The Caledonian

A BRUTAL OUTRAGE OF A MEMBER OF CONGRESS.

In our Journal of last week of the proceedings of Congress it was barely noticed that Weller, a member of Congress from Ohio, shamefully abused Mr. Stewart of Pennsylvania. Mr. Stewart made a speech upon internal improvements—upon the question of appropriations for improvements upon the Western Rivers, &c.—and took occasion to show how Mr. Van Buren had opposed general improvements of this sort. Weller was put forward as the bully blackguard of the loco foco party to attack Mr. Stewart. A Mr. Shriver, the Reporter for the Baltimore Patriot, reported his speech, and his outrageous conduct, and his Report was printed in the Patriot. The Washington Correspondent of the Boston Atlas under date of Jan. 25, gives the following account of what followed:

"I have already written to you an account of the disgraceful blackguardism, of which a member from Ohio, by the name of WELLER, was guilty on Friday last—in making a coarse, vindictive, and unjustifiable personal assault upon Mr. Stewart of Pennsylvania. A natural corollary of that outrage has been witnessed in the House, to-day—and brutal violence upon a gentlemanly and worthy reporter for the Baltimore Patriot, has followed as the next and most natural step, to the rude and offensive language of the last week.

"This forenoon a few moments before the opening of the House, Mr. Shriver had occasion to go to the folding desk, in the rear of the Speaker's Chair—when Weller, who had evidently been urged on to this, by a knot of locofoco rowdies, among whom are said to have been Black, of Georgia, and Belser and Payne, of Alabama, stepped up to him, with the full determination to provoke and force on a personal encounter. Let me here state, that Mr. Shriver is quite a young man, of slender frame—and, in personal strength, a mere infant, compared with the cowardly ruffian, who, relying upon brutal strength, and mere physical superiority, magnanimously assailed him. A more gentlemanly, diffident, retiring, or worthy and amiable person I know of nowhere—and it is on account of these very peculiarities, I presume, that this dastardly assailant had that courage to attack him. It is evident, from all that took place, before and after the affray, that the whole was a premeditated affair. I am informed that Mr. Stewart had caused extra copies of the Patriot to be sent him, for the purpose of distribution among the people of his district—and these had been put into the folding room of the House, as is the custom, to be done up in wrappers. I am further told that a locofoco officer having charge of the folding room—took one of the papers, and showed it, as he had no right to do, to the Loco Foco members who were congregated in the recess behind the Speaker's chair. At a moment when no Whig was even in sight of the affray, the courageous Mr. John B. Weller, backed by two overgrown Loco Foco rowdies, James E. Belser, and William W. Payne, of Alabama, taking advantage of the unprotected condition, and physical inferiority of Mr. Shriver, assailed him with insulting and scurrilous abuse, which no human being could have listened to unmoved; and because Mr. S. indignantly repelled the coarse and insulting language, such as no gentleman would have used, in a firm but proper manner it was made a pretext, such as had evidently been sought, for an act of still more brutal and cowardly violence. Weller, as I learn from one who heard it from his own lips, told Mr. Shriver that he should hold him personally responsible, if he ever spoke of him again in such terms. Mr. S. replied that of course, he expected so to be held and admitted his responsibility for all he had written. Thereupon, Weller told him that he had been writing lies about him; and was a liar—and told him to pocket the insult. Mr. Shriver, being a stranger in Washington, ignorant of his rights and privileges, and not knowing how far a member of Congress was protected by his position on the floor of the House, and apprehensive lest he might be violating his own right to the floor, which he possessed by the courtesy of the House, did not feel that he had the same right to resent the gross indignity that he might have felt, had it been in any other place. Besides what could he do, assailed as he was by a whole gang of ruffians, each three times his superior in personal strength. He, however, replied, in a firm but courteous manner, that he had written nothing but what was true, and what he could prove—and that, whosoever gainsaid that, and charged him with falsehood, was himself a liar. He then turned to go, when Weller struck him, taking him unawares, on the temple, and as is supposed, with some sharp weapon in his hand, for it let a deep gash on his forehead. The blow knocked him down, and he fell against one of the south windows, which was broken by the crash. As Mr. S. attempted to rise Weller again struck him down—and, as he fell upon his face, Weller taking advantage of his defenceless position jumped upon him and proceeded to beat him in the most dastardly manner. Shameful and cowardly as this was, it is only equalled by the protection and impunity which Messrs. James E. Belser and William W. Payne, of Alabama, afforded to the brutal assailant. I have said that none but Loco Focos witnessed this assault—but, among some of them, there was still left a spark of generosity sufficient to induce a movement to interfere, in behalf of the weaker party thus assailed by brutal violence, and in a position where self defence was out of question. It was too gross an outrage upon all decency, and all idea of fair play, even for them to tolerate. When Mr. Shriver, the moment he could speak, asked if there was no one who would see him have fair play, Payne and Belser, two very powerful and strong bullies, interposed, and said no one should interfere until their friend Weller had had satisfaction. Can human imagination picture a more dastardly, cowardly, unmanly act, than was thus perpetrated upon a defenceless and powerless young man—enacted too, in broad day, and on the very floor of the PEOPLE's House? I want language to describe the unutterable loathing and contempt every honorable minded man must feel, for such wretches, unworthy even of the name of men.

After permitting Weller to beat him to their heart's content, they allowed him to rise—and he immediately withdrew to consult with his friends as to the course best to be pursued. After this most courageous and noble assault upon one so far his inferior in brute strength, and who was down and utterly defenceless, the valiant Weller permitted himself to be held to bail to keep the peace, by Mr. Dow, the Loco Foco door-keeper of the House. Mr. D. a magistrate sworn to keep the peace, was by, all the time but, so far as I can learn from others, did not attempt to interfere until all was over. Mr. Weller is a coward, as his conduct to-day fully shows—and consequently, not only did he put himself under bonds to keep the peace, after he had broken it as much as he desired, but he also caused Mr. Shriver to be sought out, to have him also bound over not to challenge him."