Brother Against Brother; or, The Tompkins Mystery. Read online

  CHAPTER VI.

  A TRANSITION PERIOD.

  All Snagtown was astonished one day when a flaring handbill announcingthat Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas would speak in thatunpretentious little village. Their presence there was due to theaccident of missing connections in passing from one city to another.

  It would have been hard to say whether the citizens of Snagtown weremore astonished or indignant. A public meeting was called the day beforethe Abolitionists were advertised to speak, to determine what meanscould be taken in this emergency. The Mayor presided, and the residents,not only of the village, but of all the surrounding country, were urgedto be present.

  "I tell you, gentlemen--hem! hem!--it will never do," said Mr. Diggs, ashe strutted about, his glasses on his nose, casting upward glances intothe faces of those who were discussing the question. "Hem! hem! hem! Itell you it will not do at all," and he expectorated spitefully upon thepavement. "We must prevent Lincoln's speaking here, if we have to mobhim. He comes not only to deprive us of our slaves, but to destroy theflag of Washington and Marion, the glorious Stars and Stripes! I, forone, am in favor of saying he shall not speak."

  "So am I," said another.

  "And so am I," said a third.

  "And I, and I, and I," came responses from many voices.

  "Hem, hem, hem!" began Mr. Diggs, shrugging his shoulders, and movingabout furiously, indicating thereby how much in earnest he had become."I tell you we must not permit it. Why, it's treason. Yes, sir; heteaches treason, and it's our duty, as law-abiding citizens, not topermit him to speak."

  "Well, now, do you make them pints, when we have our meetin' to-morrownight," said an illiterate Virginian.

  "Hem, hem, hem!" began Mr. Diggs, thrusting his hands deep into hispockets, his head on one side, kicking his feet alternately one againstthe other. "I will. Hem, hem! I am going to make a speech just about anhour long--ha! ha! ha!--so that no one else will get a chance to put ina word, and we shall have it all our own way." The young lawyer, highlypleased with the favor that he flattered himself he was gainingpolitically, finished his sentence with a gleeful chuckle, and struttedabout, swelling with his own importance.

  All over the village could be seen groups of men, from five to twenty innumber, discussing the propriety of allowing "Abe Lincoln" to speak inthe village. A majority seemed opposed to it, and a few of the morereckless spirits talked of tar and feathers and fence rails.

  The evening for the public meeting, which was to decide theall-important question, arrived. The town hall was crowded to its utmostcapacity. Mr. Tompkins and his two sons were present, and so was UncleDan, the mountaineer. The meeting was called to order and the Mayor tookthe chair. He was a man past the meridian of life, a slaveholder and aroyal Southerner. The long, white beard falling down upon his breastgave him a patriarchal look.

  The uproar and confusion of tongues were hushed, and all awaited thespeaker in anxious silence.

  A call was made on any one present to state the object of the meeting. Aman sprang at once to his feet, and succinctly informed the chairmanthat the "object of this meetin' is to determine the question whether ornot it is best to 'low Abraham Lincoln, the great Abolitionist, to speakin the town. I believe them's all the pints to be discussed," and he satdown. Another and more voluble speaker arose and addressed the meeting.He was of the class called "fire-eaters," and was strongly and directlyopposed to Lincoln's visit to Snagtown. His speech was replete with thevilest vituperations his brain could conceive, or his tongue utter,against the Republican party. He regarded them as robbers, as enemieswho should be shot down at sight, and he was in favor of greeting AbeLincoln with tar and feathers if he dared show himself in Snagtown.

  Several others spoke in the same vein, and then Mr. Diggs rose. Hisspeech of an hour proved not half so long. It was full of empty-soundingwords and borrowed ideas, for there was little originality about Mr.Diggs.

  All, so far, had been against the proposed debate between Lincoln andDouglas, but now a man rose in the audience whose word always carriedweight. It was Mr. Tompkins, the planter.

  "Mr. Chairman," he began, in even, modulated tones, "I am, indeed,surprised that men of intelligence should give vent to such expressionsand such feelings as we have heard this evening--men who know the law,and claim to be law abiding citizens. Are we savages or borderruffians, that we must be swayed and controlled by mob law? Have we nota Constitution and Constitutional privileges? Have we not statute lawsto protect us against wrongs which others may inflict? Then why resortto mob law? Why disgrace our fair State and put the blush of shame onall good citizens by attacking, like outlaws, a stranger among us? OurConstitution gives to all freedom of speech, and we have no right todeny any man this Constitutional privilege."

