The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1868-09-30

BIifll and Black tjeorge-by the COM
.biuation, unheard of till then, of the
. Puritan with the blaekleg. az!
Bli6l and Black George are two char;
acters in Fieldirg's celebrated novel O
s'Tom Jones'" BIiff being sniveline E
hypocrite, and Black George sn auda
cious robber Every ono who heard
Mr.. Randolph use these words, under
stood Blifii to be the Yankee President,
John Quincy Adams-who, however,
was no. Puritan, but q Unitarian. like
his father before him. Black George
could be no other than Mr. GleEieisets
! IN cartier life, was known to have been
a gambler, as most gentlemen of the
time were. The passage of Mr. Ran
dolph's speech relating to the alleged
forgery was as follows: 49,. b., -.
ga letter from the Mexican Minister
at Washington, submitted by the Exc
cutive to the Senate, bore the ear marks
of having been manufactured by the
Secretary of State ..-.-.. ,.g. -
On reading the repor! of this most
unjustifable speech, Mr.. Clay wrote a
challenge and sent it by his friend,
zen Jesup. Gen. Jesup called upon
Randolph and informed him that he
was the bearer of message from Mr.,
Clay, in consequence of an attack re-
Gently made upon him in the Senate,
both as a private aud public man.
81 am aware" said General Jesup,
"that no one has right to question
you ont of the Senate for anything said
in debate unless you choose voluntarily
to waive your privilege as member of
that body" ....'--.-
MIR. Randolph replied that he would
never shield himself under the protec
ton ofthe Constitution, and held him
self accountable to Mr.. Clay. -.-...
"I am ready to respond to Mr.. Clay"
said he, "and will be obliged to you if
you will bear my note in reply, and in
the course of the day l will look out for
friend"
Gen. Jesup declined bearing the
note, saying that he thought Mr.. Ran
dolph owed it to himself to consult his
friends before taking so important
step MIR. Randolph seized General
Jesup's hand, and said: -.---
"You are right, sir. I thank you
for the suggestion, but as you do not
take my note, you must not be impa--
tient should you not hear from me to-
day I now think of only two friends,
and there are circumstances connected
with one of them, which may deprive
ne of his services, and the other is in
bad health. He was sick yesterday.
and may not be out to day." --aa-..y
- Gen Jesup requested him to take bis
own time, and tade him good morning.
This was Saturday, April Ist 1925, Mr.
Randolph Immediately went Ito the
lodgings of Col Benton, of Missouri,
and upon finding him, asked him blunt
Iy, without giving him any reason for
his question: 'erE r
care you blood relation of Mrs.
Clay?" ..#.. .
II am" said Col. Benton:
"That," rejoined Ranpolph, "puts
an end to a reques which 1 wished to
make of you" 3D.. ~. s..
He then related to Col. Benton the
particulars of the interview with Gen.
Jesup, and as he was taking his leave
be told Col. Benton that he would make
his bosom the sole depository of an i'm
portaDt secret. He said that he did
not intend to fire at Mr.. Clay, but
meant to keep this intention a secret,
and enjoined secrecy upon Col. Benton
the day Colonel Tatnell, of Georgia con-
veyed Mr. Randolph's acceptance of
the following terms: s.
"Mr Randolph accepts the challenge
of Mr.. Clay. At the same time he pro
tests against the right of any minister
of the executive government of the
United States to hold him responsible
for words spoken in debate as Senator
from Virginia, in elimination of such
minister, or the administration under
which he shall have taken Office Col.
Tatuell, of Georgia; the bearer~of this
letter, is authorized to arrange with
Gen. Jesup, (the bearer of Mr.. Clay's
cballenge) the terms of the meeting to
which Mr.. Randolph is invited in that
note" "-eeE .r t
Some further correspondence took
place between the parties relative to the
correctness of the report upon which
Mr.. Clay's action was founded. Mr..
Randolph admitted its substantial cor
rectness. He acknowledged that he
did apply TO the administration the ep-
tibet puritanic, diplomatic, black legged
administration but he peremptorily
declined to give any explanation what
ever as to the meaning or APPLICATION of
those words. Owing to several causes
the duel did not occur until exactly |
one week after the sending of the chal !
lenge during which the friends ofthe
parties did all that was possible to pro-
mote reconciliation, but in vain. ="
Col. Benton had been for some time
estranged from Mr Clay, owing to po-
litical differences, but on. Friday even
ing, the nj ght before the duel, he called
on his old friend and political chief, to
show him, as he said, that there was
nothing personal in bis opposition.-I
The secret had been well kept, and no
one in the House knew Of the impend
ing event. H-a71S
''The family were in the parlor,"
Col. Benton relates, company present,
and some of it stayed late. The young
est child, 1 believe James, went to sleep
on the sofa. Mrs. Clay was, asNalwnys
since the death of her daughters, nthe
picture of desolation, but calm, CONVEX
sable, and without the slightest appar
ent consciousness OF the impending
event." No.. o.. '''t-.SS -
When at length the family and the