The Feliciana Democrat. (Clinton, La.) 1855-186?, 1855-08-04
OBJ fditial,a 4tlnotrat.

JAMES B. CLAY, AND F" "AsuLAND"--James B. Clay,
Esq son of the late Henry Clay having been charg-
cd by Prentice, Of the Louisville Journal, with be-
ing;the "young gentleman who tore down the old
mansion of his immortal father, instead of leaving
II to be resortcd to and gazcd with emotions Of
reyerental awe by the men of future generations
and with having sold the beams, rafters posts, &c,
Of his glorious fathers old dwelling-house, to be
|2an0f notWeAsinto walkingsticks, 'etc., has pub
lshed reply, in which he says that instead of be-
ing young man, he is now forty years Of age, and
that, the mansion at Ashland was purchased by him
after his fathcrs death, in accordance with desire
he (the fathcr) expressed while living. We quote
from his reply the following in relation to his father
and I" Ashland" .t5s...... -....t rs.
Knowing that the house would have to
be rebuilt, he often said when speaking Of
it, "it will last my life time" When |
left Kentucky to reside near st. Louis, he
abandoned the hope of my purchasing it
with much regret, expressed in letter now
in my possession. Hearing of his last ILL
ness and probably approaching death, l
wrote to him-knowing that it would give
him more happiness than almost any earth
ly thing-that / would give up all my pros
poets in Missouri, and that he might die
satisfied that, if l could help it, Ashland
should not, in my lifetime at least, pass in
to the hands of strangers. After my fa-
ther's death, my mother caused me to be in
formed that she would have the place sold
with the view to my becoming the purcha-
ser; that the whole place was in ruinous
condition, but that it would make her hap
py in her lifetime to know that it was not
to go out of the family. | returned to
Kentucky and parchased it. Finding the
dwelling, like most others built fifty odd
years ago, in dilapidated condition, call
ed on a competent architect to ascertain
whether it was a safercsidence for my fam
lily; it was pronounced to be unsafe, and
moreover, that it would tumble down of it,
self in very few years. Under these cir-
cumstances determined to rebuild it in a
style suitable to my own taste, and not un-
worthy of my father. .a
In reference to the charge that he had been SELL
ing the beams, &c, he says:
consider the last charge made in the Jour
NAILS editorial as by far the most grave, and
ifit were true in the sense intended | should
feel myself unworthy to possess my fathers
house, unworthy to be Kentuckian, and
should be willing to fly to some remote cor
ner of the earth to hide my vile and dishon.
ored head. Ishould, however, in that case
as do now, protest against that license
which is not the liberty but the vile and
unmanly abuse of the liberty of the press,
which can allow an editor or editors to pros
4;f, 70 ~ olunnc oco ,,,,b1;o ;orrnol to non,
mcnts upon the conduct of private men
with respect to their private property
The charge, that have sold one inch of
the old lumber of my fathers house, with
a view to my private profit, is utterly and
unqualifcdly false. | have refused to sell
it when informed it was to be used for prof
it. Much oft has been stolen, and have
been greatly annoyed by persons coming to
my place and carrying away whatever they
fancied, either from the old house or plants
and growing shrubs, without asking the per-
mission of any one. At last it occurred to
me that ] might put up some of the old lnm-
ber, which was useless to me, to good and
worthy use; determined to have some lit
tic articles made, as souyeners Of Ashland,
from the old roof tree; that / would cause
them to be placed with friend in Lexing-
ton, to be sold, with the understanding
with him that the proceeds, after paying
the cost of construction, should be devoted
to some public charity. accordingly en-
ployed a cabinet maker, himself, as he said,
in these hard times, almost an object of
charity, to make some boxes; about 140
have been made, and 100 canes, of which
some six or eight boxes only have hitherto
been sold; have good hope, however, that
the residue will be, and at q profit which
may next winter gladden. the hearts of some
few poor widows and orphans. Except
what have been sold of these boxes and
canes deposited with Mr.. Jno. Wilson for
sale, and for the purpose stated, the man
who says have sold one particle of the
old timber ofmy fathers house is a liar and
a DiNain, and |, before God, pronounce him
to be so
Hsg%The Marksvile Villager speaking