  Mr. Tompkins proceeded quietly but forcibly, pointing out to themalcontents the error of their plans. In conclusion, he said:

  "I may be the only one in the house who opposes these views, but as oneI say this, though I be alone. I will oppose with violence the attemptto injure Mr. Lincoln. You are not compelled to vote for him, even tohear him speak; but if Mr. Lincoln comes here, by Heaven! he shallspeak."

  "So say I, an' I swar if any sorry hound attempts the mobbin' business,he'll have to cross my carcass fust." The speaker was Uncle Dan, and ashe spoke he drew up his tall figure by the side of Mr. Tompkins, holdinghis ominous-looking rifle in his hand.

  Abner also rose and took his place at his father's side, but Oleah kepthis seat. This was the first visible difference of opinion between thebrothers.

  Several who had been emboldened by Mr. Tompkins' words now declared thatthey thought it best not to oppose Mr. Lincoln's speaking there, as itwould increase his popularity in other localities.

  One or two of the more fiery replied, maintaining that their case wasbeyond the remedy of civil law; that mob law was the only law whichshould be meted out to scoundrels and Abolition thieves, and if some ofthe citizens intended to espouse the cause of Abe Lincoln, and fight forhim, now was as good as any to settle the matter. A riot seemedinevitable, but a laughable event now happened, changing anger intomirth.

  Mr. Diggs, fearing that his legal knowledge would be called intoquestion, now rose and said:

  "I wish to make one other statement, in order to put myself rightbefore the people. I knew the Constitutional law referred to by Mr.Tompkins, giving every man freedom of speech, and I can give you thebook and the page--"

  "Oh, you need not," said a wag in the audience. "Answer this questioninstead: Are you Crazy Joe's mud man, and why did you leave before hecame back to exhibit you?"

  "Oh, stop that nonsense! I came here to talk sense, not to hear of afool's ravings," cried the indignant Mr. Diggs.

  But everybody had heard the story of the mud man, and hostile feelingsnow gave way to laughter. The laugh was kept up until Mr. Diggs becameenraged and left the assembly, swearing that they were "all a pack offools."

  A compromise was effected. Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Douglas were to bepermitted to speak in a grove near the village, but not in the villageitself. The next day Mr. Tompkins and Abner, and a few others, with theaid of their negroes, erected a speaker's stand, and arranged seats foran audience of over two thousand persons. There were still low murmursof discontent, but the most bitter malcontents had been overawed by thefirm stand taken by Mr. Tompkins. Many others had caught his spirit, anddefied the hostile threats of the opponents of free speech.

  The occasion had been so thoroughly advertised by the meeting and thethreats and opposition of those who wanted to prevent it, that the wholecountry for miles around turned out. People on foot, on horseback, incarriages and in wagons, came until thousands were assembled on thespot, many prompted by curiosity to see the bold Abolitionist who daredinvade the sacred soil of Virginia and propound his infamous doctrine.

  About ten o'clock two carriages rolled in from the nearest railroadstation, bearing the two disputants, with friends of each in attendance.There was an eager craning of
necks, and a hushed whisper went throughthat vast audience as the two opponents for the highest political honorsof the country descended from the carriage.

  "Who are they?" "Where are they?" "Is that big,two-hundred-and-fifty-pounder Douglas?" "Is that short, stout-built manwith big burnsides Lincoln?" and a hundred other questions of a likecharacter were asked.

  A few preliminaries were arranged. Mr. George Washington Tompkins waschosen chairman, and took his place on the stand. Two New York reporterswere present with note-books and pencils.

  The first speaker introduced was Mr. Stephen A. Douglas. Hisspeech--eloquent, patriotic and straightforward--generously concludedwith an exhortation to the audience to listen calmly, without anyexpression of bitterness, to his opponent, who chanced to differ fromhim on the great question of the day. When Mr. Douglas took his seat,Mr. Tompkins rose and introduced Mr. Abraham Lincoln, a tall man,wearing short, dark whiskers on his chin, and with hair slightlystreaked with gray.

  A subdued hiss from many lips was heard as the great "Abolitioncandidate" arose.

