The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-10
THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL.
Excitement Over the Attempt to Re-
move President Johnson

Frank A. Richardson, in Boston Transcript.
1t seems to me the most interesting pc
riOd in my career as a Washington corre-
spondent was during the Impeachment pro-
ceedingS. 1t was an era of more thrilling
excitement than any which occurred even
during the throes of civil war. For then
there were often lulls when military move
mentS were at a standstill and the country
went on in everyday fashion. Not so I'm
the Impeachment epoch. The fight between
Congress and the President had stirred the
whole North to its very depths. In all
those long weeks of uncertainty as to
whether Johnson was TO be expelled from
the White House there was not a moment
when mems passions were not hot: rumor
and rancor were in the air.
Day by day the people hung on the news
from Washington and constantly hungered
for more Those were no easy hours for
the correspondents. They could scarcely
steal the time to sleep. Their nimble fin
gers dashing off their dispatches kept con-
tinuous time with the clicking of the tele-
graph. Brain and Drawn were drawn on TO
the limit. for subjects were always crowd
ing fast and furious. Many of the compo-
sitiOns which appeared i'm the newspapers
of that time would in their vivid and
graphic portrayal have done no discredit to
the ornate pages of Macaulay. Literally,
President and Congress lay on their arms,
and no story as TO what executive or leg
islature might or would do was too wild to
receive credence. At that time the high iron
fence still encircled the grounds on the
western front of the Capitol. Guards were
stationed at the gates and at all the en-
frances east and west of the Capitol for
fear that some desperate sympahtiZer with
the President might do dire deeds.
One morning a correspondent. with his
notebook and writing materials tied up in
a package under his arm was stopped by
the ~vigilant ~sentries and was not permitted
TO pass until he had undOne his package
and convinced them that il aid not con-
tain an internal machine 1t was wonder
full how up to the last moment the friends
of the executive and the adherents of Con-
gress were both confident of the result.
Wagers figuring up an enormous total were
laid on the issue. Among those actuated
by the courage of their convictions and
w. Warden, a Washington CO, spOndent,
and also one of the secretaries OF the Pres
ident. He .staked all he could raise. beg.
Sumner expressed it. Andrew Johnson es-
den gathered i'm a sum reaching 10 thou
sands and thousands.
The late L. r. Painter. then correspond
ent OF the New York Sun. plunged reck-
lessly on the other side. Warden got a deal
OF his money. Mr.. Painter was exceeding
ly close to Senator Wade. of Ohio. presi-
dent pro tenn. OF the Senate. and il was
generally understood among the CORE
spondents that II Wade went into the White
House Painter would he the power behind
the throne. IL i part Of the political his
tory of that day that the personal feel
ings of several Republican senators pre-
vented the conviction of the president. II
was not that they hated Andrew Johnson
less. but they were more opposed 10 Ben
Wade getting in the White House.