The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1849-07-19
From the Maysville Eagle.
Particulars of the Cassius M. Clay
Difficulty.

fatal rehcontre between Cassius M. Clay
ard Cyrus Turner, in Madison county, on
Friday Cf last week. The Chronicle, how
ever, gives none of the particulars, but
merely mentions the affair, and adds, ''that
Turner died on Sunday morning last, living
about "a hours after receiving the wound
Capt. Clay is still in a critical condition, but
the better opinion seems to be that he will
recover" 80 er
! We learn the following from gentleman
fwho was ON the ground.
There are three Pro-Slavery candidates
for the Convention from Madison, Messrs.
willis and Chenault and Mai. Squire Tur-
lner, Gather of Cyrus 1urner) and but one
emancipation candidate, Major Barnum.
AT the regimenta muster at Walden's on
Thursday Of last week, the candidates
iEspoke, Willis and Chenault leading. Maj
4 Turner, (althOugh he had promised Ca>sius
j M. Clay the stand before hm) alleged that
Clay was not candidate, and the crowd
was fast dispersing-made a long speech
Clay then took the stand, and bore more
heavily in his remarks upon Turner than
! upon either of the other candidates, aLd it
was now evident for the first time, that there
was some unpleasant feeling between them
On the next day, Friday, another discus
sion took place at reginental muster at
FOXtown. Willis spoke first, Turner next
When Turner had spoken about an hour,
{ Clay appealed to him to give Major Bar
mum an opportunity Of defending the Eman-
lcipationists and their views; but Turner re-
fused and spoke half an hour longer in
severe strain, during which he read from
the True American newspaper a portion of
the article that caused the Lexington mob
and the removal Of the True American of
flee to Cincinnati. Clay appealed to the
people to say whether it was fair that this
article should he read, unless accompanied
! by the statement SO often made by Major
! Turner. that the article in question was
written by South Carolina PLANTER, Gas
many of his friends believed, for the express
purpose of breaking down his press) and
sent to his office and printed while he was
lying sick of the typhoid fever. The arti-
Gle, he said, was as repulsive to his feelings
and views as it was to Major Turner's or
any other man's-and if he had not been
confined to a bed of sickness, it should new
err have appeared in his paper. Mr.. VIM.
l.. Neale, the printer of the True American
was on the ground, and would confirm the
statement.
] Maj. Turner continued his speech after
this interruption, and when he concluded,
Z. NJ. Clay took the stand for the purpose
OF. making kind Of apology to the people
fax The interruption he had caused He
again stated that be thought each party were
entitled to he heard, and that each should be
allowed a fair division of the time. That
the friends of right and justice by such
course had nothing to lose; for if the
k.lnancipationists held incendiafy notions,
and advocated principles opposed to the best
! nt he II
Judge of them correctly, and put them
down, while if their principles were founded
III right and justice, it was certainly not
wrong that they should be known, in order
that they might be upheld and supported.
After making his explanations, which did not
occupy more than two minutes, he WAS
leaving the stand, when Maj. Runyon,
lawyer OF Richmond, at considerable dis
lance OFT, pied him with questions, and
| Clay, with the consent CT Chenaut, who
claimed the stump, enheavored to answer
him. Some misunderstanding occurred in
reference to the School Fund, in which
Runyon pronounced statement made by
fClay, false and untrue. Clay referred 20 an
act of the Legislature in proof of his asser.
ton, and finally told Runyon, who had in
terrupted him before, that he was a mere
tool for Turner, and was 0beying his mas
ter. Clay descended from the stand in per-
feet good humor, and without expecting
difficulty with any one, when Mai. Turner
remarked that "Runyon was not his tool.
Clay replied that whether Turner knew it
or not, he was evidently his willing tool.
/ Upon this, Cyrus Turber, the son of the
candidate, stepped up to Clay, and pronoun-
ced his statement Did lie, and struck
him in the face. Clay was soon stabbed by
some one behind him, beat over the head
with stick by Alfred Turner, aud perhaps
others, and pistol was snapped four times
at bis head, bursting a cap each time, by
/ Thomas Turner. He did not draw his knife
tnof shake off the hold of those who were
clinging TO him, until he perceived the blood
spouting forth from his side, aud believed
from the wound he must die. With super
! human effort, he shook off those who held
him, encountered Cyrus Turner, and stab
bed him.
| The wound took effect in the lower part
of the abdomen, resulting in his death in
thirty-four hours.
(