The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-28
PEDIGREE AND PUNISHMENT.

The conviction of Wepler, at Louisville,
for the killing of young Harry Clay, must be
regarded as a remarkable vindication of the
law for court in State like Kentucky,
where human life is cheap. We cannot agree
with the Courier-Journal which pronounces
against the finding of the jury, and declares
that Kentucky need expect no return to the
ways of peace when its system of prosecution
results in verdicts Of this kind" AS we re-
call the circumstances of the killing of young
Clay, they were about these: Clay was one of
Louisville's young "bloods." The grandson of
Henry Clay, the statesman, he enjoyed the
prestige Of good birth, which in this, as in
many similar instances, proved disastrous to
the youth. A youth Of brilliant qualities, as
his friends claimed, he was kind of favorite,
and enjoyed wide popularity. With others of
his kind he was in the habit of going on peri
odical or erratic sprees of drunkenness, during
the indulgence of which he was anything but
amiable and very far from being gentle
man, for he was imperious and quarrelsome to
that degree that only the exercise of
the greatest tolerance on the part
of his comrades kept him from
becoming involved in broils. His weakness
was apologized for on account of his pedigree
and his congeniality when not aroused. Har-
ry Clay was fine fellow, and it would be
shame to cross him in any Of his drunken
whims.
AT the time he was killed he was in the
midst of one of his sprees, during which he
appealed to Wepler, who was bartender, for
the loan of money, that he might prolong his
debauch. Wepler refused to let him have
money, believing that it were better
for his own sake to refuse him. This
so stung the drunken pride of aristocratic
Harry Clay that he resolved TO kill the man
who dared to refuse his request. To resent
the ''insult" he concluded that nothing less
than murder would do; so he left the saloon,
went to his room and got revolver. Coming
pose of killing Wepler, and would have done
so had the latter not disar1ned him at great
personal risk. Certain it is that had Wepler
killed Clay at this time he must have gone
acquit Deprived Of his weapon, and unable
to consummate the crime he con,
templated, popular Harry Clay fell
to verbal abuse that would have shamed
roustabout, until at last Wepler thrust
Clay's pistol back into his hand and called to
him to defend himself. Then it was, and
under these circumstances, that Clay was
killed, and the fashionable society of Louis
vile was dismayed over the death of one
so worthy, and the speedy vengeance of the
law was invoked.
Wepler is undoubtedly very contemplate
man, and deserves punishment, and now that
some show is made of melting out justice to
him good people have reason for
conglatulation. 1t is morally GER
tain that had genteel Harry Clay
been the slayer, he would have escaped con-
viction. though it appears that he would have
been little better than deliberate assassin.
His popularity and pedigree must have saved
him the ignomy of punishment for the trifling
offense of having killed the man who refused
his drunken request AS we have said,
Wepler could not have been held had he killed
Clay upon entering with drawn pistol Few
men would have been so considerate 1t has
gone far toward mitigating the punishment
for his crime. If he serve his two years in
prison, which should be exacted according to
the verdict, the law will have been indicated.