  After a smile as of compassion upon his audience, Mr. Lincoln beganspeaking. He talked mildly and candidly, yet freely, notwithstanding thefeeling evinced by some of his hearers. Those deep, rich tones rangthrough the surrounding grove as he clearly and forcibly expounded theprinciples of the Republican party, showing them to have been eithermisunderstood or misrepresented by his opponent. Many who had come toprevent the hated Abolitionist from speaking now listened with interest.This was not such iniquitous doctrine after all. Every point made by Mr.Douglas was successfully met, and his own argument arrayed against him.Mr. Lincoln spoke for two hours, and at the conclusion of his addresshis bitter enemies were forced to admit that he was a man of immensepower. His oratory was so grandly sublime in effect that when he tookhis seat an outbreak of applause, which could not be suppressed, couldnot be restrained, burst from the spell-bound audience.

  Mr. Tompkins went to the meeting a Douglas man, but he left with thefull determination to vote for Abraham Lincoln at the coming Fallelection, as did Uncle Dan and many others. This was truly a transitionperiod, as the whole world was to learn in a few short months. The Whigparty was dwindling away, and slavery was withered and scorched beforethe fiery eloquence of Lincoln, Sumner, and other similar orators.Freedom was dawning, but it was to be ushered in with fire, and sword,and death.

  Mr. Tompkins and his sons were late in coming home that evening. Abnerand Oleah sat side by side in the family carriage, yet neither spoke.Hitherto, every event had been fully discussed; every feeling shared bythe brothers; but a silence that was almost coolness now sealed theirlips. A thousand conflicting thoughts swept through their minds.

  Abner was convicted, converted, by the new doctrine to which he hadlistened, and the melodious voice of the orator was still ringing in hisears as the carriage rolled homeward. He still seemed to see the tall,rugged form and plain face, lit up with something rarer than beauty byhis eloquent pleading for four millions of enslaved human beings.

  Oleah was in a gloomy mood. He had listened with angry impatience to theexposition of views so different from his own, and that his fathershould have presided over the meeting, and stood openly side by sidewith the Abolitionist, stung his Southern prejudices and vexed him tothe soul.

  The trio were driven home in silence, and parted for the night, withoutany reference to the events of the day.

  At the table the next morning the discussion of the day before was firstalluded to. Mr. and Mrs. Tompkins, Abner and Oleah, sat for some momentsin silence--a silence both painful and awkward, and, in this familycircle, unusual; but Irene entered the breakfast room, bright andunconscious, eager to know all that had passed at Snagtown the daybefore.

  "We heard an excellent speech," said Abner.

  "Yes; Douglas did well," put in Oleah.

  "I mean Mr. Lincoln," said Abner. "Douglas' speech was good, but hisposition was entirely demolished by Mr. Lincoln's eloquent reasoning."

  "You don't call the harangue of that contemptible old demagoguereasoning, do you?" asked Oleah, astonished and indignant.

  "I certainly do," replied Abner. "His reasoning appeared to me clear,and his conclusions logical."

  "And I," cried Oleah, laying down his knife and fork in his excitement,"I declare I never before heard so much sophistry, and not veryplausible sophistry, either."

  "You are prejudiced," said Abner, coolly.

  "It is you who are prejudiced. Why he actually asserted we would be moreprosperous if there was not a slave in the United States."

  "Yes, and proved his assertion," said Abner.

  "Oh, you let him pull the wool over your eyes." There was a sneer in hisvoice. "I tell you there was neither logic nor reason in what he said.No logical conclusions can be drawn from false premises; no assertionscan stand unsupported by proof."

  "What did he assert that he did not prove?" asked Abner.

  "What did he prove that he asserted?"

  "You evade my question by asking another."

  "Precisely the same plan Mr. Lincoln adopted," replied Oleah.

  "You are prejudiced against Mr. Lincoln, Oleah. Now, tell me what hesaid that any fair-minded man in the world can not agree to?"

  "He said that slavery should not wither and blight another inch ofterritory if he could help it."

  "What objection can even a believer in slavery have to that? We have animmense scope of country where slavery is permitted; then why extend itto Territories where it is unpopular?"

  "But can you not see what lies in the background?" said Oleah, bitterly."Mr. Lincoln lifted the curtain high enough for one who was not blindedby his eloquence to see what was behind it. I would not fear to wagereverything I own that Mr. Lincoln, if elected, will set free every slavein the United States, before he has been in the presidential chair atwelvemonth."

