in
this very capitol, who for two mortal
hours of that pandemonium stood with
his hand upon his revolver ready to
shoot down any man that assaulted
Blair
Afterward Blair was advertised to
speak at Marshall. in Saline county
On the day of his arrival an armed mob
was organized TO prevent him from
speaking, and an armed body of Demo-
Gratis swore he should. A collision oc-
CURED. resulting in a regular pitched
battle. in which several men lost their
lives and others We're badly injured
But Blair made his speech
One night he was speaking in Lucas
Market place. in st. Louis. when a
man in the crowd. not 90 feet from the
stand, pointed revolver directly at
him. Friendly hands interposed to turn
the aim skyward. Let him shoot if he
daresf' said Blair. gazing coolly at his
would be murderer IF am wrong. /
ought to be shot. But this man is not
the proper exeeutioner. The fellow
was hustled from the audience.
Amid such scenes he toured the state
from the Des Moines river to the Ar
kansas line and from the Mississippi to
the mouth of the raging Kaw The man
who did that had lions s heart in his
breast.