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[Stephen A. Douglas]: Charleston Convention Grouping. ...
Description
[Stephen A. Douglas]: Charleston Convention Grouping. (1) 3 5/8" x 2 1/2" mauve-colored coated stock ticket, issued to J. S. Arnold, a Connecticut delegate to the ill-fated Charleston Convention that failed to nominate a candidate and adjourned prematurely (April 23-28). The ticket reads "Connecticut Delegate Ticket. No 46 Nickerson & Purcell. Mills House, April 19, 1860." It is initialed "T.L.N.", likely the proprietor. The Mills House was the finest hotel in Charleston and housed most of the delegates. We do not know if other tickets were separately issued, but examples such as this may have been considered official and accepted for admittance to the convention hall. (2) Carte-de-visite [CDV] of Institute Hall, site of the convention, likely as it appeared in 1860. (3) A February 8, 1860 "shake-down" letter from G. W. Cass Kadden to Stephen A. Douglas asking for money, in return of which, the writer (appointed a delegate to the state convention at Reading, Pennsylvania) promises to support the nomination of Douglas at Charleston. Rather cheeky! (4) April 5, 1860 letter from Charleston Mayor Charles Macbeth to Brig. Gen. James Simons, requesting a meeting to discuss the "modes in which our city is to be protected during the sitting of the Democratic Convention." (5) 4-pg. annotated manuscript speech in the hand of Caleb Cushing, delivered at the Charleston Convention, decrying the possibility of disunion, urging reconciliation and unity. The pages are attached in sequence, vertically, measuring 8" x 8" when unfolded. It is marked at top, in pencil, "Send Mercury" indicating it was meant for publication in the "Charleston Mercury". It is identified on verso as Cushing's speech given at the convention. (6) A carte-de-visite of Cushing with Warren of Boston back mark, dated 1874.Condition: (1) Pencil annotations on the reverse. Soiling to either side of the ticket. (2) Pinhole to top of image. Pencil on the reverse. Excellent, otherwise. (3) Creasing along folds, some with minor separations. Tears along edges, not affecting any text. Soiling to reverse. Small area of ink bleeding through to reverse. (4) Soiling and toning along some creases. Pinhole along integral fold towards the bottom. Toning to some of the text. Stray ink stains. (5) Creasing along folds. Separations along crease in last page. Minor edgewear. Scattered pencil notations in the margins. Some corrections done in period ink. Some thumbsoiling present. Scattered staining throughout. (6) Pencil annotation on the reverse, with an erased annotation below it. Excellent.
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