  "Did he not say that such emancipation would be unwise policy?"

  "He said so, but his tone and manner belied his words."

  "Confess now, Oleah, that you are a little prejudiced against Mr.Lincoln," said the father, good-humoredly.

  "You may call it prejudice or what you like, father," Oleah answered,his flushed face showing how deep was his feeling; "but if Mr. Lincolnis elected you will not have a nigger when his term is over, if heshould be permitted to take his seat."

  "Why, my son, you can't think he would not be permitted to take hisseat?"

  "That is a question, father. Each State has its rights. Southern peoplehave rights, and rather than be cheated of them they may resort toforce."

  "Now, Oleah," said Abner, "you don't for a moment suppose that if Mr.Lincoln should be chosen President by the voters of the United States,that any considerable body of intelligent people could be found whowould be unfair enough, or foolhardy enough, to attempt to prevent himfrom taking his seat?"

  "I certainly do," answered Oleah, with an air of conviction.

  "You are a Democrat; do you not hold with us Democrats that the majorityshould rule?"

  "That has nothing to do with it," said Oleah, hotly. "The North and theEast outnumber the South, and they have formed a combination for herruin, and the impoverishment of her people. They have nothing at stakein Lincoln's election; we have everything. They have nothing tolose--we, all. Our interests conflict. They see an opulent and growingSouth, and have set their inventive Yankee genius at work to compass itsruin. Our cotton fields, our rice fields, our sugar crops, our tobaccocrops, are the production of slave labor, and the abundant wealth of theSouth excites the emulation of the cold and envious North. If they candeprive us of this slave labor, they will have killed the goose thatlays our golden eggs, and may surpass us in wealth and power. This theyhave determined to do. They have tried it by legislation, and so farhave failed. They outnumber us in votes, because there every worthlessfellow's vote counts as much as that of a Governor or a man who owns athousand slaves. How can they accomplish our ruin? By electing aspresident a man whose every breath is poiso
n to slavery; a man who may,at any time, under the fancied exigencies of the moment, declare allslaves free. Their plans are deep and shrewd, but there are heads in theSouth as wise as theirs, and eyes that can see the danger in time toavert it."

  "You are crazy, Oleah," said Abner; "your very words are treason."

  "If treason, then his mother is infected with the same disease, and, inthe language of Patrick Henry, 'If this be treason, make the most ofit,'" said Mrs. Tompkins, with a laugh, in which all joined.

  "I am sure we ought to get at the truth of this question," said Mr.Tompkins; "we have both sides represented."

  "Who will judge between us?" asked Mrs. Tompkins.

  "All have taken sides except Irene. Which side are you on?" asked Oleah.

  "I know nothing about either side," the girl answered, lightly; "so howcan I choose?"

  Mrs. Tompkins' love for her sunny land was next in her heart to her lovefor her husband, and forced her to espouse a cause which, to her, seemedpatriotic. This was the only question on which she and her husbanddiffered, and it was avoided by both as much as possible, yet sometimes,in spite of their precautions, it would creep into their familyconversations.

  "Irene is the proper one to act as judge," said Abner.

  "Why?" Irene lifted her eyes in wonder.

  "Because you know nothing about it."

  "Do they make the best judges who know the least?"

  "Frequently; and a juror who knows anything of the case he is to pass averdict on is incompetent, so you are a competent juror, any way, Irene;and as one woman is equal to twelve men you can complete the entirepanel."

  "I beg pardon of the court," said Irene, rising from the table, "but Ican not sit on this jury. I am prejudiced on both sides. I have friendson both sides, and I could not render an unbiased verdict."

  "That's no excuse," said Abner.

  "If it's not, the new piece of music you bought me is, so I leave youto your discussion, and hope you may effect a happy compromise." She wasgone.

  There was a moment's silence, and then the rippling music of her voicefilled the halls and rooms of the great house.

  "I wish the name she bears was rightfully hers, though I am glad she isnot my sister," Abner said to himself. The same thought flashed throughOleah's mind, and, as usual, the mobile face betrayed his thoughts.Every one seemed always to understand his feelings.

  Irene had just returned from school, an accomplished beauty and anacknowledged belle.

  No wonder strange emotions stirred the hearts of the brothers, and thatthoughts gained entrance in their breasts which might prove moredisastrous than mere political differences.