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24 JAMES BAIKD WEAVER

prised "Iowa's volunteer attendance" at the
Chicago Convention which nominated Lincoln
for the Presidency.¹⁰ In addition he is named
in a list of fifty-eight "leaders earnestly sup-
porting Kirkwood" in 1859.¹⁷ He is referred
to as making speeches in the campaigns of 1856
and 1860, and as "fascinated" by the doctrines
of Fremont to which "he gave himself up . .
. . with all the ardor of his mature years."¹⁸To "Weaver probably belongs the credit of
being one of the originators of the expression
"the bloody shirt". His own story of the
origin of the use of the phrase was that a
"preacher by the name of McKinney, a most
pugnacious and forceful man, moved from
Davis county to Texas. He was one of these
fellows who would preach every Sunday if he
had to be the audience himself. Down in Texas
one Sunday he got the negroes together at Ft.
"Worth and preached to them. Word was
passed around that an abolitionist was exciting
the negroes to insurrection and the citizens got
together. They took McKinney out and
whipped him with a rawhide blacksnake whip,
cutting his shirt into shreds and lacerating his
body. He returned to Davis county in about
'55 or '56, 'and an abolitionist meeting was held
and I presided. McKinney had his shirt with
him. A few days later I was at Agency City.
Senator Grimes, James F. Wilson, Edward



	24 JAMES BAIKD WEAVER prised "Iowa's volunteer attendance" at the Chicago Convention which nominated Lincoln for the Presidency.¹⁰ In addition he is named in a list of fifty-eight "leaders earnestly sup- porting Kirkwood" in 1859.¹⁷ He is referred to as making speeches in the campaigns of 1856 and 1860, and as "fascinated" by the doctrines of Fremont to which "he gave himself up . . . . with all the ardor of his mature years."¹⁸To "Weaver probably belongs the credit of being one of the originators of the expression "the bloody shirt". His own story of the origin of the use of the phrase was that a "preacher by the name of McKinney, a most pugnacious and forceful man, moved from Davis county to Texas. He was one of these fellows who would preach every Sunday if he had to be the audience himself. Down in Texas one Sunday he got the negroes together at Ft. "Worth and preached to them. Word was passed around that an abolitionist was exciting the negroes to insurrection and the citizens got together. They took McKinney out and whipped him with a rawhide blacksnake whip, cutting his shirt into shreds and lacerating his body. He returned to Davis county in about '55 or '56, 'and an abolitionist meeting was held and I presided. McKinney had his shirt with him. A few days later I was at Agency City. Senator Grimes, James F. Wilson, Edward