St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-05
Brothers of the Deceased
Make a Statement of Al
legged Facts.
Arkansas Democrats Held
Up as a Horde of MAN.
killers.
Even the Unclean Bird In
gals Would Hesitate to
Father This.


Clayton. who was assassinated on the
night of Jan. 20, have furnished the fol-
lowing statement to the public
That the public may understand the
circumstances leading up to and cul-
minating in the assassination of our
brother, John NJ. Clayton, we desire. over
our own signatures, to make the follow
ing statement of facts: All agree that
this was political assassination
1t will be, therefore. necessary
for US to refer to the political
conditions and circumstances surround
ing it. We do this in no partisan spirit,
but only that justice may be done to the
memory of our brother and that
knowledge of the facts which led to his
assassination may induce the people of
this state to correct the evils from which
this and other crimes have sprung and
that, however sad the circumstances
may be to us, his martvrdom may result
in awakening the good people of this
and other states. Although, since the
commencement of the last political can
vass for state officers in Arkansas, many
political crimes have been committed in
different parts of the state, in this
statement, however, we will cOnfine
ourselves to the limits of Conway
county, within which Plummerville the
scene of this murder is situated, and
only to those circumstances, which, in
our opinion, led to the
COMMISSION OF THE CRIME.
Prior to the September election, aid
during the canvass, political club was
organized at Morrilton, the county seat
of ConnOr county, with one Showers,
ash from hiicCiSS nj itc hpa6 fEhi.
club soon after resolved itselr into a
militia company, and about two
weeks before the election, at
time of profound peace in the
county, the Hon. Simon P. Hughes,
then governor. not only supplied it with
state arms, but furnished it with full
supply of ammunition. This was the
beginning of the troubles in Conway
county. From this time until the day
of the election. Showers, with his armed
partisans, almost daily paraded
the streets OF Morrilton. On election
day their guns were deposited loaded
and ready for action in a convenient
place in the building in which the elec-
ton was held. On the morning of that
da y the Republican judge of election,
on his way 10 assume the duties of his
office. on frivolous and preconcerted
preteXt, was arrested. brought before
Showers with his men, marched to the
polls, and upon his nomination and
their votes, another person was de-
clared elected to fill the vacancy. BY
these unlawful proceedings the election
board, composed Of citizens represent
ing both political parties, was made
s0lidly Democratic. Whether Showers
as a political club or as a COM
advised, but certain it is, their loaded
guns were near at hand. While at Nor
rillton these things were being done,
the citizens of the town of Plummer-
vile, who were nearly all opposed pO-
litically, to our brother, while
those of the farming parts of
the precinct were his political
fl ends, (the latter greatly Outnumbering
the formerl. collected at the voting place
before the hour fixed by law for the
opening Of the polls, and organized a
full set of election officers of their
party, when the two Republican judges
appeared they found
THEIR PLACES USURPED
and the election in full blast. The re-
suit of the September election, so con-
Quoted in Conway county, was COM
plete change of Its political status, so
for as its officers were concerned, but
not as to the sentiments of its people.
Under these changed conditions about
two months thereafter, the congressional
election occurred, John M, Clayton be-
ing the Republican candidate, and c. r.
Breckenridge the Democratic. The day
before this election l.. w. Benjamin, a
prominent Republican lawyer of Little
Rock, and one of Arkansas best citi-
Zens, was sent to Conway county by the
structions to use his best endeavors
to secure an honest election. Upon his
arrival at the depot at Morrillton. he
was confronted by an infuriated mob Of
several hundred citizens, who threw
him from the cars, assaulted and beat
him, pulled from his face handfuls of
beard, and met all of his appeals to
their humanity with kicks and cuffs,
finally
SHOOTING HIM IN THE FOREHEAD
with weapon of sufficient force to i'm
bed and flatten bullet upon his skull.
A short time after Mr.. Benjamin died,
telling his wife before death that his
Sutferings were due to the treatment
received at the hands of the Nor
rillton mob. 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 nomina-
tion two members of his own party, and
upon mere affirmative vote. without
putting the negative, declared them
elected, and they were installed.
The Republican judges. not being
permitted to act, accompanied by the
Republican United States supervisor,
IN oman nnilS h,t
were notified by Democratic deputy
sheriffs, five of whom were present,
that they would not be permitted to do
SO. Under these and other threats, they
abandoned their purpose and theRepub-
llcan supervisor returned TO where the
election as first organized. was being
held, where he remained in the faithful
performance of his duty until the polls
were closed, whereupon the election
judge BY whose Illegal action the board
was organized, as before stated, took the
ballot box and carried it from place to
place through the town, followed hoWev-
rpersistently by the faithful supervisor,
Charles Wahl. At last, finding that he
could not shake him off, he and the
supervisor returned about o'clock at
night to the polling places, finding one
OF their judges there. Remaining few
minutes he again left, attempt
ing to carry the box with
him. which he only desisted from
doing by the insistance Of the super
visor that the box should be left at the
polling place with the other judge, who
was there. About half an hour there
after four
MASKED AND ARMED MEN
rushed into the room and at the muzzles
of their pistols compelled the remain
Ing judge and supervisor to turn their
backs, whereupon they seized the box
and poll books and carried them away.
We are informed by Wahl and