Governor Reed held the Capitol. Alden now deserts Reed and recognizes Gleason as Governor and steals the State seal out of the Secretary of State's office and attaches it to Gleason's documents. This went on for several days, during which time Reed's office was guarded night and day by armed police. Gleason becoming restless at not getting possession of Reed's stronghold, ventured one day to take possession by stratagem.

into the executive office without saying anything to Governor Reed, and sat there for some time. George B. Carse, AdjutantGeneral, a very impulsive man, who understood the scheme of Gleason, at once ordered him out of the room. Gleason made answer that this was a public office and that he would not go out, whereupon Carse made a lunge at him with one hand with a revolver in the other. Gleason wore a fine beaver hat, which went one way while he went the other, he retreating in double quick time to the seat of his hotel government. The night following the day on which Gleason made his disgraceful retreat Governor Reed made up his mind to move on the works of the enemy. He commenced the attack by first using his pruningknife in his Cabinet. He beheaded Alden and appointed Jonathan C. Gibbs, colored, as Secretary of State, and gave him possession of the office, and in a few minutes Gibbs was seated behind his desk receiving the congratulations of his friends. Numbers of freedmen were sent for from the country to witness and congratulate one of their race sitting in the Capitol as Secretary of State. These calls and congratulations went on until the next day, when Alden undertook to enter the door of the Secretary's office. He was at once ordered away by the Governor's police and the crowd of freedmen, who did not propose to see Mr. Gibbs disturbed. He was told by one of the freedmen that the scepter had forever departed from him, as he had sinned against Governor Reed. He remonstrated with them and told them, "All of us are true Republicans, my colored friends;" but the freedmen retorted, "You no 'publican if youse want to go in Mr. Gibbs' office." He was not long in finding out that it was safer for him to be somewhere else, and with trembling limbs made hasty steps away and reported to the wily Gleason what great disaster had befallen one of the gang. The appointment of Mr. Gibbs unquestionably added very material strength to

Governor Reed from the freedmen. They now saw that the man whom the carpetbag element had been denouncing as their enemy was more disposed to deal justly by them than were his traducers. Secret watchers were kept on the track of Gleason and Alden until Reed could sharpen his knife for the decapitation of Gleason. On the 9th of November Governor Reed, through his Attorney-General, Meek, assisted by J. P. Sanderson, M. D. Papy and A. J. Peeler, filed a petition in the Supreme Court of the State asking for a writ of quo warranto against W. H. Gleason, requiring him to show cause why he should not be ousted from the office of Lieutenant-Governor of the State of Florida, he not having been a citizen of the State two years, as required by the Constitution. D. S. Walker and Horatio Bisbee, Jr., appeared for the respondent. One of Gleason's pleas was that Governor Reed had solicited him to run for the office, which was untrue, for Reed had personally protested against his running, and offered him a Cabinet position if he would decline; another was that Governor Reed had instituted this suit in pursuance of a pledge made to Gleason that if he persisted in his effort to supplant him he would oust him by legal process. The proof was conclusive that he was holding office in violation of the Constitution, and he was, therefore, ousted from his place as Lieutenant-Governor of Florida. He appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, so as to hold on in name, but not in fact, to the office until his term would expire. He knew, of course, that the Supreme Court of the United States had no jurisdiction of the case. The Osborn faction had by these two ousters learned something of the fighting qualities of Reed, and thereafter moved with more caution when they determined to attack him. The object of the Osborn gang was to get Reed out of the way and put Gleason in as Governor, and Horatio Jenkins was to be appointed Lieutenant-Governor, and he, being one of Osborn's henchmen, would not throw obstacles in the way of legislation that might be introduced to enrich the gang. The deposition of Alden and Gleason was a terrible blow to them and the balance of their companions; but the Legislature appropriated two thousand dollars to Gleason for attorney's fees and expenses in making the fight.

