New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-08-02
I
Hon. W. A. GRAHAM, Secretary of the Navy.

INTERESTING INCIDENT LIFE HENRY CLAy.--I
We find in the NewYork Times interesting reminis
in the life of the Hon Henry Clay The following
toast given in 1915 at Fourth of July dinner in yir
ginia, by Mr. r. Hughes forciby illustrates traits
in his character and history:
Henry Clay-He and born close to the sashes
of old Hanover He walked footed and did I-he
went to mill and did The good to his and
so was l. know him like u book, and love him like
brother.o
Mrs Watkins the mother his kindness to whom is thus
commemorated, died in 1927 Mr.. Clay wasalways
Of deep feelings and sustained heavy Affections during
life in the loss of his children Two his daughters
born in 1900 and 1876 died in infancy Two other daugh
tiers 1909 and 1873 died at the age of IA The first
of these died at Ashland the other 1926 while on her
way to Washington. She taken sick at Cincinnati
and her father obliged to leave her behind
Nine days after of her death reached him,
and the next day brought intelligence of the death
another daughter at NewOrleans On hearing of this
in the Senate, he alluded touchingy to his Attic
lions and time afterwards. during his trial of a
in of the Kentucky Courts having occasion to
the expression the vcssitudes of human life' in
aluson to domestic Affections he oyerpowered with
the emotion which it excited and sat down in flood of
tears His apology for this unexpected emotion drew
| with it the sympathy of all present
Mr. Clay always frugal in this personal habits and
family expenses and averse to contracting debts Hewas
involved in any difficulty on his account but
was twice seriously embarrassed in consequence of
sposibities assumed for Others On the first of these
occasions he abandoned public life returned to his profess
sion, and soon paid off these liabilities The second time
|
Being about to part with Ashland pay his debt he
surprised by the receipt of letter enclosing S25750
from Mr. John Tford to whom it had been GENT 1t
said that Mr. Clay asked Mr. Tlford with emotion Who
| did this ~ To which Mr. L. replied: Sir do mt k,oD ;
it is sufficient to say that they not your eneiesn
Mr. Clay was magnanimous as he was brave. He
quite ready to acknowledge fault an in
suit In 1916, while he and Mr. Pope opposing can
ddates Congress Mr. Clay took offence at some thing
which had been said by of Mr. Popes friends and
attacked him in the streets of Lexington. The next
morning. satisfied he wrong he made apology to
the gentleman and at public gathering made the
acknowledgment to the multitude assembled The mag
nanimy of the act and the grace with which it done
commended him anew to public favor.
1t has often been remarked that there several
between Gen, jackson and Mr.. Clay. They were brave
both and when bitter enmities ragged between them
neither doubted the courage Of the other to bring them
to personal issue The last time they the city
together it not without difficulty the part Of their
friends that hostile correspondence prevented 1t
at Nashville, Tennessee, in 1886 Mr. Clay had adj
dressed wing meeting of fifteen twenty thou
sand people and in the of his alluded
of President JacksOn's high appointments from
the list of known government defaulters and the
example of such Generalization in the national admins
of the country The old General heard of this
the Hermitage and posted to town with angry
paper card, in reply to the reported speech Mr. Clay
hearing this missile read fired up though in the prime
of early manhood, and instantly recalling the past
troversies between them concluded at treat it as
gauntlet The expression Of his piercing grey eye
he turned to his friends to bear him out in personal
meeting will be forgotten by those who witnessed
the scene. But of course extreme measures were not
suffered to be thought of by his friends for moment