By April 2, 1868 the Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson was in its third day of testimony. While the opening argument had been a crowd pleaser and the first two days of testimony had brought large crowds of spectators to the Senate gallery, long arguments over procedures and vote after vote over the admissibility of evidence began to damp down enthusiasm for the trial as entertainment.
I am only reproducing the opening paragraph of the New York Times’s report on the proceedings on April 2. It reflects the slackening of enthusiasm for watching the trail
New York Times April 3, 1868
Note: The feature illustration is The Ladies’ Gallery During the Impeachment Trial published in Harpers Weekly on April 18, 1868, page 248.
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Interesting comparison to this past week’s sketches of bored senators in the New York Times!