New-York tribune., 1890-05-01
THE SLAYER OF CLAI1ON.
GOVERNOR EAGLES TRANSPARENT Effokl
NOT TO FIND THE ASSASSIN.

CALIFORNIA THEORY SHOWN ~ LII
FALsE-How STATE ARMS ARE
USED IN ARKANSAS.
INV ,r,yGRApu TO THE IRIeuNEI
LITTLE Rock April 3O.-The fanciful fouhoa'ion
90 ,bot is no,v known as the California lheoIA'
and the idiotic superstructure ol hes an" s'N'''
reared unon its fragile base, collapseu 'o"'S 90
suddenly almost as if they had oeeh si"'N ~
lightning or swept out Of existence al ''e iui'
~ a cvclone. Ii leaves the great STATE vi AZ
kansas and it's Governor, VINO mas lor uio i"'0
,oar bean engaged in bringing TO justice the
murderer of J. NJ Clayton, in a position where
tho former has expended $3.50 exactly IN the at
tempt. and the latter has a "clew In MS hands
leading to q man who died over month before
CLAYTON was assassinated and had previous 10
his death not set foot on Arkansas SOIL Tor
twenty years.
The testimony presented to the Congressional
Investigating Committee was of more than or
dinary interest to-day Among the principal
witnesses figured Governor Eagle. who for over
wear has posed as the mysterious repository of
untold secrets connected with the Clayton muir
der Indeed. to hear him talk few days ago,
sou might have supposed that all he had to do
was to stretch out his hand and
but that, in his superior wisdom. the chosen mo-
ment for the triumph of the law had not arrived
yet, and was only delayed TO permit him TO COM
plete the chain of evidence which should convict
the scoundrel who fired the fatal shot. All this
was shown to-day to be only moonshine, mere
empty phrases. In fact. the testimony of Gov
ernor Eagle to-day can admit, in the mind OF an
impartial looker-on, of no other interpretation
than that he was either grossly deceived by de-
signing scoundrels, or himself secretly oppos.
ing vigorous and energetic prosecution OF the
murderer. In either case he proved himself, with
the whole machinery of the State at his back IN
capable of coping with handful OF bushwhack-
ers and midnight assassins living almost within
the shadow of the capital Of the State of Arkan-
sas To what extent public sentiment in the
State supported him will probably be shown by
his triumphant reelection TO the Governors
chair, toward which end he is understood now
to be working Ii is easy TO discern this in the
almost childish theories which the Governor sub
mitted 10 the committee as his views regarding the
murderer. Like most Democrats in Arkansas, he
affects to b6 that the ASSASSINATION had no
connection whatever with the theft OF the ballot
box at Plummerville, or with the November cleo
tions of 1888. On the contrary, he thinks the
murder is TO be traced TO the violent feeling still
ldte0b AMONG tut Wutt PcOpC VI tbc '''btN "S'iho'
the Clayton family, growing out of the admins
tration of the State government twenty years
ago by General Powell Clayton.
He explained this TO the committee in the
blandest way possible, and proceeded to tell what
had been the clews to the murder which he had
been following 1t would be a waste of space
here to enter into the silly details OF these clews,
furnished 10 the Governor in many instances by
anonymous correspondents. He himself paid at
tention TO only two, one of them leading 10 the
irresponsible rawlings of some drunken idiot in
the northern part Of the State, and the other
blossoming out into the now well-known Cali
fornia theory, telegraphed all the country
from Los Angeles by the Associated Press the
other day. This story had one Thomas Hooper as
the murderer of Clayton. With praiseworthy
degree Of mnuteness. it told of Hoopers dire
threat against the Caytons OF his oath to be
terous disappearanc. rom California just about
the time of ClaytOns assassination. Of his equally
mysterious return, of his being taken sick and
of his dying finally 10 slow music and red fire,
completing his dramatic career in this wretched
world by beautiful regulation death-bed con-
fesson previous to going TO Heaven. All this
was told satisfactorily, at least Arkansas Demo
Gratis The 6oyernor himself last week would
neither deny nor affirm the truth of this story,
but he looked grave and serious and shook his
head ominously. Well, to-day he told this story
10 the committee. and at the same time expressed
il as his opinion that it contained in all proba
bility the solution of the mystery
In fifteen minutes afterward the whole theory,
clew, solution. call it what you will. was knocked
higher than Gilderoy's kite by the testimony OF
the widow of Hooper. who swore that her husband
had died in her arms in Los Angeles on December
Is, 1889, that he had been bedrdden for
three years, and that, 10 her own knowledge,
lie had not been in Arkansas for twenty years.
The appearance of this witness, unlocked for
by the friends of the California theory, proved
death blow TO the defence as far, at least, as
this point was concerned, and left the Governor
who had taken up about three hours i'll explain
ing 10 the committee his various theories, III
ridiculous plight. Ills other testimony was
mainly devoted to showing the peculiar militia
system in vogue in Arkansas, under which it
seems that the State arms are issued TO various
organizations, apparently at random. 10 was
brought out that Governor Hughes, the prcdeccs
sor OF Governor Eagle, had issued fifty stands OF
arms and 1000 rounds of ammunition TO an al
legged militia organization in Morrilton, Conway
County, not upon the requisition or request OF
any officer of the organization, but upon the ap-
Democratic newspaper This was just prior TO
the September election in 1888, and it is well
known that the organization was not
militia company, but Democratic
campaign club, and yet these arms remain
IN the possession OF these men to the present day,
Governor Eagle apparently not thinking it worth
an effort TO secure the return of arms distributed
In community which still harbors the midnight
raiders upon the Plummerville ballot-box and
other malefactors
lew points bearing upon the action of the
uoVefhor subsequent to the assassination of Clay
ton worthy to be noted To begin with he rc.
ceived no official communication upon the subject
antil three days after the murder when Sheriff
Shelby returned from his tax-colIecting trip The
first information about the murder was given to
the Governor by newspaper man in Little Rock.
lie issued his hrst Proclamation Offering a reward
OF 81 900 for the apprehension and conviction of