Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1844-10-10


the other witness, told him that Mr..
Clay played there at that time, and that
he saw him.
it's with reluctance that I call upon
those gentlemen to answer, and to say
whether it be so or not. They are,
however, volunteer witnesses, and
having taken the stand, must bear a
cross examination. ! call upon them
to go further, and say if they have not
often seen Mr.. Clay playing cards for
money within the last few years, and
also heard him swear profanely.
Their silence will be taken as a con-
fession of the truth of what the ques-
tions imply.
Messrs. Greer, of Dover, Ballard, of
Louisville, and Southgate, of Cincin-
nattl, are referred to, without authori-
ty from them, 10 prove the fact-they
having played at the same table, at the
Blue Licks.
The friends of Mr.. Clay can procure
their statements, If | have been misin-
formed, to correct me.
/. The annexed statement Of j. B.
Bland, Of Louisville, (S) proves case
of steamboat gambling. TO prove sew
eral others, within the last two years,
| am authorized to refer to Messrs.
VIM. Gay, Samuel K. Richardson, and
Thomas Coleman, of Louisville, Who
have repeatedly seen Mr.. Clay gam
bling on steamboats, in his passage up
and down the river, between Louisville
and New Orleans, within that time.
But why should these gentlemen be
referred to, or troubled to testify in the
case, until denial is made by Mr..
Clay. He does not, he a0iH not, deny
the charges of gambling and profane
swearing. If he does, there are thous-
ands who would then state what they
know, without hesitation, and prove
much more than | have charged.
AS evidence on the point of profane
swearing, | have annexed an extract
from a speech delivered at Buiker's
Hill on the 4th of July last, by the
Hon. B. F. Hallet, (9) and state
ment of Thomas Montague, (10.)
I have thus, fellow citizens, endea-
vored to sustain the charges against
Mr.. Clay's morals. I have been very
much in the position in which man is
placed who, when at the sea in COM
pany with another, on plank, which
is insufficient to bear both, must push
his neigher off in order to save him
self. l am bitterly and Indignantly as
sailed for asserting facts which l must
sustain or be deemed by society to be
deserving of what mypoetic biographer
of the Yazoo Wing has said of me-
There is but one kind wing editor who
has come to my relief, in my difficulty,
and that is the editor of the Common
wealth; and l attribute his confession
of Mr.. Clay's habitual card playing for
money, to have been the result of his
simplicity more than his honesty.
| The Importance which is everywhere
attached to the issue here made by the
moral part Of the community of both
parties, and the furious denials made
by the whig press Of facts which are
notorious to thousands, combined with
the denunciations made on myself per-
sonally, for agitating, even incidentally,
this stirring subject, have forced me to
the position now occupy.
In March last, when about to address
some of the citizens of Fauquier coun-
ty, Virginia, ! attacked the credibility
of the Junius Tracts, and gave, as Just
cause for it, that in Junius Tract, No.
4, page Is, was the following para
graph:
"In 1919, when invited to game
of "brag," he replied: Excuse me,
gentlemen; have not played a game
Of hazard for more than twelve years;
and take this opportunity to warn
you all to avoid practice destructive
Of good name, and drawing after it
evil consequences of incalculable mag
nitude.''
stated that the idea conveyed in
the paragraph was utterly untrue, for
that Mr.. Clay's habits were notorious
ly unchanged. This brought upon a
me severe attack, in some Of the
wing presses, for having assailed Mr..
Clay's private character, when, in fact,
was attacking the credibility of his
eulogist. 1t was not my intention to
have brought into the controversy the
question of his morals. knew that the
objections to his political principles and
actions were amply sufficient to defeat
his pretensions to the presidency
! But, being myself denounced as slam