Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-02-15
The C1avtons.

y
LITTLE Rock, ARK, February 6.-General
Powell Clayton and Judge W. d. Clayton.
brothers of the Hon. John M. Clayton, who
was assassinated on the night of January
%, have furnished a statement to the pub
lie;
All agree that this was a political assas-
sinatiOn.
Without reference to the many political
crimes committed in different parts of the
state, mention is made of such as have oc-
CURED in Conway county.
Prior to the September election and dur
| log the canvass, a political club was organ
| lied at MOrriltOn, the county seat of Con
| way county, with Showers at the head. This
| club soon after resolved itself into militia
| company, and about two weeks before cleo
/ ton the Hon. Simon p Hughes, then gov
| ernOr, supplied it with state arms and am
/ munitiOn. This was the beginning of the
/ troubles in Conway county. From this time
/ until the day OF election Showers, with MS
/ armed partisans, almost daily pareded 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 election was held.
/ On the morning of that day the republican
/ Judge of election was arrested Whereupon
] Showers, with his men, marched to the polls,
] and upon his nomination and their votes,
/ another person was declared elected to I'LL
/ the vacancy
! Whether Showers and his men were at this
/ time acting as political club, Or as com
/ pany of state militia, We are not advised;
| but certain it is, that their loaded guns were
] near at hand.
The day before the late election M. W.
! Benjamin, prominent republican lawyer
! of Little Rock and one of Arkansas best
/ citizens, was sent to Conway county by the
! republican state committee with 1nstruct1Ous
! to use his best endeayOrs to secure an honest
/ election. Upon his arrival at the depot IN
/ Morrilton he was confronted by an 1nfurI-
! ated mob of several hundred citizens, who
/ threw him from the cars, assaulted and beat
/ him, pulled from his face handfulls Of
/ beard, and met all his appeals to their hu-
! manity with kicks and cuffs, and finally
! shooting him in the forehead with a weapon
/ of sufficient force to imbed and hatten
! bullet upon his Skull. short time after
/ Mr.. Benjamin died, telling his wife before
| death that MS suherings were due to the
treatment received at the hands of the Nor
/ rIItOu mob
At the election at PIummerviIle four
| armed and masked men rushed into the
/ room and at the muzzIes of their pistols
/ compelled the remaining judge and super
| visor to turn their backs, WheTeupOn they
seized the box and poll books and carried
/ we are Informed by Vail and other cred
/ liable persons that the box so stolen con
/ tains 697 ballots. of which at least 572 were
| cast for John Nj. Clayton Upon learning
| of these unlawful acts, together with many
! others in different parts OF the state, he
/ (Clayton) felt it to be his duty to institute
/ contest for his seat IN congress, and for the
/ purpose of ascerta1n1ng the actual vote cast
/ for him at PIummervilIe precinct, that he
/ might engraft that fact IN MS notice of con-
/ test, he employed responsible citizen
/ named Alexander, of PlummeTyIlle pre-
cinct, to obtain the names Of those who
/ voted for him, who obtained the names of
/ over $50 such vO;ers.
On December II. Vail the supervisor, was
inyeigied into game Of cards at night IN
the back room of a doctors Office at Plum
merVille, when he was seated IN close prOX-
/ unity to a glass door through which he was
shot by a would be assassin, the ball pierre
ing the lobe of the left ear and cutting a
cash in his neck about three inches long.
For the crimes thus enumerated no man
/ has been arrested by state or county author
! tiles. Nor has any official reward been
| John M. Clayton went to PlummerviIls
unarEned and unescorteds He recognized
/ the futility of such precautions against the
/ stealthy assassin, and believing that his Op-
ponent, Mr.. Breckenridge, who was aware
! Of the condition Of affairs in this county,
/ would be willing and able to restrain his
| partsans. After having engaged for several
! days in taking testimony, about 3 o clock
/ o. m, while in the act of sitting down at
/ table near s window to write to his mother
| less children, he was shot through the win
/ dow by concealed Gssassins few feet from
/ him and instantly killed. We were unable
! to move his body until $3.50 o. m. of the next
! day, up to which time the sheriff Of the
county had not appeared, Whos IN the Ian
| guage Of his deputy, engaged IN the more
important business of collecting taxes. Nor
/ had any citizens Of the town made the
slightest effort to trace or apprehend his
muFdsrers.
! The foregoing facts we stand ready to
/ substantIa5e IN every essential particular
| every one of which We believe to be a mater
I isI link in the chain Of circumstances sur
1 rounding and leading TO the murder Of our
brother, John M Clayton.
PowHLL. CLAzToE,
w. 81. a. CLAYTON.