night of December 4, 1838 In the House of Representatives The House of Representatives met on the night of December 4, where the Clerk of the House, Francis R. Shunk began with the usual roll call. However, after the names of the members from Philadelphia were read, Charles Pray, a claimed member from Philadelphia, said that the four members from the Northern Liberties District were not legally elected. He later produced his own set of election returns, which had been legally certified. The Whigs demanded that the names of the four Philadelphia members be given their seats. On the other side, the Democrats claimed that Burrows had prepared legal returns that benefited only his party. In response to the two sets of returns being produced, Thaddeus Stevens, the leader of the Whig and Anti-Masonic party in Legislature, made a motion that the House proceed to elect a speaker. Amidst the confusion the two bodies elected a speaker, with the Democrats electing William Hopkins on a roll call and the party behind Stevens electing Thomas S.S Cunningham by a viva voce vote. After both parties adjourned until the next day, Stevens's party went to the Senate, with a Whig majority. Unrest in the Senate While at the Senate, the atmosphere became that of negativity towards Stevens and his party. While organizing the chamber, a contested seat caught the attention of the large crowd surrounding the ground. Charles Brown, a Democrat, contested the seat of James Hanna, a Whig, on the account of gross fraud. However, the speaker of the House Charles B. Penrose admitted Hanna to his seat, which subsequently outraged Democrats in the crowd for not recognizing or legitimatizing Brown's allegation. It was claimed that the crowd could be heard shouting, "Kill Burrows!", "Kill Stevens!", "Kill Penrose!" After much aggravation, the crowd broke through the bar of the Senate and headed towards the three Whigs. It was at this time that they had already escaped through the back window of the Senate, in fear of their safety. It is believed that the riot was led by the infamous "Balty" Sowers, a gang member from Philadelphia. Democrats denied any involvement with Sowers, however, a variety of sources state that his mission was to assassinate Stevens, Burrows and Penrose- all avid Whig enthusiasts. Hence, suspicions arose around whether Democrats in Pennsylvania were trying to sabotage their opponents. Militia and aftermath After the