The Republican., 1889-02-09

to Conway county by the Republican
State committee with instructions to
use his best endeavOrs to secure an
honest election.
Upon his arrival at the depot at
MOrriItOn he was confronted by an
infuriated mob of several hundred
citizens, who threw him from the
ears. assaulted and beat him, pulled
from his face handfulls of beard and
met his appeals to their humanity
with kicks and cuffs, finally shooting
him. A short time after Mr.. Benja-
min died.
On the following day, being the day
of election at Plummerville, at the
hour for opening the polls the two
Republican Judges were on hand
ready to perform their duties. but
were ignored by the Democratic
Judge, who put in nomination two
members of his own party and de-
clared them elected and they were
installed. The Republican Judges,
not being permitted to act, accom-
panied by the Republican United
States Supervisor, undertook to open
DtDtlS elStN IltiS, bul "EIS ilpLillNu w
Democratic Deputy Sheritfs, five of
whom were present, that they would
not be permitted to do so. Under
these and other threats they aban-
dOned their purpose, and the Repub-
lican supervisor returned to where
the election as first organized was be-
ing held, where he remained in the
faithful performance of his duty un-
til the polls were closed, whereupon
the election Judge, by whose action
the board was organized, took the
halIot-bo and carried it from place
to place through the town, followed.
however, persistently by the faithful
supervisor, Charles Wahl."
After telling of the theft of this
ballOt-bOX the Messrs. Clayton con-
tinue: "Our brother felt it his duty
to institute contest for his seat in
Congress. and for the purpose of as
certaining the actual vote cast em-
ployed responsible citizen named
Alexander to obtain the names of
over fOrty-five such votes. On De-
cember II Wahl was lnveigled into a
back room, where he was shot, but
not dangerously wounded. Wahl
fled the country.
"This attempt upon the life of
Wahl so alarmed Alexander as to
cause him to abandon his work and
flee from the State. For the crimes
abOye enumerated no man has been
arrested by State or county authori-
ties, nor has any official record heen
offered. John NJ. CLAYTON went to
PlummerYille unarmed and unescOrt.
ed, recognizing the futility of such
precautions against the stealthy assas-
sin and believing that his opponent,
Mr.. Breckenridge, who was aware OF
the condition of affairs in this county,
would he willing and able to restrain
his partisans.
"While passing through Little
Rock, on his way there, he said to
Henry a. Cooper, in response to a
suggestion of danger: i do not be-
Iieve that | Will be harmed. but the
men who voted for me believe that |
was elected, and so do |, and I will
go there even at the risk of my life.'
"And so he went. After having
been engaged for several days in TAX
ing testimony, about O'Clock P. NJ.
of January Goth, while in his room
at his boarding house. in the act of
sitting down at a table near a win
dow to write to his mOtherleSa chill
dren, he was shot through the WIN
dow by concealed assasins few feet
from him and instantly killed. We
were unable to move his body until
3 p. NJ. on the next day, up to which
time the sheriff of the county had
not appeared, being, in the language
of his deputy, engaged in the more
important business of collecting
taxes. Nor had any citizen of the
town made the slightest effort to trace
or apprehend his murderers.
1.-The foregoing facts we stand ready
to substantiate in every essential par
ticular. every one of which we believe
TO be material link in the circum-
stances surrounding and leading to
the inhuman murder of our brother,
John NJ. Clayton.
"POWELL CLAYTON,
"W. Ii. CLAYTON"