Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1849-06-28
Death of Colonel Henry Clay.

Death of Colonel Henry Clay.
But most sad, and yet mos, glorious Of all.
it was 10 see the death Of the second Henry
Clay! You should have seen him, With hi.
back agains. yonder rock, his sword grasped
firmly, as The consciousness ,ha. he bore name
that must not die n-goriously, seemed TO fill
his every vein and DART deadly fire FROM his
eyes!
Al that moment he looked like the old Man.
For his brow, high and retrea,ing, with tho
bIood.clolted hair waving back from Its outline.
was swollen in every vein as though his soul
shone from il, ere she Aed forever lips set.
brows knit. hand frm-a circle of his men
fighting round him-he dashed into the Mexi.
cans, until his sword was wet, his arm weary
with blood.
At last, with his thigh splinted by ball, he
gathered his proud form to its full height and
fell. His face ashy with intense agony, he
bade his comrads 10 leave him there to de-
That ravlne, should be the bed of his glory.
But gathering round him, guard of breasts
and STEEL. while TWO Of their number bore him
.enderly along--those men of Kentucky fought
round their fallen hero. and as, reirearing step
by step, they launched their swords and bayo-
nets inio the faeus of the foe. they said with
every blow.--HENRY CIAYm
Ii was wonderful 10 see how that name
nerved their arms, and called a smile to the
face Of The dying hero. How il would have
made the heart OF the old man Of Ashland lhiob.
TO have heard his name, yelling as battle cry,
down the shadows of that lonely pass
Along the ravine, and up the narrow path
The hero bleeds as they bear him on, and tracks
J the way with his blood. Faster aud thicker
the Mexicans swarm-lhey see the circle a.
round the fallen man, even see his pale face,
uplifled as smile crosses its fading lineamenis,
and like pack of wolves seeming the frozen
traveller at dead of night, they come howllng
up the rocks, and charge the devoted band with
} one dense mass Of bayonets.
Up and on! The ligb. shines yonder, on
the topmost rock of the ravine Il is the SET
ting sun. Old Taylor's eye is upon iha, rock,
and there we will 6gh. our way, and die in the
old mans sight!
II was murderous way, that path up the
steep, bank of The ravine Uttered with dead
slippery with blood, it grew blacker every mo-
meni with swarmng Mexicans and The defen-
ders of the wounded hero fell one by one, into
the CHAINS yawning all around.
Al las. they reach the light, the swords and
! bayonels glitter in sight Of the contending ar
mics, and the bloody contest roars towards the
topmost rock.
Then it was, ,ha, gathering up hrs dying frame
: armed with supernatural vigor-young Clay
started from the arms of his supporters, and
stood with oulsireched hands, in the light of
} the setting sun. II was glorious sight which
he saw there, amid the rolling battle clouds !;
, Santa Annals formidable array hurled back in
TO The ravne and george by Taylor's ltlle
band Blu, more glorious thing i. was TO see
.ha. dying man, standing for Ihe las. time, in
the Iigh, OF that sun, which never shall rise
} for him again!
Leave me % be shrieked as he fell back
on the sod" must die. and will die here !
Peril your lives no longer for me Go There
is work for you yonder!"
The MexicaEs erowding on, hungry for
slaughter Ief. no time for thought. Even as
he spoke, their bayoneis. gli.tening by hun
dreds, we're leveled at the ihroals of the deyo-
ted band. By the mere force Of their over
wheIming numbers, they crushed them back
from the side of the dying Clay. One only
fingered brave man who bad known the
chivalric soldier. and loved him long be stood
there, and, covered a. he was with blood,
hearsd these last words;
"1sH my father how died, and give kin
these pistols %
! Lifting his ashy face into light, he turned
bis eyes upon his comrades faee-placed The
pistols in his hand-fell, back to his death.
Tha, comrade. with The pistols in his grasp
Tough, his way alone TO the ,opmost rock OF the
path, and only once looked back. He saw
quisering form. canopied by bayoneis-hs saw
those ouisneehed hands graphing with poin.s
of sieel-he saw pale face lifted once in The
light, and then darkness rushed upon the life
of The young HENRY Clay.
TOUCHING ExpRrssroN.-A cerrain lady