The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-18

1872, the capital legislature' met in tho legally appointed places in the state. house." On the same day and at the
 same hour the friends of Senator Spencer
 favorable to his reelection and solicitous
 many of them, for the safety of the pa
 tronage which he controlled, organized
 the court room legislature in the United States court room.
 senator Spencer was not in Montgomery
 at the time. He left behind him there
 a friend who held the office of clerk of
 the circuit court of Montgomery county, M. ID. Brainard of New York. This ally
 was man of thrift and varied talents.
 The clerk of the circuit court heard that
 Secretary of State Parker, democrat, left
 over from the Lindsay Administration, had ldetermined to accept the counsel of his
 lawyers Rice, W. C. Jones and Judge
 He would issue certificates of election to
 the three representatives from Marengo,
 that had been arrested and sent to Mobile
 and to the three representative and one
 senator from Barbour, against whom the
 scalawag chancellor had enjoined him
 Parker's certificates would give the dem-
 ocrats a majority of one in the senate and of several in the house
 The hotels of Montgomery abounded in
 the civil officers of the government at Washington, the internal revenue officers, the postmasters, the officers of the judi ciary of the state who were republican politicians. carpetbaggers and scalawa gs who had come to sit in the legislature or to see the disturbance pending. Negro statesmen and preachers paraded the streets. Circuit Clerk Brainard mingled them his scheme. He told it to the late Governors Parsons and smith. to Congressman Alex White and to Robert Barber White assured him it was ::smart' The United States marshal promised the free use of the federal court room and the chambers attached.
 On Brainard's suggestion the three Ma rengo county representatives in the leg islature had been arrested by deputy marshal of the federal court at Fauns- dale railroad station and carried to Mo- bile as prl7oners. The senator from that county, Ja,ses Taylor Jones, was included in the warrant, but he adroitly went an other way and so escaped captivity. The board of county supervisors of Russell apepared to consume long time in count ing the vote. It was on Brainards sug- gestion that United States Attorney Min his hastened there to threaten the mem- bers.
 Senator Spencer upon hearing the news at Montgomery hastened thither. He was perplexed no little when he discovered that Congressman C. W. Buckley, car petbagger, disapproved the court room project. that Black. the senator from Barbour, in the court room was unstable, that Jones, the negro senator from Lowndes, seated there, had fixed the price in cash upon which he would continue. II was known that Glass, scalawag senator from Macon. was on his way to Montgom- cry, with intent to take his seat in the capitol. It was arranged to have this necessary man interviewed the moment he left the train and his steps guided to tho court room. The senator, too was let into knowledge of the ripening aspirations ol Parsons Bingham and Alex White tC succeed him in his office
 l On November 19, the day after tho court room legislature met. Whiting, s federal revenue officer, deposited on his individual account $249S75 in the Firsl National bank of Montgomery. He was chairman of the state republican com mittee. On the same day Hinds, marshal made individual deposit of S2750 34 in the same bank Spencer himself deposited 5000 Other deposits by the same mer reached the sum total of s291 12S before the ! political riot here related was dispelled and the legislature had gone home. (FoI further particulars, see the report of the joint committee of the legislature, 1S75)
 Senator Spencer took up his abode in the Madison house. at the opposite corner to the courthouse He reserved three con meeting or adjacent rooms, one of which was fitted up as saloon, open day and night to the free use of the court room legislators, black members and white all alike welcomed. In the senator's quar- ters the United States revenue officers postmasters and others dependent on his patronage were in council at all hours Whiting, Kinds. aBrber, Meyer, others of both races, and in different degrees vic tins to the hospitality of the senator's sa- loon, were in constant attendance to su-
 
 the street Cash was hardly less liberally dispensed among the faithful than red liquors,
 Even here the Irresponsible race ques- tion arose to plague the inventor. The negro legislators brought with them from the visiting aAd the local negroes their friends to drink and be noisy and vulgar in extreme. The white patrons demand ed that the blacks, of all posts of honor. and the laity as well be entertained at another drinking place around the cor ner. The senator reluctantly consented, in apprehension of of the effect of the dis crimnation upon the legislature Bill Turner negro, was called on for an opin- | ion Bill engaged to persuade John Cash ion. keeper of a nearby saloon, to open a bar exclusively for negro allies of the | common cause. All corners were to be served without limit and without charge
 and all bills for supplies were at the l senator's expense.
 | Postmaster Moulton, earpetbagger. came up from Mobile with a liberal supply of l postoffice funds, to be devoted 10 the use of his benefactor, the senator.
 l In about a month Moulton drew on l Ics- For xE0a fo raDlape the Dogt0fficc