Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1860-08-30

| h"' 'hotuht tbc iuii iiBht w DHttlc WAS
on his mangled face. Then hinging his
captured flag to a brother soldier, "Give
it to her az a memorial of Buena Vistal-
My wifcW 1t was his last words Up
on his barred breast the fury of ten lances
rushed, and the horses hoof trampled him
into the heap Of dead.
But most sad and yet mos glorious OF
all, was to see the death of the second
Henry Clay.
You should have seen him, with his
back against yonder rock, his sword
| grasped firmly, as the consciousness that
he bore name that must not die inglori
ously, seemed to fill his every vein, and
dart deadly fire from his eyes!
At that moment he looked like the old
man,
For his brow, high and retreating,
with the blood clotted hair waving back
from its outline, was swollen in every
vein as though his soul shone from il ere
she fled forever. Lips set, brows knit,
hands firm-a circle of men fighting round
him-he dashed into the Mexcans until
his sword was wet, his arms weary with
blood
At last with his thigh splintercd by
ball, he gathered his proud form to its
full height, and fell. His face ashy with
intense agony, he babe his comrades to
leave him there to die. That ravine should
be the bed of his glory.
But gathering around him guard of
breast of steel-while two of their number
bore him along-these men of Kentucky
fought round their fallen hero, and as re-
treating step by step, they launched their
swords and bayonets into the faces of the
foe, they said with every blow-"Hcnry
! Clayp'
1t was wonderful to see how that name
nerved their arms, and called smile to
the face of the dying hero. How it would
have made the old man of Ashland throb
to have heard his name yelled as battle
cry down the shadows of that lonely pass.
Along the ravine and mp the narrow
pass! The hero beeds as they bear him
on, and tracks the way with his blood
Faster and thicker the Mexicans swarm
they see the circle around the fallen
man, even his pale face uplifted, as a smile
crosses its fading lineaments, and like a
pack of wolves, scenting the forlorn trav-
eler at the dead ofnight; they came howl
ing up the rock, and charge the devoted
band with one dense mass of bayonets.
Up and on! The light shines yonder
on the topmost rocks of the ravne. 1t
is the light Of the setting sun. Old Tay-
lor's eyes are on that rock, and there we
will fight our way, and die in the old man 8
sight.
1t was a murderous way, that path up
the steep bank of the ravine! Uttered
IAiAh dead slippery with blood, it grew
blacker every moment with Mexicans,
and the defenders of the wounded hero
fell, one by one, into the chasm yawning
around.
AT last they reached the light, the
sword and bayonets glitter in sight of the
contending armies, and the bloody con-
test roars towards the topmost rock.
Then it was that gathering up his dy-
ing form-armed with supernatural vigor,
young Clay started from the arms of his
supp orters, and stood with outstretched
hands, in the light of the setting sum-
1t was a glorious sight which he saw there
amid the rolling battle-clouds - Santa
Annals formidable army hurled back in
to ravine and gorge, by Taylor's little
band. But more glorious thing it was
to see that dying man, standing for the
last time in the light of that sun which
shall never rise for him again.
"Leave me-" he shrieked, as he fell
back on the sod, 81 must die, and 1 will
die here! Peril your life no longer for
me! Col There is work for you yon-
derr'
The Mexcans crowded on, hungry for
blood, Even as he spoke their bayonets
glistening by hundreds, were leveled at
the throats of the devoted band. BY the
mere force of their overwhelming num-
bers, they crushed them back from the
!, dying Clay.
Only one fingered q brave man, who
had known the chivalric soldier, and low
ed him long, he stood there, and covered
as he was with blood, heard these last
words:
"7eH my father how Idle, and giue him
these pistols!
, Lifting his ashy face into the light, he
turned MS eyes upon his comrade' lace
, placed the pistols in his hand, and fell
back to his death.
, That comrade, with the pistols in his
grasp, fought his way alone to the top
, most rock of the path, only once looking
back. He raw a quivering form cano-
pied by bayonets - he saw those out
f stretched hands graphing with points Of
steel--he saw pale face once lifted il
4 the light, and then darkness rushed upor
the life Of young HENRY CLAY.
f Reader, these were the soldiers that
: CoRwIS, who backed by LINCOLN in th'
: Congress of the United States, wished
p "welcomed with bloody hands to hospita
4 BILE graves" ABRAHAM LINCOLN voted il
# Congress against giving these soldiers sup
e plies, and also against giving them or thei
widows bounty lands. He is the candi
\ date of the Republican party for the Pres
n idency.
a EXTRACT FROM A SPEECH DELIVERED o.
= THE 9TH OF July, 1856, IN THE SENATE B,
"a How WurtAn RE, nm Il .H,.