The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-05-28
4 MELANCHOLY FATE.
HENRY cLAY's SHATTERED HOPES.
Mournfui History : The Sad Romance
Which Had Its Rise by the G~ave
OF the Great Commoner's
Daughter.
tchillIcothe CoJ Leader.l

State over as being the homo for years OF
| the most gifted orator OF his time. Thomas
Corwin-is stained and moldy stone sarco-
| phagus, less than three feet in height and
bix feet In length, inclosed by rude fence
bf barbed-wire, stretchedupon clumsy, un-
hewn posts. The yard bears every evil
dence of neglect. The ground around It
is sunken, and the grass and briers clam
Der up the dingy stone, tomb's side and
show a disposition to cover 1t from view.
The poor, neglected grave is n stranger to
the attention OF love-guided hands. A
cluster of sweet Niolets now lift their
bright faces from the grass near the head
Of the tomb, but they came there by chance.
A little later on the grave will be sbowered
by the blaokberry's pretty white blossoms,
but the brakes upon which they burst to
bloom were planted there by kindly ma.
ture. Hot
And yet beneath those rough slabs OF
stone lie the remains of a noble young girl,
upon whom in life was bestowed the extra
VACANT love Of one Of Americas grandest.
minded men; young girl whose ultimate
death saddened the life of one of the coun.
try's bfoadest statesmen. The neglected
grave contains the remains of q beautiful
woman, over whose resting place a fitting
monument should be erected by the people
whom her fathers brilliant talent so ably
served. But 1t is neglected, uncared for,
and almost unknown save to few outside
Of Lebanon's limits. il.tU
1t Is unpleasant TO think that the off,
spring of such noble parentage is thus per-
mitted to suffer long years-of almost utter
neglect among q people who know the
story of her birth and her distinguished
fathers merits, but true 1t is that In that
humble grave lie the remains Of daugh-
ter Of Henry Clay--the man whom Ken
tucky honors above all men; the man who
labored so gra ndly in the interest of the
nation, and who was within step Of the
Presidential chair. Around that little
grave clusters a mournful, romantic his
tory. 1t was related to Leader reporter,
few days ago, by one Of the old citizens
Of Lebanon, while standing beside the
stone sarcophagus, within the rusty
barbed-wire inclosure. Said the Leaders
friend; u
"Henry Clay, you know, was one of the
four prominent presidential candidates in
1924, striving for election against three
other candidates-John Quincy Adams,
jackson, and Crawford. He received
thirty.seven electoral votes for tho posi-
tion. .a,.
"The Electoral College failed to make
choice, and when the work Of electing a
President devolved upon the House OF
Representatives, Clay, seeing that he
couldn't win himself, carried his strength
over to Adams, and secured the latter's
election. In March OF the following year,
when Adams organized his cabinet, he
rendered Clay the Premier's portfolio.
Clay went to Washington, and after he
had familiarized himself with the duties Of
Secretary OF State, he returned on visit
to his home In Kentucky, 20 see his family,
among whom was a beautiful and ifftel.
lectual daughter, Eliza. whom he perfectly
loved. Eliza at that time had just turned
her twelfth year, but she was wise and WON.
anly for her years, and 1t was one OF the
principal objects Of Clay's long and tedi.
Gus journey to kentucky 10 bring Eliza
TO Washington with him on his return.
Travel in those days was not the easy, lux.
urious affair that IL is now. The cumber.
some stage-coach was the only public con.
veyance that traversed the pixies, and the
trip from Kentucky to Washington city
was both long and wearying Henry Clay
and his daughter started for the capital
from Lexington, KY, early in August.
Miss Clay was rather delicate physically,
and found travelling by coach very dis
tressing affair The hotel fare on the route
did not agree with her, and the various
changes and discomiorts she experienced
brought on a y-inhammation OF the
bowels, belieye-.ha. became so alarming
when Lebanon was reached that stop was
made here and medical aid summoned to
attend tho young lady at her hotel. She
grew worse instead Of better, and one
night, after delirious flight, followed by
a brief period Of consciousness, she died in
her fathers arms.
at was impossible for Mr.. Clay to re-
turn home with the remains Of his dead /.
child, so II was determined 10 bury her
here temporarily. The intention was TO
remove her remains to Kentucky and
place thcm in the family burial place.
/
down by grief, completed his journey to
Washington. His busy and not untroubled
life at the capital, as Premier of Adams
Cabinet, is a matter ofpublic history. The
grass over his daughters grave, and the
SHOWS Of two winters, covered its meanly
appearance with spotless nantes of white,
and yet no move was made 10 have tho re-
mains transferred to kentucky. In the
third summer, think, this rough sarcoph-
agus was erected by Mr.. Clay, who seemed
to have determined not to disturb his
daughters rest. The inscription upon the
upper tablet tells the sad story"
The reporter leaned over, and after TAX.
ing up with kerchief the water that filed
up the depressed portions Of the lettering
made out the following: 5l.
.......................... ................s..'......
In memory Of
ELIZA II. CLAY,