Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-10-31
cAs,us N. CLAY.

killed an nnarmed negro named Per-
ry White, on the suspicion that White,
who had been discharged by Clay,
was on his premises with evil intent.
Clay was acquitted on his own tes-
timony before the inquest, the other
party in interest, whose testimony
might have thrown some additional
light upon the subject, being dead.
This occurrence has caused the
New York Sun to go to its files of
1919 and dig up the following letter
from Gen. Clay. in which he then fig
ured in a deadly conflict. 1t is an in
teresting personal reminiscence, and
gives the reader fair idea of the bar
barous civilization produced by Ella
very:
z. 4. Goodtcin, Esq.
DEAR SIR: Justice to the living
aid the dead requires that the mclan-
choly events Of the 18th of juno should
be truly stated. Squire Turner is one
Of the pro-slavery candidates in the
county of Madison for the Conyen-
ton. He opened the canvass by de-
nouncing the Emancipationists in a
public speech in the town of Rich
mond, at April Court. replied to
him. indicated the patriotism and
principles Of that party. 1 then dis
tinctly ayowed that in no emergency
would l allow personal feelings to
heighton that excitement which ncc-
essarily follows discussion on the SUBJ
| iect of slavery. A similar debate
took place in May. About this time
it began to be rumored that I would
not be allowed to speak again in this
county. The friends of Mr.. Turner
were said to complain that I, being
no candidate, followed him in debate.
1 said TO them and Mr.. Turner that,
if he would abstain from dcnouncing
us. the Emancipationists, should not
feel myself compelled to answer his
speeches. About the second week Of
May third and similar debate took
place at Eliza Millions. Ny friends
supposed from rumors that would
be personally assaulted that day. On
that occasion Richard Runyon asked
me if Tadopted the platform of the
Frankfort Convention of the 25th of
April. Ireplied that did. He then
said that 1 occupied damned bad
ground" 1 mildly replied that l
hoped always to base my actions upon
broad principles. then regarded
Runyon as attempting TO provoke a
quarrel, but let it pass and said moth
ing to any one.
| At Waldin's muster, on the 14th of
june, it was agreed among the candi-
dates and myself that each should
jspeak one hour; Mr.. Willis to pre-
cede. Mr.. Chenault was to follow, l
was to speak next, and then Mr.. Tur-
liner. As soon as Chcnault closed,
Turner, in violation of the agreement,
took the stand, giving as his apology
that the people were going home. 1
took it good-humoredly, remarking
that the people always stayed when I
was expected to speak. Tho debate
continued until shutdown, when it
was concluded oourteously ..on all
sides.
! On the 18th / packed my carpet
bag, expecting to be absent from my
| family week, intending to speak at
Foxtown, the Glade, Irvine, and 9TH
lplaces, before my return home. l ar
rived at Foxtown about o'clock. So
soon as got there, feeling very much
Exhausted by much travelling and
speaking of late, / asked Curtis f.
Burnam, Esq, son of Thomas Bur-
nam, the emancipation candidate for
the Convention, to speak in my place,
as felt actually worn out; to which
he at length reluctantly asscnted.-
Mr.. Willis led off as usual in short
speech; Mr.. Turner followed in a
speech fai more infiammatory and in
furious to me personally than any he
, had heretofore made. He read ex-
tracts from the celebrated article in
the True American, which was the
ostensible cause of the mob on
the 18th Of August; he attribu-
ted the late stampede of the slaves
in Fayette county to the True
american; he denounced the editors
of the Louisville Eraminer as holding
reasonable correspondence with alb
olitionists of Ohio, and read from the
4 writings of the Garrisonian abolition
lists the most bitter denunciation of
shareholders. approached the stand
and asked, inasmuch as / would
have no opportunity to reply, that he
! would allow me to make an eNplana-
ton; he being silent, l proceeded to
say that the article which he read
from the True american was written
by a southern STAKEHOLDER, whose
views were different from mine as
Expressed in the same number in
which it appeared: and that L had
/ been slanderod during my visit to the
north short time previous, and the
Kentucky press had refused me the
simple privilege of self defence. In
consequence had been very liberal
in my paper, ayowedly allowing even
in the editorial columns, articles of
very dissimilar sentiments, and that !
thought that Mr.. Turner was hard
pressed to 60 back four years to
bring up objectionable matter in the
discussion. This explanation only
occupied minute or two. Turner
replied by denying that he had used
the name of the True american. ]
told him it mattered not, as every
body knew his allusion. He then
proceed uninterruptedly for one hour.
| then asked him if he intended to
divide the time according to agree
ment the day before. He made an
evasive reply, amid cries of. $50 on"
and absolutely gave no direct answer.
In the mean time / drew out my
watch and remarked that he had
been speaking two hours, it then be
ing o'clock. lie said l was mista-
ken, he had only spoken an hour. /
remarked / believed ! had been mis-
taken in subtracting the hours
Thos. Turner, his second son then
stepped up to my side, menacingly,
and said was mistaken-it was but
one hour. The cries $50 on" con.
tinuing, i said nothing more.
Inow began to feel for the first time
that there was q concerted purpose TO
defame, silence, and perhaps assault
me. l went into room where my
carpet sack was lodged and put on a
knife seven inches in length and an
, inch and an eighth in breadth, which
: usually carry for self-defence, and
, returned to the stand; for my instinct
= as q man as well as my usefulness as
: q citizen, had determined me never to
submit to personal indignity. / dc
not deny that l have other and more
efficient weapons of defence than this
knife, but so slight was my apprehen.
sions of assault that was lulled into
false security.
When Mr.. Turner had concluded
/ his address, determined to be clearly
in the right, asked his pardon fol
installing the hour, saying / thought
it had been two hours when it hat
(, been but one. So far from accepting
! my apology, he dryly remarked tina
no doubt l thought his speech foul
: hours long Instead of two; this alst
! bore in silence. then assembled the
stand and said that yesterday at Wal
din's Mr.. Turner agreed that j shoult
I speak first, and yet, without any no
!, tice, he occupied the stand in viola
ton of his own agreement, and nov
: to-day he is the first up again and re
: fuses to assent to any compromise.
claim, both from the theory of tn
i government and from the practice o
V all parties, that Mr.. Durham, tn
characterization candidate has an coma