New-York tribune., 1890-04-20
ARKANSAS BARBARlSM.
THE CLAYTON MURDER AND THE vILLANIES
THAT PRECEDED 1T.
nrvocr>rrC SUPREMACY MAINTAINED BY
pc,rn AND oUTRAGE-THE WORK BE-
vEsTIGATING COMMITTEE


FORE THE CONGRESSIONAL IN
VESTIGATING COMMITTEE
rnoM An occ AsroSA. CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUNE
Ii,trc Rock. Ark. April 15.-Thc Congressional sub
committee appointed to visit Arkansas ana take 'c'
,oonv in the CLAYTON and Breckenridge case Is cNpco
70 begin work here next week. II Is composco y,
congressmcn Lacey Cooper. Bergen. Outhwaitc anu
Wilson, The settlement of this contest so sadiv anu
.huntv terminated by the murder Of Colonel John NJ
Cl,y5n will be regarded with profound interest Nv
those who know the circumstances which leu W wv W.
,acedv The seat now held I'm Congress By Clifton h'
Hrecklnridgc representing the I'D District oi "'n"'
sas was the ground Of a contest begun earN III '",
nary. 1880 by Colonel John VI. Clayton thc hcp,o"
can candidate who claimed to have been dcfraudcu OK
a majority of votes cast at the November cicc"on !"
thc countlcs of Conway. Woodruff and Monroe. oh
December l3 Colonel CLAYTON served notice tha' he
vould make the contest and from that DAY ul'i JAM"
ary 90 when he was assassinatcd he had coicceo c'i
dcncc in the following cases:
In the White River Precinct Of Woodruff County hc
had been deprived Of 1856 votes cast for hm' "hle
Rrcc hnrdgc had given 1876 more than were cas-,
for him The United states supervisor Of Election was
excluded from the room in which the cecuoh was
held by direction Of the Democratic judges "i c'c''o'
inst after the polls closed at night ana before 'he
count was made Of the Democratic judges TOOK inc
ballot box away and was absent more IMAM III mum
This evidence has recently been corrobortcd by the
trial and conviction in the Federal Court at Lttlo
Rock Of the election judges who pcrpctrtcd the frauds
The difference Of 3d. votes in this precinct which
,hould have been Clayton's reduces Brccknrdge's al
legged majority Of ai6 to ia.
In Freeman Township. Of Woodruff County. Clayton
had evidence to show that he had been defrandcd Of
40 votes. In Montgomery Township, Monroe County
his honest majority was 27s votes. The corrected
nd feet
Urcckinrldcc', majority from 5if to 60.
The most garing frauds Of the memorable election
~ November last occurred at Plummervilc. small
evil looking dirtddcn village Of the typical Arkansas
sort located i'm Howard Township, Of Conway County
II was here that Colonel Clayton ana his secretary
personally began the work Of examining Witnesses
and collecting evidence on Friday, January %. Four
days later while icarlcsly and honOraby prosecuting
his Investigations. mnrdcrouS shot gun was hred
through the window OF his room. and the contest was
ended Repeatedly he had been warned Of the dangers
attending his investigations and Of the hwlcSs' dc
PRAYED and uncon>cionablc methods employed by the
Democratic party Of the state to defeat their oppo'
ncnts at the polls Yet he dared 20 assert MS man
hood in a section where the sitting Of manhood is the
principal method Of dominant political activity ana
In So doing hc brutally murdered.
The reasons why the Democrats Of Conway County
found IL necessary 10 murder Colonel Clayton Will be
presented 10 the Congressional Committee by Judge
John Mcclure, II Little Rock, and they VIII reveal
picture Of modern Ku KluAi,m Of highly sensational
nature. The beginning Of the trouble in Conway
County dates back to November ,. when Judge l'enla
min Of Little Rock. went into the county to watch
the polls in the interest, Of hi, Republican friends
The Democrat, Of Morrllton. the county seat learned
that he wa. on the train. and determined Ia prevent
his surveillance at the polls Hardly had he stepped
from the rain when he was seized by mob, brtaly
kicked aud beaten. and shot In the head lie was
carried back Little Rock the next train, and died
IF his Injuries.
