The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1844-06-01

and instead of using their efforts to pre-
vent the duel, they did all they could tc
bring it on, conGden. that Mr.. Grave.
would fall, for Ciley was considered tn,
best rifle shot in Name.
Mr.. Clay, after he had expressed his
opinion that the affair should be amicabl,
adjusted, knew nothing further Of it until
the noon of the day on which the due
was fought--and being informed that il
was to take place he advised the calling
| out OF the police upon all the routes which
the parties would be likely to take, and
Mr. Clay with MIR. Crittenden, Gen
Thompson, of South Carolina, and the
Marshall Of the district, all started in pur,
suit 10 stop an affair which every one
pronounced absurd. The duelIists clud.
ed pursuit, and at the fourth fire Cilley
Tell corpse. Yes, this same Henry A,
Wise, the disappointed politician, with
Mr.. CiIley's Locoloco second, permitted
these men TO stand and shoot at each
other four times.-Even proiessed duel
lists say this was barbarous. all things
considered; but this Henry A. Wise nsin-
yates that Henry Clay was all instigator
Of the duel.
1t was not until Wise had been defeated
as the Wing candidate for the Speaker
ship of the house, that he dared to insin-
nale any thing against MIR, Clay; nor
would he then proba bly,, if he had not
been writing i'll agony under the lash
which John Quincy Adams laid upon him
for his cold bIooded conduct in that due!
Then he broke forth as follows:
"Wi,h regard to the prelminaries of
that duel, it was not my advice, but that
ola higher, better and more distinguished
man, that was relied on"
From this little beginning has originated
all the vile SANDER that has been hcapcd
on MIR. Clay in regard to that duel. Wise,
Benton, Bynum, and the whole crew of
Locofoco murderers, have endeavored TO
make Mr.. Clay the scape-goa, for their
sins.
But what effect does this abuse of Mr..
Clay have upon the venerable Adams, the
haler of ducIsls. He said, whilst on his
late visit in Ohio, as follows:
81 ever have found him (Mr. Clay) not
only one of the ablest men whom ever
coopera!ed with but one Of the most ami
able and worthy"
We close this sketch of this duel with
an extract from the letter of Mr.. Graves,
the unfortunate man whose days are full
of bitterness for having caused the death
Of Cllley by the rifle in his hand. Mr..
Graves, on leaning the dastardly course Of
Wise, addressed to Mr.. Clay a clam state
ment Of the affair, and Of Mr.. Clay's agen
cy in it, We extract as follows:
"From the commencement oflhe dllic-
ulty between Mr.. CiIley and myself, up
to the time sent him the challenge, do
not recollect that mentioned 1t to you
or any other colleague or friend, except
Mr.. Mcniiee and Mr.. Wise. know it
wasmy purpose to communicate only with
such persons as had determined to select
as my friends, should the matter not ter
inmate amcably. Hence my friend and
colleague, Mr.. Southgate, who sat by my
side at the same table when ! wrote the
correspondence, knew not word of the
affair from me until it was over. hoped
from the first that is would be amicably
adjusted, and felt strong solici,ude that
1t should be known to as few persons as
possible.
do not reco!ect raining the subject
to you until the morning before the Meet
ing, when called at your room think
in company with Mr. Wise, and exhibit
ed to you the correspondence aud perhaps
detailed TO you the circumstances Of the
affair. remember that you suggested to
me some modification in the phraseology
of the challenge which had written but
had not sent, by which mider language
was employed, and the door was not so
completed y closed against adjustment |
recollect well, at the time you suggested
the modification, which | believe was
written by yourself on another piece of
paper, you stated that the matter ought to
be, and would be amicably adjusted and
in this remember, Mr.. Wise concurred
with you in opinion, | recoIlect this the
better, from the conviction resting on my
mind at the time that there were infuen-
ces, which thought saw more fully
than any of my friends, that initiated a
gainet this view of the subject; some of
which ! think mentioned to you in reply
to your suggestion that you thought the
matter would be adjusted without hos"
tile meeting adopted your fern, with
but little or no modification, and suppose
destroyed i. and that drawn by myself
IT is utterly untrue that you ever exhih-
ted to me any wish that the meeting
sh ould take place. believe | had no
friend in Washington who more regretted
it. recollect after the affair, when we
met at your boarding house, you seemed
to sympalhise most deeply with me in
my misfortune; you wept and was unable
to utter word"
~