Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-05-26
AsAD STORY.
Death of the Eldest Son Of Henry Clay
-Tbirty-eight Years of Hopeless In
sanity, and Final Death In an Asy
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From the Cincinnati Enquirer, May II.
Yesterday morning. special kilograms
announced the end of a weary life, in sta
ting that Theodore, eldest son of Henry
Clay, had died in the Lexington Lunatic
Asylum, after a long confinement. The
record of his blasted life is briefly thus:
At 80 wears of age, Theodore Clay was a
promising lawyer. He was the image and
the hope of the statesman whose fame was
on every tongue. 1t is true that there were
whispers of wild living, and OF indifferent
morals, that somewhat tinged the fair re-
pute and even darkened the future pros
poets of this scion Of noble house. Still
it was hoped that these were but the result
of youth, and would be cast aside when
circumstances called upon the matured man
to assert himself and make his talent felt
inlthe &c immunity.
1t was 1t this turning point in his life
that Theoo IRE Clay began to pursue, with
an unwearieG perseverance that caused his
friends great uneasiness, young lady OF
Lexington, whom he had long loved hope
lessly. The object of his attachment, who
is at present one of the brightest orna-
ments of Kentucky society, repulsed, firm
" but kindly, every attention offered by
the infatuated young man, after his mean
ing had become manifest 1t was OF no
use, he would not be refused, and followed
his fair fate in the streets by day and
wandered in the neighborhood of her home
by night, in an annoying manner, until at
last it became evident that he twas not all
there" to use the soft phrase by which a
kindly peasantry express insanity. Subse-
ouent violent demonstrations tended
to confirm the impression, it being even
related that he went to the house of Mr.
- and demanded his daughter at the
pistols point; until at last the
wretched truth could no longer be ignored
and confinement in the asylum became a
stern necessity This was accordingly
done lin 1922, we beieve), his father pro-
viding for his support at the time, and
leaving So 900 in his will, the income of
which was secured to Theodore for life
That life, after thirty-eight years of impris-
opment in what, in the earlier days OF hi
confinement, he was wont, to call "a good
boarding house, but having some of the
biggest fools he ever saw for boarders, has
lust closed. For nearly thirty years he was
one of the most noted of the inmates, not
only his proud descent, but his graceful
manners and flow of conversation rem :
dering him an object of interest to all
visitors. He labored under the hallucina-
ton that he was George Washington, and
was fond of assuming the traditional atti-
tudes of the Father of his Country. At the
occasional balls given to the inmates (ayer-
aging some 500 in number) he was always
exquisitely dressed, in the style of his day,
and was the beau par excellence, During all
these long years, despite his general gentle
ness and cheerfulness of manner, be was
restless and discontinued, and required
close watching, it never, in fact, having
been considered prudent to allow him to
60 out into the grounds without attend
ants. About the year 1860 his condition be-
gan to grow worse, and he soon after be-
came demented, continuing in hopeless
idiocv until a few days since, when Death,
greater healer than Time, placed him again
upon an equality with the peers of his
early manhood who had gone before him
to the God that created him and did with
according to His inscrutable will. And so
ends as sad story as the truth of history
ever commanded to be written.
Two sons of Henry Clay yet survive him,
T. II. Clay, ex-Minister to Honduras, now
residing on his place, Mansfield" near
Lexington, and Jonn M. Clay, the raiser of
Kentucky, and one of the greatest turf
men living