The Caledonian

MORE LOCOFOCO BULLYING.

The Washington correspondent of the Boston Atlas, under date of Feb. 24, gives the following account of another disgraceful affray in Congress.

WASHINGTON, Wednesday, April 24, 1844

The Hall of the House of Representatives was yesterday the scene of a violent personal conflict between two members, Messrs. White, of Kentucky and Rathbun, of New York. For a few moments completely arrested the proceedings, and forebodes much more serious consequences than those which did ensue. Mr. White had made an earnest and eloquent speech in defence of Mr. Clay, against the false and slanderous charge of bargain and corruption which has been recently revived, by Mr. Linn Boyd a Loco Foco member of Congress from Kentucky, in a letter which has been published in some of the Loco Foco papers. He (Mr. W.) also alluded to another charge which had been made against Mr. Clay, of having used language like the following, in a speech delivered in Congress a good many years ago: "If you will not allow us black slaves, we must have white ones. We must have persons to chop our fire wood, and black our shoes. Our wives and daughters cannot work in the kitchen."

Mr. White was arrested in his remarks by the expiration of his hour, before he had fully replied to this charge. He, however, traced it out to its source, and showed that on the day when it was said this speech had been delivered, Mr. Clay had not spoken at all. He nailed the charge down as a slander and forgery. When he finished his speech, Mr. Rathbun, who sits immediately in front of him, in a low tone of voice, but loud enough to be heard by Mr. White, and those around him, pronounced the charge to be true. Some words then followed between them, when Mr. Rathbun left his seat and advanced towards Mr. White, and made a blow at him. Mr. White returned the blow, when the members generally rushed towards them and they were separated. The tumult became very violent, and the members were seen jumping over the desks, in their excitement and eagerness to get near the scene of the conflict.

For a moment or two there was every appearance of a general melee. A number of voices were heard calling to order, and the authority of the Sergeant at Arms was invoked to arrest the disorder, but without effect. In the height of the noise and confusion, the report of a pistol was heard outside the Hall, in the passage near the Post Office. It was afterwards understood that it was fired by a citizen of Kentucky, of the name of Moore, and that he wounded one of the watchmen of the House very severely in the thigh. This person had been inside the Hall, when the encounter took place, and had rushed within the Bar, who, with the assistance of Mr. McCausland, attempted to take part in it. He was seized by one of the officers. He then fired the pistol through the baize door, at Mr. McCausland, it is said, and struck the watchman.

[Messrs. White and Rathbun apologised to the House for what they had done, shook hands, and settled the matter on the spot.]