Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1873-06-01
ACard from Col. ID. II. Nelson.

Card from Col. ID. II. Nelson.
in September 1871, to take the life of Gen.
James H. Clanton, in street rencontre in
Knoxville. In doing SO, jury o., Knox
county have, on the 30th day Of May, af-
| ter full Investigation, declared that was
not guilty of any offence whichever against
| the laws of the land. In the excitement
which Immediately succeeded the Difficult
ty, the grossest Misrepresentation were
| published as to the manner in which ir'oc-
CURED. 1t was represented in some of the
newspapers published in Alabama, that
had been guilty of assassination and in one
or more of the newspapers of Knoxville,
that had stood behind some kegs and
rested the gun against the post of an avn
| ing, shot General ClantOn, unawares and
fled the country. For nearly two years l
| have rested under these imputations with
the painful sense that the greatest injustice
| had been done me, but in the firm conf
dence that although they are often slow in
their development, Truth is omnipotent
and public justice certain" aS+
| 1t was established, in the evidence upon
the trial that, / had no previous acquaint-
l ance with General ClantOn, and that his
death occurred in less than fifteen minutes
| after our first and only Introduction. 1t
was proven that, without any provocation
whatever, he challenged me to mortal
| combat, cursing me and stand
ing over me- at the time, with
his hand under his coat and on his
pistol-a navy revolver that 1 was I'M
| armed, went into Eif1er's saloon and tried
/ to obtain pistol, but being unsuccessful,
went into the counting room of Mabry,
ii r. W. (of nf %
friend), seized shot gun belonging to Gen.
j. A. Mabry, which had been loaded two
or three months; that rushed back
through the saloon, carrying the gun in an
inclined position and holding it with both
hands; that when reached or as / was
about passing out of the door, or as / STEP
ped upon the pavement, Clanton said II
am ready" that l advanced diagonally
across the pavement. and made one step
across the gutter; that the first barrel of
the gun was discharged accidentally; that
was discharged, or instantly afterwards !;
that as he was in the act of lowering his
pistol for the second shot, raised the gun
to my shoulder and fired the second barrel,
the contents of which shattered his arm
above the elbow and entered his side and
breast; that he attempted to hold up his
pistol hand with his left hand, and while
in the act of doing SO, slowly sank to the
ground, dropping his pistol between his
feet, and expired in few seconds. IT was
also shown in evidence, that the whole
time which elapsed from Gen. .Canton's
challenge until his death did not exceed
four minutes, and that while was absent
to procure weapon, he stood near the mid
lie of the street with his eyes directed to
the door through which I had passed
that he refused to be pacified, he stamped
his foot upon the ground, declared he
would have satisfaction, and inquired in
loud and angry tone, "Why don't he come
out ?" 1t was shown further, by the proof
that Gen. Clanton was under the influence
of liquor at the time, and thatwhen drink
ing, his reputation was that of desperate
and dangerous man. There was some con-
fiict in the opinions of the witnesses as to
which of the combatants fired the first
shot, or as to which of my shots took eff
feet but as it was clearly established, by
the weight of evidence, that my first shot
was accidental that it missed Gen. Clan
ton eight or ten feet, and that as he was
in the act of lowering his pistol for the
second fire my second shot took effect.
1t may be fairly inferred from the
evidence that I was also under the in
fuence of liquor at the time of the unfor-
tunate occurrence; that L, at first, refused
to make my escape, but Immediately start
ed on my way to my home in Cleveland,
eighty miles distant declaring on my way
that, from the situation OF my family, |
was anxious to be the first to communicate
the melancholy intelligence to my wife;
that so soon as 1 had done So 1 would re-
turn, and that did voluntarily return and
surrender myself to the Sheriff of Knox |
county within three days. -
This, as / believe, is a true STATEMENT of
the results lished upon my trial but |
it is my intention, SO soon as the reporter |
can write out his notes, to cause a full and |
faithful report of the entire proceedings to |
be verified and published, so that the whole |
case may be fully understood.
/ can not hope to disabuse the minds of |
all who read the first excited and exagger-
ated reports which were SO universally |
published and circulated to my prejudice,
as many of them will never see or hear of /
my vindication. But the press, which is
swift to publish articles of sem
sational character, should not be slow to
repair an injury committed through mis-
take, as hope, and not through any per-
sona1 unkindness to me, and therefore
appeal to all editors who have
published an account of this fatal trans
action to do me the tardy justice of pubs
fishing, at least this brief vindication.
1t is, and always will be, a source of
my hand and having no desire to do in-
Justice to his memory, it is proper for me
to state that, from what have learned of
his character, do not believe any difficult
~ would haveoccurred if we had been bet
ter acquainted and perfectly cool. Gen.
Clanton had the reputation of being
gallant man, had proven il on many a
hard field, and I would not cast upon his
single imputation. L had no
malice against him while living, and
have cherished none since his death, but
think it will be clear to every one who
reads the evidence that if he had not fallen
would have been killed the next in
stant ID. M. NELSON.
A Stolen steer.aY EsF 81
Two young men, claiming to live twen-
tU-cpvpp p1iloc from this al in, rPlonpf |