The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1890-02-08
Alex Mcclellan.

Mrs. Clement G. Clay, widow OF the
noted Alabama senator captured
with jeff Davis, was concerned with the
most famous duelist the South ever
produced, in the person of Alexander
Mcclellan. He was q native of Ken
lucky, who for many years was prom
inent in politics and society. He was
an exquisite in dress and manners, q
brilliant speaker and a writer of tre-
mendous power. possessing the keen
est wit and sarcasm. His attacks up.
on the Van Buren, administration
gave him q national celebrity.
He killed a great many men during
hiscareer. As an instance ofhis deadli-
ness, for he always killed thu man he
fought, may be mentioned his duel
with General Allen, of Mississippi.
He had heard that Allen had made
some sighting remark about him.
After Allen had accepted his challenge
Mcclellan declared he would shoot
out the tongue that made theremark.
The duel was fought at forty PAGES
with rifles, and he literally cut Aliens
tongue out, as he threatened.
One instance exhibits his courage.
One day he rode up to an inn in q
Mississippi town. While he was dis.
mounting a notorious bully and des.
perado Of that country, who had kill
ed many men and vas the terror OF
the region, IA on the inside with his
revolver cooked and a watch in his
hand. He had ordered the room
cleared in five minutes, and every
man had gone. although all were fight
ing men. When Mcclellan entered the
bully faced him and, with a big oath,
informed him of the fact that there
were only three minutes left before he
should kill whoever remained. Nc
Clellan, without moving a muscle or
drawing g. weapon, produced his
watch, glanced at it, and said:
my name is Alexander Mcclellan.
1 give you ten seconds to get out of
here or you are a dead man."
The Tell ow yelled out:
"By thunder. colonel, one.half OF
that time will dol" and he was out in
two seconds.
Later on in his career he was haunt
ed by remorse. Man-killing had left
it's pains. His light was never out in
his room at night, and men, sold he
slept not. When the Mexican war
broke out he told the Rev. Peter DON
an, father of the now only Colonel
Pat, that he was weary with life; that
he had never found any one who could
kill him, and he was gomgto battle to
seek death on the field as he did not
want to commit suicide.
FIe entered the service as a volun.
teer, and from the first placed himself
in the front point of danger, com.
manding. attention for his absolute
bravery. He was promoted again
and again until he reached the head OF
a regiment, when he was shot through
the body. Then he returned home,
saying he couldn't be killed, and haz.
arded his fate in several duels there
after. He grew more and more eccen.
trio, and acknowledgements abused
his confidence by not killing him.
Then he met Mrs. Clay, a. beautiful
girl of her time.
She describes him as the most fas-
cinating mar to women she ever met,
possessing that serpentine power over
women which historians and romano.
ers attribute to Aaron Burr-the
same power that Matte Guild, OF Vir-
ginia, had over men. Mcclellan pro-
posed marriage to Mrs. Clay. but her
friends objected on account of his du-
cling propensities and the fear that
she would be unhappy with him. She
asked him to wait six months before
replying, and during the interval did
not care to meet him on account of
hia nower ovnr har In tho p~ooopf;ro
she met Clement G. Clay, and was sat-
isied that he was her destiny. Short
~ after the engagement was announc-
ed she got q note from Mcclellan ask
ing for an interview.
Being afraid OF his spell and that he
might kill her, she declined. 1t was
only q few days later when Mcclellan
rode into the then little pine town of
Columbus, Miss. He was shown to q
room at an Inn, the door of which
was irregular, like those of all such
places. He poured water on the floor
and observed which way the incline
ran. Then dressing himself with the
greatest care and exquisite neatness,
he lay down with his head inclined
with the floor. He placed one hand
across the breast, and with the other
the muzzle of his favorite dueling pis.
toll at the base OF the brain, where
death is instantaneous.
He was found there dead, without a
stain Of blood on his scrupuIously
clean, perfectly arrayed person, having
realized his superstition at last-that
finding no One else who could kill him,
ha hecama q, folo de- 40