Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-13
Senator Foote of Mississippi.


Gen. John NJ. Wilson says that Thomas
Fl. Benton of Missouri was 1.-The father Of
the Senate" when he was a page in that
body, and Senator Foote of Mississippi was
always nagging and annoying him. On
one occasion Mr.. Benton lost his temper
and, becoming exasperated by Foote's ora
torical prosecutions, started from his desk
and made a plunge for his antagonist He
was a powerful man, and FOote was of
slender and delicate physique. When he
saw Benton rushing toward him with muir
der in his eye, Foote ran down between
the desks and turning, drew pistol and
backed up against the pulpit of the presid-
ing officer. In the meantime, Benton's
friends had stopped him. and were trying
TO persuade him to return to his seat. Sem
ator Walker had one arm, and Senator
Dodge the other. AS Foote drew his pistol
both these gentlemen stepped in front OF
Benton. The latter, as quick as thought
seized Dodge with one hand and Walker
with the other. and. throwing them aside
started for Foote, shouting:
stand back and let the assassin fire!
Fortunately, by this time. other senators
were in the midst of the melee. and both
the antagonists We're persuaded to go to
the cloakroom, while the dfficulty was
settled by an exchange of apologies.
About thirty years later President Hayes
was accused of body -snatching" because
he nominated this same Senator Foote as
superintendent of the United states mint
az New Orleans. Everybody supposed that
'Hangman FOOte." as he called, was
dead and buried, unmindful that after the
fall of the Confederacy he had retired to
his plantation. near Nashville, and lived in
peace and quiet for the first time in his
life. During this retirement he wrote a
history of the civil war from the Confeder-
ate standpoint, a volume of sketches en-
titled The Bench and Bar of the South. y
and third volume, certainly his personal
"reminiscences.
Foote was born in Virginia, and lived in
nearly all the gulf states. He spent two
active years as a "Forty-niner' in Cali
fornia but returned to Mississippi in time
TO be reelected to the Senate. He fought
three duels with Sergeant S. Prentiss, the
celebrated lawyer; John A. Winston, gov
ernor of Alabama, and with John F. II.
ClS-oorne. editor of a newspaper the Louis
lana Courier, of New Orleans.
He was called ''Hangman Foote' because
he demanded that Senator John P Hale of
New Hampshire, the father of Mrs. Will
liam E. Chandler, should be hanged for an
abolitionist They were continuous antago-
nists. They were always scrapping, and
Mr.. Hale who was the wit OF the Senate
in those days. used to exasperate Foote
often Foote would eXasperate Benton.
Gen. Wilson remembers one occasion
when Mr.. Hale, arising to make a speech,
said:
Mr.. President I shall probably address
the Senate today from two to three hours,
and 1 give notice in advance that l will
permit my distinguished friend from Mis-
sissippi. Senator Foote, to interrupt me
just twelve times and no more.
Senator Hale then began radical aboli-
ton speech and from time to time would
make some statement that would excite
the senator from Mississippi. The latter
would promptly interrupt him and the two
would become involved in a wrangle. Gen.
Wilson says: Mr.. Hale was perfectly cool
and kept tab on piece of paper. l kept
tab also. After while, when my record
showed that the allowance of twelve inter-
ruptions was exhausted, Mr.. Hale made a
furious attack upon Senator Foote and
shareholders generally. Senator .Foote
sprang to his feet to reply, but Mr.. Hale
smilingly raised his hand and remarked:
My friend from Miss ssippi has ex-
hausted his twelve opportunities. l can
not allow him to interrupt me any more.