In view of the conduct of the Legislature and the consequent

misapprehension and mutual distrust of the blacks and whites, the Governor determined to secure some armament for the State in case military force should become necessary. He visited Washington and sought the aid of the government by claiming from the Ordnance Department the issue of the arms due the State under a rule which had been suspended during the war. This was denied. He then called upon Governor Andrew of Massachusetts and Governor Fenton of New York for a loan of arms. This failing, he purchased through a personal friend in New York two thousand stands of muskets and Enfield rifles and four thousand rounds of ammunition on a credit of four months, giving notes for $21,000. The arms were shipped and delivered at Jacksonville, where they were received by the Adjutant-General, Carse, and General Houstoun, then president of the railroad company, and placed on board the cars to be delivered at Tallahassee. A guard of Federal soldiers had been placed by General Sprague at the control of the Governor, but fearing difficulty if a military force appeared on the cars, General Houstoun guaranteed their safe delivery if the guard could be withdrawn. The arms were on board and the train started at night with the Adjutant-General in charge. The railroad employees, without the knowledge of President Houstoun, introduced into the cars with the arms men engaged to throw them out when they should reach Madison County, where a company of Dickinson's guerillas was placed along the road to seize and destroy them. All the ammunition and all but eight hundred of the guns were thus thrown out and destroyed, or carried away to be used by the enemies of the government. The railroad company was responsible to the State for the loss, but the Osborn ring being implicated and in control of the Legislature, sought to involve Governor Reed and deprive him of the power and the means to pay the notes he had given, and the company was not called upon for the damages.

Thus ended the first year of Governor Reed's administration.

CHAPTER VIII.

The Meeting of the Legislature of 1869, and Another Attempt at Impeachment. Attempt to Bribe Members to Vote for Impeachment. Extracts from Governor Reed's Second Message. Gilbert Compelled to Pay for His Seat in the United States Senate. Reed's Vindication.

The second session of the Legislature under the Constitution of 1868, met on the fifth day of January, 1869, and organized by electing M. L. Stearns, of Gadsden County, of freedmen's provisions notoriety, as Speaker of Assembly, which placed the lower house of the Legislature in the absolute control of the Federal office-holders, the Senate-being presided over by Gleason, who had appealed from the decision of ouster by the Supreme Court of the State to the Supreme Court of the United States. Samuel Walker, of the defunct Billings-Saunders faction and elected to the Legislature from Leon County, now sought the opportunity to give active effect to his old prejudice against Governor Reed for being, as he said, instrumental in the overthrow of the Billings faction. Walker now renews the attack upon the Governor by reciting a resolution relative to impeachment passed at the November session. George P. Raney, Democratic representative from Franklin County, offered a substitute to the resolution, which reads as follows:

WHEREAS, It is known to this Assembly to be publicly alleged that Harrison Reed, Governor of Florida, has done and committed acts wrongful and unlawful, therefore, be it

Resolved, By the Assemby of the State of Florida, that a committee of five be appointed by the Speaker to inquire into and investigate the conduct, acts and doings of said Harrison Reed, Governor of Florida, and that the said committee be empowered and authorized to send for persons and papers, and take testimony upon oath in the premises; and that the said committee be required to report the result of its investigations at its earliest convenience during the present session; and that it accompany its report with the testimony taken in the said mat

ter."

This resolution was adopted by a vote of thirty to five. Samuel Walker, who at first seemed to have been so anxious for investigation, voted against the adoption of the resolution for the reason that he thought to extort from the Governor the position of County Revenue Collector during the impeachment investigation. George P. Raney, a Democrat, was appointed chairman of the investigating committee, which placed Governor Reed between two fires. It was the purpose of the Democrats to show all the shortcomings and misconduct of the Republicans so as to break down anything like respectable government, while the plunder-hunting Republicans, by urging impeachment, expected either to get rid of Reed by impeachment or to compel him to seek safety under their wing by pledging himself to put his signature to all their corrupt legislation. To be driven to the plunderers would be certain disgrace and death to his administration and the Republican party of the State; and for him, a life-long Republican, to be driven to the Democratic party by these unprincipled men, would stigmatize him both politically and morally as a coward. Relying upon an Allwise Providence and the better judgment of fair-minded men of the Legislature, Governor Reed stood firm as the rock of Gibraltar to his Republican faith. While the committee was investigating the charges against the Governor it became evident to the plunderers that they would not be able to ham-string him without bribing some of the members of the Legislature. Their rooms in the hotels were the scene of caucuses every night, sometimes till near day. The great destroyer of the Divine promise of "peace on earth and good will toward men," with its demonlike redness and horrifying influence, was the chief attraction in these caucuses. Men could be seen staggering to and fro, breathing out curses against Harrison Reed. When conspirators were convinced that a member of the Legislature could not be beguiled by cigars and whisky, they would call him outside of the room to have a "private talk" with him. Convention scrip and greenbacks would be offered him to favor the impeachment of Harrison Reed. These night caucuses became so ridiculous and notorious that they brought forth the following resolution: