Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-07-26
Henry CIay's Family Mansion-Letter
from hts Son.

hilarity."
Henry CIay's Family Mansion-Letter
from his Son.
The Louisville Journal recently contained an
article censurng James B. Clay, esq, Of Ash
land, Ky, the son of "HarrY of the West, 7" and
speaking of him the ''young gentleman who
tore down the old mansion of his immortal father,
instead Of leaving it to be resorted to and gazed
on with emotions Of reverential awe by the men
of future generatons;" sis or has been selling
the beams, raiters, posts, &c., of his glorious
fathers old dwelling house, to be manufactured
into walking. sticks, /" etc, etc.
Mr.. Clay replies to the attack of the Journal
in long letter. We quote portion of it:
But ! am ''the young gentleman who tore
down the old mansion of his father, instead of
leaving it to be resorted to" &c., &c. Was not
the mansion ! tore down my mansion. | did not
inherit it from my father, bat purchased it when
offered by his executors at public auction to the
highest bidder. am grateful to anybody who
ever pretends to feel an interest in my fathers
memory; but is it not fair to presume that /, his
son, feel quite as much reverence for him, and
| anything that was his as any other person As
aspersions, both public and private, have been
made against me for thus pulling down my fathers
old house, am really glad to have fair oppor-
tunity to make known how | came 10 be its
owner, and why | determined to take it down,
and to rebuild it.
For years previous to my fathers death it was
his great desire that should purchase Ashland
Knowing that the house would have to be re-
built, he often said when speaking of it, cit will
last my lifetime" When left Kentucky to re-
side 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
| illness and probably approaching death | wrote
llm-knoWlnU i riy
| happiness than almost any earthly thing that
| would give up all my prospects in Missouri, and
that he might die satisfied, that, i'll could help it.
Ashland should not, i'll my lifetime at least pass
| into the hands of strangers. After my fathers
| death, my mother caused me 10 be informed that
she would have the place sold, with the view to
| my becoming the purchaser; that the whole place
was in a ruinous condition, but that it would
make her happy in her lifetime to know that il
was not to go out of the family. | returned to
| Kentucky and purchased it. Finding the dwell
ling like most others built fifty odd years ago, in
| dilapidated condition, called on a competent
architect to ascertain whether it was safe resi-
| dence for my family; it was pronounced to be I'M
| safe; and, moreover, that il would tumble down
| of itself in very few years Under these cir
cumstences, determined to rebuild it in a style
suitable to my own taste, and not wholly un-
worthy of my father, in this connection will
also say that ! am not very young gentleman,
| being nearly forty years of age
consider the last charge made in the Journals
editorial as by far the most grave, and if it were
true in the sense intended, should feel myself
| unworthy to possess my fathers house; unworthy
to be Kentuckan and should be willing to fly
to some remote corner of the earth to hide my
vile and dshonored head. should 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 edi-
tor or editors to prostitute the columns of a pub
| lie journal to comment upon the private conduct
OF private men with respect to their private pro-
perry. The charge that have sold one inch OF
the old lumber of my fathers house with view
| to my private profit, is utterly and unqualiiedly
false; have freely given it, when it has been
| asked, and | have repeatedly refused to sell il
when informed it was TO be used for profit Much
OF 1t has been stolen, and have been greatly an
noyed by persons coming TO my place and carry
ing away whatever they fancied, either from the
old house, or plants, and growing shrubs, without
asking the permission of any one.
At last il occurred to me that might put some
OF the old lumber which was useless TO me 10 a
good and worthy use. | determined to have
some little articles made souvenirs Of Ashland
from the old roof trees; that | would cause them
to be placed with friend in Lexington to be sold
with the understanding with him that the pro
ceeds, after paying the cost of construction,
should be donated to some public charity. ac-
cordingly employed a cabinet maker himself al
most an object Of charity, he said, in these
hard times, to make some boxes. About 40
have been made, and 100 canes, of which some
six or eight boxes only hitherto have been sold
have good hope, however, that the residue will
be, and at a profit which may next winter glad
den the hearts of some few poor widows and or
phans Except what have been sold of these
boxes and canes deposited with Mr.. John Wilson
Tor sale, and for the purpose stated, the man who
says have sold one particle Of the old timber Of
my fathers is liar and riHain-and 7, before
God, pronounce him to be So