The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1877-11-23
cAssIUs N. CLAY.
The True Story Of His Killing the Negro,
Perry Write.

| liberty to relate them, are about these:
The negro bore very bad character He
was vicious, worthless, sensual and thief
He was specially suspected in the neighbor.
hood of being cattle stealer. One of his
brothers is at present under indictment fol
this offense and will be tried at the next
spring term of the Madison County Circuit
! Court. Perry was known to have no regu.
lar employment, yet he owned a good horse,
saddle and bride, and always had plenty OF
| money. He was notorious Hbertine with
his own people, and numbered three sisters
among the victims of his seductive wiles.
! He was just such negro as no prudent
| planter wanted about his premises. His
| father and mother had been in Gen. Clay
| employment for several years-the former
| as a foreman aud the latter as cook. Re-
| Gently the General became greatly dissatis-
| fed with the woman, suspecting her of
| robbing him of silverware and other valua-
| bles and so we'll convinced did he finally
become of her guilt that he discharged her.
| The son Perry, whom the General had per-
| sistently refused to have anything to dc
with, took deep offense at this, and threat
ened his life. He had, on account of the
suspicion that lie had stolen lot of the
Generals Southdown sheep, and some blue
grass seed, which had been stored in barn
during his absence North while engaged in
the Presidential campaign last year, been
permanently forbidden the place.
In the frequent disagreements which
General Clay had with the mother OF
White, touching missing articles which he
| suspected her OF having stolen the latter
was in the habit Of threatening him with
her son, who, she declared, was as good Il
shot as be was, and as brave y man. Tie
General paid slight attention to this insn-
science until be heard of Perrs's threats.
The latter was n good shot, practiced il
the use of the rifle, shotgun and pistol and
was fond o. exhibiting his skill with tiiese
weapons. He was known to go a.tr' d 81
ways. He was saucy to the whites and
overbearing to his own people. Brufus
Clay, son of the General, and the leading
Republican of Madison county, was once
forced to knock him down for his imperti-
nence. The discharge Of the mother or an
accusation Of theft followed in a few days
by the discharge of the father, greatly ex-
asperated Perry, and he determined upon
revenge. lie was so foolish as to write a
letter to another negro containing threat
10 kill the General, which accidentally fell
into the hands of the latter. This occurred
about week before his death. Gen. Clay
Immediately armed himself, something he
assured me he had not done since 1861, and
sent word to the negro if he ever caught
that time to the day of the homicide he
never went out upon his farm without a
loaded doubled barrel shotgun upon his
shoulder, and revolver belted about his
waist.
On Sunday morning, the 30th ultimo, the
General ordered his riding mule saddled to
go to church. The animal was hitched
under shed in an adjoining lot, about 100
yards from the house. When he was pre-
pared to start the General mounted and
rode into an adjoining lot, where the stable
stood, and where an adopted son, boy of
about ten years, whom he brought from
Russia, and his constant companion, was
awaiting him on. the top of the fence. Here
he took him on behind HIM, rode around
the stable, and regained the path which LED
to the gate of the stable lo5, and thence
through the plantation,a "a distance of a mile,
to the main road, the pike leading from
Lexington to Richmond
He had just fairly turned the barn and
reached the path, when the boy called his
attention to loose horse standing about
forty feet distant, and remarked "Mr.
Clay. there is Perry White behind the
horse" The General halted and looked
for moment without being able to see him
SO skillfully had he concealed himself. He
soon discovered him. however, and jumped
from the mule, and with a swift pace ap-
proacted the horse, moving to his rear,
drawing and cooking his pistol as he walk
ed. On getting full sight of the negro he
demanded of him what he was doing there
and ordered him to put up his hands. This
was done, when the General further de-
manded what he meant by threatening his
life. The negro made no response, and the
General ended the colloquy by ordering
him off his place, and telling him If he ever
...I,+ ~, xunn1d chnaf
him as he would mad dog. His object,
as he explained it to me, was to scare the
negro and force him to leave the country,
az he was annoyed by his threats. He as
sured me that he hadn't the slightest wish
or intention to shoot him, and would not
have done so had he not as the General was
turning to go back to his mule, suddenly
dropped his hands and started to rise from
the ground with what seemed to be the in
tion of drawing a weapon. General Clay
Immediately fred twice, once through the
neck and again through the chest. Each
shot was :" "a death 10 nature" for the first
severed the jugular vein, while the second
passed directly through the heart.
Mr.. Clay Immediately remounted his
mule, and, ON reaching Foxtown, mile
distant, dispatched a messenger to his son
Brutus, apprising him of the occurrence:
informing him also of his purpose to pro-
ceed Immediately to Richmond and deliver
himself up to the authorities, and asking
h,m to take charge of his place in his alb
sence.
An examination was held on Monday.
General Clay volunteered statement to
the court and was admitted to bail on his
personal recognizance, in the sum of s., 900
to answer to the Grand Jury at the next
term of the Circuit Court. The coroner's
inquest, which was held on Sunday, re-
turned verdict that the deceased had died
from wounds fired by pistol in the hands
of G. NJ Clay in self defense.
Such is briefly the story of this deplora-