Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-08-29
THE CAsEOEJAS. F. CLARK.


The Clark affair, the main particulars of
which, so far developed, have heretofore been
published in the Gazette, considering the char
acter of the persons connected with it, and the
apparently unaccountable course pursued by the
accused who is now incarcerated 10 felon' 8
CELL is so remarkable in all its surroundings, that
| the interest excited by its first announcement,
50 far from diminishing, is on the increase, and
will doubtless continue until the trial of the
principal has been concluded and be shall have
left Prince William county, or, what Is feared
bv manv, been buried beneath its already blood
stained sod the victim of the vengeance of a
grief crazed father or an enraged and desperate
brother. A reporter for the Gazette yesterday
called at the iail in Brentsvie, and was ad-
mitted iuto the presence of the accused. He is
confined in what is known as the debtors cell,
which is a room about ten feet square on the
second floor with an iron grating over an ordl.
nary sized single window opening to the West,
in front of which, and in full view, stands the
Eniscopal Church, upon which he can look
and mediate when not otherwise employed
and q solid wooden door 1t is furnished with
an iron bed stead, on which was mattress and
comfort, aud over the head of which a shawl
was thrown for pillow; two chairs, one, how
ever, with only three legs, so that in order to
keep it in an upright position, it had been
placed in corner and was supported by the
| walls; table, on which were lying some paper
and envelopes, pen and ink, and the remnants
| of his breakfast in plate. A backened tin
wash basin sitting upon the brok chair ,com-
peted the list of serviceable furniture, though
| the different parts of wooden bed-stead were
piled up on the floor against the eastern wall.
| A fire place leading to an open chimney was
| near the head of the bed. The walls of the room
were bare and needed white washing. Clark
was reclining on the bed in his shirt sleeves, and
in response to question concerning his health,
said he was as we'll as could be expected. A
conversation then commenced and continued
for about an hour during which, though most
| of the efforts usually successful IN drawing out
an interviewed party we're resorted to, they
failed to elicit any thing relating to his points
of defence, except that he had net promised
Miss Jewell to marry her, had not seduced
her, nor had he ever seduced any girl
He seemed perfectly confident of an &C
ouittal. and said that the Recorder of Fred
ericksburg would have released him at the
preliminary examination had he demanded
a release In response to question about his
extraordinary conduct in returning from the
West to Fredericksburg, he said that remorse
had nothing to do with it, but that the reason
would be made known at his trial. When asked
how far West he had gone, he said he should
follow the advice he had always given his
clients, acknowledge nothing, but that the
young lady said she had gone as far as Mexico,
Missouri. Ia regard to the parties he was re-
ported to have given at his house, after ne had
| L. e., lo how
not by himself, but by the young men Of Ma
nassas; that he did not dance with Miss Fewell
every set, and that as he was fond Of dancing,
and saw no harm in it, he would continue to
dance as long as it pleased him, irrespective of
what other people thought of it. He said the
only time he had ever been seen with Miss
Fewell alone was once when they were buggy
riding and that then they were accompanied
on the ride by another couple. So far from
abducting Miss Jewell, the charge upon which
he was arrested, he said that Gov. Marye had
showed that she had eluded those who we're
searching for her, but why, how, or for whom
she eluded them he could not TELL for that
would be divulgng his line Of defence The
prosecution fearing they could not convict him
on the charge for which he was committed had,
he said endeavored to pick up flying rumors
of fraudulent transactions and form them into
charges upon which to hold him, but they would
fail in this too. Mr.. Fewell and his son had
not, he said been friendly with him since he
had gone to Alexandria and had the latter ar
rested and brought back to Prince William for
breach of the peace, and that Rhody, instead
of shooting him, as last Saturday 1t was report
ed he was going to do, had gotten so drunk that
he had 10 be put to bed, and since then had gone
off up the road with the lightning rod man. 1t
| L. l,o low
matter to assassinate an unarmed man. He
was extremely sorry, not for the moral guilt
of which he was accused, but which he
did not admit, but for the notoriety be
had gained, and the annoyance it had occa
stoned so many people, and if by the loss of
his two arms he could have avoided it, he would
willingly have sacrificed them. He was aware,
he said, that the feelings of those who had for
merly been his friends we're against him, and
had been since his advocacy of the removal of
the Court House to Manassas, and that was
one reason why he had determined to leave the
county, He also knew that he had been charg-
ed with radicalis1n, and that it was reported he
had gotten 81 1000 for a promise to stump Ten
nessee for Grant, but these charges, like that
of abduction, were groundess. He said he had
been treated very kindly by those in whose
charge he lad been since his arrest, particular
! ~ In FREDERICKSBURG, Where ne supposed an at
tempt would have been made to assissinate
him, but where he had made up his mind
that if any shooting was to be done it
would be by him who could draw bis
pistol first. He said he anticipated no person
al injury while in the hands of the law, and
that the jailor had promised him he would ad-
NIT no one into the Jail at night; and that they
don't think will attempt an escape he said,
you see there is no guard around the JAIL there
is but one jailor my door and the outside door
are open, or there's the chimney, out Of which
could climb were SO disposed He said that
upon his arrival from Fredericksburg he was
taken before Justice P. G. Weadon, and as he
waived an examination, had been committed
for his appearance at an examination to be held
on Saturday next, the Justice refusing to let
him to bail without previous trial: 1t, how
ever, he should not succeed in obtaining coun.
sci and in having conference with them by
that day, he should demand postpone
| mont of tho Investigation apd that that