Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-02-25
Recollectlons of a Great Statesman.

During my sojourn in Lexington, and
while was pupil in the preparatory
department of Pennsylvania Univer-
sity, a famous murder Gaze, almos. a
cause celebre, came to trial in tina. town.
The courthouse il Lexington was a
small and insignigcant place, most like
4 dlssectlng room In one OF our medica!
colleges, the judges occupying chair at
semi-circular table at the base OF an
amphitheater of benches arranged on
tiers above, and which might accom-
nodate, ii crowded, about two hundred
spectators. The last day OF tho trial,
when Mr.. Clay was to speak for the
defense, happened to be the Fourth of
July, and on that day the Court assem-
bied in the hall OF the Transylvania e
versity. which had room for 1000 per.
sons. There happened to be q Sunday
school celebration the same day, and /
attended that, (being child) instead
Of Selling the opportunity to hear Clay
make the great effort of his life"
Still, saw and heard the great orator
under very peculiar and very favorable
circumstances, and my enthusiasm must
have been very pronounced, for can
remember on several occasions during
the trial that l was passed in through
the courtroom window land nursed
upon the knees Of some generous Ken
tuckians, who understood that I was
stranger, and we're determined that, in
spite of the thermometer, should have
a fair chance of hearing and seeing the
great " Harry of the West"
The case was peculiar one. 1t was
the second or third trial of one OF the
Shelbys, the son, think, OF sn ex-Gov-
ernor, for the willful, deliberate and
unprovoked shooting of steady young
man, who sat opposite him, at the
hotel dinner table, and CHANGED to glance
at my lord with what he took to be in
solent eyes. All the testimony proved
the assault to have been unprovoked
and public feeling was greatly aroused.
In fact, when the case camel to trial
again, shortly after left Lexington,
there was very serious riot, in which
several men we're shot. and, if l remem.
Der rightly, two killed.
1t is astonishing how well I recolec!
that Shelb y murder case, and all the
little circumstances connected with it.
The Mexican war at that time was in
full blast, and just then there were three
companies recruiting in Lexington, one
commanded by Cassius M. Clay, an
other comprising the young clerks in
the town, and the third composed OF
mountaineer riAemen from the adjacent
hill country, whose uniform was their
own butternut, homespun hunting
shirts, very picturesque and very in.
convenient. These lads, all of them
more than six feet tall, with Cassius NJ.
Clay's company, were Captured almost
as soon as they entered Mexican terri.
tory, and practically did nothing during
the whole war except draw subsistence
from the slim Mexican commissary de-
partment.
However, some Of them, by enlisting,
escaped serving on the Shelby jury,
which could not be filled out except by
resorting to very exhaustive panel of
Fayette county eligibles. But the jury
was secured at last and then this re-
markable trial began. do not remem-
berall the lawyers, but can still recol-
lect that the State was represented by
the local prosecutor, by the Attorney
General, whose name was Robertson
or Robinson, and by another man whose
|
lawyers for the defense, all of whom
sink into insigniicance beside Henry
Clay.
As have said, missed Clay's final
argument in order to go to Sunday
school picnic, but, on the whole. I do
not know that ought to regret this
very much. The trial lasted several
days-from Monday till Saturday, in
fact-and what l saw of the great orator
was en- deshabille, so to speak, and there
fore 80 much the more to be treasured.
/ missed his studied effort, but had q
full opportunity, of which I eagerly
availed myself, to observe his natural
manner. This was almost inconceiv-
ably graceful. Mr.. Clay's voice was o
miracle in itself, and probably he had
nursed it and cultivated it with as much
care as prima donnas do theirs. It was
rich, mellow, fute-like. and modulated
with the most exquisite art. He was
very tall, it must be remem bered; but
how gracefully he availed himself OF
every inch of his stature! I do not
think 1 ever saw man spend SO
much time in rising to his feet and gath
ering himself together, nor did ever
SuCu q u6uNoOhuC, ooSh % q inCO-
full performance; but when the ,nan was
at last erect, and, after bowling with
wondrous courtliness to the right and
to the left of him, turned his head at
last to the Court and said: "May it
please your honor, I object" all the
useless preliminary, all the intense
expectation was justified aud redeemed.
Why should not this man object, and
why should not his objections prevail ?
Such o man, such voice, it seemed to
me, ought to carry everything. Con-
science, right, law, everything ought
10 swerve before thought to yield to
it. Never before, never since. have I
heard anything like that voice, and l
never will, though I should live to be
as old as Methuselah.,
1t may be mentioned, in passing, that
the SHELBY murder trial resulted in
hung jury, ten being for acquittal. two
for conviction. The court house in
Lexington stood in handsome square,
enclosed with low fence, to which, on
court days, many country people fast
ened their critters" 1t was sur.
rounded by quite grove of tell trees,
ashes, oaks, poplars, elms, ETC., and,
the morning after the ju-y had been