The Woodstock age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1844-1845, 1844-08-08
CLAY AGAINST DWELLING.

since gone by, gave in to the odious praC
tice of dueling. 1t was The fault of the ag
and education, and probably if the noble
hearted mill boy of the sIashes suffered tn
insults of the dominee'ing aristocracy o
Kentucky to pass unresened he would hav
been ranked among the base born pleban
aud never more heard of by the world =
But Henry Clay long since renowned thu
practice ofsingle combat and declared tina
however heretofore might have done @
by inevitable circumstances be forced I,
do, no MAJ. holds the practice of duelin!
in deeper abhorrence."
Mddebury Galary,
Beautiful talk, this! "Henry Clay long
since renounced the practice OF single com
bat" Oh! certainly! Mr. Bell! Oh! Ger
tainIy!
In 1926 he endeavors to murder Johr
Randolph, in duel This was while hi
held the responsible station of Secretar,
of State! That was Is years ago-or "lons
SINCE" as the Galaxy would say!
"In 1888, he assisted in planning thu
murder Of Jonathan Ciley of Maine He
counselled with Graves, urged on the d.
Ell, and actually penned the challenge with
his own hand"
"Mr CiIley, for words spoken in debate"
on the floor of Congress, was challedged
by James W. Webb, editor of the N. Y.
Courier and Enquirer.
Mr. Graves, M. c., of Kentucky was the
bearer of the challenge. Mr. Ciley de-
clined and assigned reasons verbally that
were satisfactory to Mr. Graves Here the
matter would have dropped, had not Mr.,
Clay been taken into the counsel. That
gentleman, in a letter to Hon. Henry A,
Wise, under date of Feb %, 1912, says:
son communing together I'VE both Graves
and Clay] agreed that Mr.. Cilley should
put IN writing what he verbally answered"
MIR, Graves accordingly re-opened the
matter. demanded a written statement and
that Mr. Webb was gentleman. On its
being refused. he again consulted Mr. Clay,
who tells us the result in his letter to Mr..
Wise. We exract from Mr. Clays letter
"When on the day preceding the duel,
MIR Graves in company with you Mr. Wise
came to my room, was informed that he
had determined to challenge Mr. Cilley and
he showed me the challenge which he had
drawn, Upon reading it, | thought it cIo-
sed the door to all accommodation, stated
that objection, and Skctchcda drougM in
my owa hand m,iting which would admit
of an amicabIe adjustment"
The draught follows:
WASHINGTON CRY, Feb'y %, 1910
"lloN. ]. CILLEY.-As you have declln-
ed accepting a communication which
bore to You from Co.. Webb, and as by
Your note of yesterday you have refused to
decline on grounds which would eNhouerale
me from all responsibility growing out of
this affair, AM LEFT TO No OTHER ALTER
WHICH is RECOGNISED AMONG GENTLEMEN.
My friend, Hon. Henry A. Wise, is author
lied to make the arrangements suitable to
the occasion.
Your obedt serv't w. J. GRAVES.
Now, instead oflhis challenge being such
as "wonld admit of an amicable arrange
ment," it was so wordeG as to close and
bolt the door against all compromise. MIR
ClIley had repeatedly disavowed any disre-
speci to Mr. Graves. and with this MrGraves
was satisfied, until H clay ,cas consulted;
and that gentleman, with the experience of
an old and proiessed duelisl, shut Up, step
by step, every avenue to reconciliation, I'M
Ill the fight was inevitable.
Some of the friends of Mr. Clay, having
heard of the anticipated duel exerted them
selves to prevent it. Revcrdy Johnson of
Baltimore and Charles King of New York,
made written statements, They called on
Mr. Clay and besought hun to interfere to
proven, it, Mr. Johnson says:
"At neither interview were we shown the
written challenge and acceptance, or terms
of the duel, hit had than explained to as
only BY MIR CLAY" And, most heart
Iessly, MIR Clay says in his letter to MrWise,
already referred to, Being the friend of
Mr. Graves, | could not in, oke the author
itv OF the police to prevent the duel"
Mr. Wise was Mr. Graves second, and
he has publicly charged the responsibility
of that duel upon Mr. C!ays advice, aud
Mr. Clay in his letter, says:
81 admit without any reservation what
ever, that on all the points Of controversy
respecting which he Graves asked my adj
vice, gave it to him freely, according to
the best of my Judgment"
This murder of Cilley occurred so "long
since" as eight years ago! and yet the Gal
axy has the impudence to tell its renders
that Mr. Clay "long since renounced the
practice OF single combat!
In March. lS4l, Mr. Clay in the Senate
,nsuled Mr. King Of Alabama, so grossly,
as to produce challenge for "singe com
bat" to prevent which Mr. Cioy ras pia-
ced and Is VOW undcr 5000 doiiars bands
to keep the peace! That "long since" was
three gears since, when Mr. Clay was 81
years of age! "A nobe-hearted Mill Boy."
truly. How does his ripper judgment revolt