ON the following day tho election took place. AZ
pIummcryillc. a few mile, from Moron. night had
scarce settled when the polling place was entered
by masked men. who seized the ballot box and poll
books. carried them to Morrllton horseback. and
there burned every evidence Of the heavy Republican
majority known To have been po'lcd during the day
The masked men. the night ride to horrillton. the
stove where the returns burned and the names
of The men who burned them. have since been dvIsu
In The Federal Court at Little Rock.
suh4cducni to these Liwlc,, affairs. United states
supervisor VAIL. who was known to be Government
Witness IN the cases AGAINST the cleo ton officers. was
-hot by unknown persons while playing cards ~
Flnmmcrvllc. The ball struck him In the neck ana
lodged In the base Of the SKULL but his injuries "cr'
not fatal aud he lived To testify against the men who
tried To- murder him. The other Witnesses for me
coyerumcnt were warned To leave the country, and
nearly all of them did 50.
rhi, wa, the actual condition of affairs when Colonel
CLAYTON and hi, secretary arrived at Ilummervllc on
J,uuarv % No return, had been made fron thli
urcinrt owing 10 the theft OF the box and books but
Colonel CLAYTON promptly began taking his testimony
which, he claimed. would show that he had received
6.i votes and Iircckinrldgc -. Had he been per
ni,t,d 10 complete his testimony the results up 7"
thnt time would have given him majority Of over
800 In the entire district with several other precincts
obviously fraudulent yet to bc heard from
At the end Of the fourth day Of his Investigations tho
Democrats Of that county found il necessary to put
>t,p Ia the whole proceedings aud with charactcrs'"
brutality they murdered him in cold blood. To the
everlasting disgrace Of the state ana lis Democrats oe
II said that the murderer has not yet been apprchendcd
His thank. are due 10 the studied apathy and Inactivity
o the Democratic officials oi me ,au a'u county io'
the Immunity that la, thu, far attended HIM ,
II + general, believed Throughout Arkansas tna'
the Congressional Committee VIII icrrct out tIc man
Who pulled the fatal trigger The committee J. 'lohcu
with greater facilities than nae vct been nroush' !"
bear. and they have before ihcnl thc testimony au
luccd AT the recent trial of ne tlcvine cl',ilol {"
nccr, In the Federal Court at Lllr i"eN toH,hcl WIN
the results the work done by Pnkcton drirc'V',
The murdcrcr- are practically known Inc rVdcn'e N
animation will either hN TIE gun o t.r man W t 40
fired ia. shot II those who pad hm To- 90 IT, Ih''"
Are certainly twenty men In Plunmcrvillc To DAY VINO
can tell who did the murlcrous deed. ana ihr hi''h
months that have passed >aicy over th'h an" th y
crq win by means serve ~ talr'r aHl'' ne M
vc>tigations promised by the Congressional Subcohi
notwithstanding the sums contributed by the t,c
brother. of the murdered man, by the Ecpubicin Stac
committee aud by other fair minded men In the state
A. rewards for the apprehension OF tli' assassin anu
for the payment of detectives at work on the case
nothing la, been done that can hc properly >tr 10
hnv, ii Nrd the guilt of the murderer. seven or egh.
men have been suspected. and are sill suspected bnt
they have been protected 10y the combined vigilance
Of their friends aud ncshbor and by the )cmpcr.ts
Of the county and state AT lirec. The toDird boy
smith who was promptly shot and lcd for sending
n letter ont Of the county continuing information that
might lead to the detection q the murderer. furnishes
signal instance Of the force, that have initiated IN
suppress any organized system OF invest Shion III
Conway County. .
Another instance may be- cited as showing the
hostility of the people Of Conway County toward any
Thing par,alng Of the nature of investigation In the
| CLAYTON matter. When the grand Jury met AT Nor
rilon i'm Apsil last, JUDGE George cunningham, the
circuit Judge delivered charge In which he strongly
condemned the murder Of Clayton, and urged the jury
,o do il, full duty. Cunningham IS fearless man.
and his charge carried nothing but rancor and hatrcsl
into the hearts of the county Democracy. or course
mo Indictment was returned. hut the most significant
result Of the charge Is in the fact that IN less
| than twenty days after IL was delivered Judge Gun
nlnghan had found II necessary 10 leave his home For
| The next eight months he comparative exile In
oklahoma separated from his wiic ard children. and
| t.ti. of hiS nf an