Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-02-05
THE CLAYTON MURDER.
The Brothers Of the Assassinated Nan
Make Statement.
They Explain the Condition OF affairs Leading
Up 10 the Crime-Deelare 1t Was
Political in It's Nature


assassinated on the night of January
/ %, have furnished the following state
ment to the public.
That the public may understand the
circumstances leading up to and culmi-
mating in the assassination OF our
brother, John NJ. Clayton, we desire
over our own signatures to make the fol-
| lowing statement of facts:s All agree
this was a political assassination.
/ It win be, therefore, necessary for
US to refer TO the political conditions
and circumstances surrounding 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 this ASSASSINATION
may induce the people of this state to
correct the evils. from which this and
other great crimes have sprung, ana that
however sad the circumstances may
be to us, his martyrdom may
result in good to the people
of this and other states. Although
since the commencement of the last DO
litical canvass for state officers in Arkan-
sas many political crimes have been com
mitted in different parts of the state, in
this statement. however, we viii confine
ourselves to the limits of Conway county,
within which PlummeryiIle,
THE SCENE OF THIS MURDER,
is situated, and only to those circum-
stances which in our opinion led TO the
commission of the crime.
Prior TO the September election and
during the canvass, a political club was
organized at Morrillton, the county
seat of Conway county, with one Showers,
OF r.
club soon after resolved itself into
military company and about two weeks
before the election, at the time of pro-
found peace III the country, Hon. Simon
2. Hughes, then governor, not only sup
piled il with state arms, but furnished it
with full supply of ammunition. This
was the beginning of the troubles in Con-
way county.
From this tune until the day
of election, Showers with his
armed partisans almost
daily paraded the streets of MoTrillton
On election day their guns were deposited,
loaded and ready for action, in Il con-
venient place i'll the building in which the
election was held. On the morning of
that day the Republican judge of election
on his way to assume the duties of his Of
flee, on a frivolous and preconceIved pre-
with his men marched to the polls, and
upon his nomination and their votes
another person was declared elected to
I'LL the vacancy. By
THESE UNLAWFUL PROCEEDINGS
the election board composed of citizens
representing both political parties was
made solidly Democratic. Whether
Showers and his men at this time were
acting as political club or as a company
of state militia we are not advised, but
certain it is their loaded guns were near
at hand while at MorrilIton; and those
things were being done by the deniZens- of
the town of Plummerville. who were
nearly all politically osed to our
brother, while those of the farming parts |
of the precinct were political friends,
(the latter greatly outnumbering the
foFmer.)
The former collected at the
voting place before the hour
fixed by law for opening 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 result of the September election so I
conducted in Conway county was a COM |
plete change of its political status so far |
as the 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 NJ. Clayton be- |
ing the Republican candidate, and d r. |
Breckenridge the Democratic. Before |
this election NJ. W. Benjamin, promi- /
nent Republican lawyer of Little Rock, |
and one OF
ARKANSAS BEST CITIZENS,
II. n
publican state committee with instruc-
tons to use his best endeavors to secure
an honest election. Upon his arrival at /
the depot at MorrilltOn he was confronted |
by an infuriate mob of several hundred |
who threw him from
the ears, assaulted and beat him, and
met all OF his appeals to their humanity
with kicks and cuffs, finally shooting him
in the forehead with a weapon of suffi-
cient force to imbed and fatten bullet
upon his skull. A short time after Mr..
Benjamin died, telling his wife before
death that his sufferings were due to
receixed at the hands of the
Morrillton mob
On the following day, being the dav of
election at Plummerville, at the hour
for
OPENING OF THE POLLS
TWO shepuDllcan Judges were on hand !
ready to perform their duties, but were
ousted by the judge who put in nomina-
ton 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, undertook to
open the polls elsewhere, but 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 pur-
pose and the Republican supervisor re-
turned to where the election as first or
yanized was being held, where he re-
NAMED in faithful performance of his
luty until the polls were closed on the
election. The Judge, by whose Illegal
action the board was organized as before
stated, took the ballet-box and carried it
rom place 10 place through the town,
followed, however, persistently by the
faithful supervisor, Charles Wallet. At
asst finding he
COULD NOT SHAKE HIM OFF.
he and the supervisor returned about
} CLOCK at night TO the polling place,
hiding one of the other judges there
few minutes he again left,
attempting to carry the box with him,
which he only desisted from doing at the
Instance of the supervisor who said the