The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-02-07
The Assassination Of ]. M. Clayton as
Represented by HIS Brothers.
POLITICS AND THE MILITIA.
Resolving a Political Club into q Mil
itia Company Breeds Trouble,
CONTEST FOR CONGRESS.
Collecting Testimony Sufficient Cause
for the Mur6erous Deed.

Clayton, brothers of the late Hon.
John N. Clayton, who was assassina-
ted on the night Of January 10Th, fur
nished the following statement to the
public. That the public may under
stand the circumstances leading up to
and eliminating in the assassination
of our brother John NJ. Clayton, we
desire, over our own signatures. to
make the following statement of facts:
All agree that this was a political
assassination. 1t will therefore be
necessary for us to refer to the political
conditions and circumstances surround
ing it. We do this in no partisan spir-
1t, but that justice may be done in the
memory of our brother and that a
knowledge of the facts which led to
his assassination may induce the peo-
pie OF this state to correct the evils
from which this and other great
crimes have sprung, and 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 political canvass for state
officers in Arkansas many political
crimes have been committed in differ
ment however, we will contine our
selves 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 or the
crime.
Prior to the September election, and
during the canvass, Ii political club was
organized it Morrilton, the county seat
nj nil
fresh from Mississippi, lat the head. This
club soon after resolved itself into u
militia company, and about two weeks
before the election, at time or pro-
found peace in the county, the Hon
Simon Il. Hughes, then governor, not
only supplied it with state arms, but
furnished IL with full supply of amuni-
ton. This was thu beginning of the
troubles in Conway county. From this
time until the day of the election Stow
ers, with his armed parJisans, paraded
the streets of Morrilton almost daily.
On election day their guns were depOs-
tied, 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, on his way to assume
the duties of his office, on a frivilous
and preconceTted pretext, was arrested,
marched to the polls, and, upon his
nomination and their votes, another
person was declared elected to fill the
vacancy. By these unlawful proceed
ings the election board, composed of
citizens representing both political par
ties, was made solidly democratic.
Whether Showers and his men, at this
time, were acting as political club or
as company of state militia, we are
not advised, but certain it is that their
loaded guns were near at hand. While
these things were being done at Nor
rillton, the citizens of the. town of
Plummerville, who were nearly all OPP
posed politically to our brother, while
those of the farming parts of the pre-
cincts were his political friends 1.-THE
latter greatly outnumbering the for
mer), collected at the voting place be-
fore the hour fixed by law for the open
ing OF the polls, and organized full
set of election officers of their party.
When the two republican judges ap-
peared they found their places usurped
and the election in full blast. The re-
suit of the September election 50 con-
Quoted in Conway county was a COM
plete change of its political Status Sc
far as its officers were concerned, but
not as to the sentiments of the people.
Under these changed conditions about
two months thereafter the congress
sional election occurred, John NJ
Clayton being the republican candi-
date and @. Il. Breckenridge the DEM
ocratic.
The day before this election NJ. w
Benjamin, a prominent republican
lawyer of Little Rock and one of Ar
kansas best citizens, was sent to Con.
way county by the republican state
committee with instructions to use his
best efforts to secure an honest cleo
ton. Upon mis- arrival at the depot al
Morrilton he was confronted by an
Infatuated mob of several hundred citi
zens, who threw him from the cars
assaulted and beat him, pulled from
his face handfulS of mis- beard and me-
all mis- appeals to their humanity will
kicks and cuffs, finally shooting him III
the forehead with weapon of suffi
cient force tn imbed and fatten bull
let on his skull. A short time after
Mr.. Benjamin died, telling his wife
before death that his sufferingS were
due to the treatment at the hands o
the Morrilton mob. On the followinI
day being the day of the election a
Plummerville. at the hour for opening
the polls, the two republican judge
were on hand, ready to perform thei
duties, but were ignored by the dem
ocrAtic judge, who put in nomination
two members of his own party AM
upon a mere Affirmative vote withou
putting the negative. declared then
elected and they were installed. Tn
republican judges not being permitteI
to act, accompanied by the republican
United States supervisor, attempted
open polls elsewhere but were notifie
by democratic deputy sheriffS, fv
of whom were present, that they woul
not be permitted to do so. Under thes
and other threats they abandoned rhei
purpose and the republican supervise
returned to where the election as frs
organized was being held, where he n
NAMED in faithful performance of hi
duty until the polls were closed, where
upon the election judge by whose illC
gal action the board was organized, q
before stated, took the balloU-bo
and carried it from place I
place, through the town. TO
lowed. however. persistently by I'll
last finding that he could not shaE
him OF, he and the supervisor retnrne
about O'Clock at night to the pollin
place, finding one of the other Judge
there, remaining a few minutes,
again LETT, attempting to carry the be
with him, which he only desisted frol
doing, by the insistence of the supe
vislor that the box should be left at IL
polling place with the other judge wi
was there. About one half hour Their
after four masked and armed me
rushed into the room and at the muZZ
OF their pistols compelled the remai
ing judge and supervisor to turn the
backs, whereupon they seized the bC
and poll-bookS and carried them ava
We are informed by VAIL and 9th
creditable persons that the box so 81,
en- contained 697 ballots, of which
least 572 were cast for John M. Ola
ton. Upon learning of these unlawf
acts together with MANY others in d
ferent parts of this district. he. Cla
ton, felt 1t to be his duty to institute
contest for his seat in congress. a
for the purpose Of ascertainin9 the
tual vote cast Tor him at PIummeryi