Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-10-25


ipgton centennial Grafton at Yale Col
Iege. in which be espouSed the cause o.
the negro and became the most hated
man in Kentucky among the siayehold-
ers. All his life be has had 70 tight Tor
his ideas, and the stories Of his personal
encounters read like n romance. IL was
dpripg the latter part Of my visit at
..Wbite Hall" this week. while we were
sitting one evening before the Goals Of
his library fire, that I drew General
CLAY on TO talk OF some OF these fights,
and l could almost see the cOmbats 10
the Goals as I'm cool but graphic language
be brought them back from the memo
ries Of the past.
said be: IT have never courted
trouble with any one, but have never
gone out OF the way 70 avoid IL. l have
had a number OF encounters and l have
never been whipped 10 my life, except
bv my mother and by my elder brother.
/ remember the first and only whipping
7 got from my brother. He was older
than l was and great deal stronger,
and I was accustomed TO tease him and
play tricks upon him, until one day
when we were out trimming some trees
IN the orchard. The trees were rather
high and my brother had made a little
ladder to enable him 10 get up into
them. He took one row of trees and l
took another and I would put away his
ladder and take It over 10 my row so
that he had TO Jump down and get it
when be wanted 20 90 10 another tree.
he objected several times. NOtwith-
standing this, I still kept as 10, and he
caught me and threw me down and
whipped me with some OF the long
sprouts or trimmings Of the trees. These
sprouts were very supple, and can al
most feel their stings vet. l appreciated,
however, the Justice of the whipping and
did not CRY. rose laughing, but from
that tine I stopped teasing HIM"
GENERAL. CLAY's FIRST DUEL.
"When did you have your first duel,
Esnerai?" / asked.
''My first duel, f." replld General Clay,
terminated without either party firing
o shot. IL occurred when / was twenty
three, ffty-eight years ago. was en-
gagged to be married and / had o rival
sutton who, iu spite Ofmy success, wrote
o letter to my sweetheart's mother, In
which be made a number OF very Obnox-
iOus charges concerning me. The letter
should never been shown me, but the
mother Of ny afiauced wife did hand IL
TO me and asked me 70 explain ii. eX.
planned 70 by going TO Louisville on the
hunt for the man who had written IL.
He was a doctor, and his name was
Declarey. A friend Of mine went with
me and as soon as we got 70 the city
] went into q cooper shop, and got a
gsod, tough hickory cane about as big
around as your finger. ] saw DR.. De-
cIarcy on the street, and went up to him
and asked himif his name was Declarey.
Ue replied that 10 was, and l then told
him / would like TO have talk with
him. This was on one OF the main
streets OF Louisville, and, though 1 in
tended 20 cane him, 1 did not want to
DO it where a crowd would rush in and
prevent my giving him the punishment
he deserved, so l quietly turned our
promenade of into q side street. In the
meantime my friend James 5. Rollins,
Giterward noted during the war as Gen
erll Rollins, walked along the other
side OF the street and watched me.
street j said: cdr. Declarey I am Cas-
siUs M. Clay, about whom you have
taken the trouble to write in this letter,
and 4 would like to know whether you
can give me any explanation of your &C
ton ! showed him the letter, but he
said nothing. raised my cane and be-
gan 90 cane him. he cried out and a
crowd soon collected, but Rollins, By
spreading out his arms and running in
again, pretending TO separate Us, aCtu-
ally kept back the crowd until / was
able Co give him a good Gaming. I ex-
pected that Dcclarey would challenge
me and 1 had brought Rollins along TO
GctaS my second. Twas not disappointed,
few hours after the Gaming, l got a
challenge. We fixed a place in Indiana
Just over the river and the time was the
next Gay. When we got there We found
grca. mob OF Declarey'S friends on the
ground, and General Rollins refused TO
allow the fight to go on. We thereUpon
chose smother place, but DeClarey's mob
followed US there. The next day was to
have been my wedding day, and had to
go 90 meet TO. DeClaTey wanted me 20
come back after was married, but de-
Citedly objected 60 breaking up my
honeymoon in this way. He afterward
said that he intended 10 cowhide ne the
first time be saw me, and 1 went TO
Louisville 60 give him q chance. l went
20 his hotel, but he was not in the din
ing-rOOu and had not yet come 20 din
ner. l waited for an hour, but he did
not come, and then went In TO the din
ing-rOom and leaned against the pillar,
intending 90 wait for him. As l stood
there ] heard some one rise behind me.
] turned and saw Declarey. BE was IS
pale as death and l saw the dOminiC6 In
him. He did not hold my eve, but got
10 and went out. I Staid for short
time longer, sud, finding that he did not
intend to fight, went back home. A man
who acted IN this way could not ST that
time be respected ia Kentucky and De
clarey committed suicide the next even
ing by cutting his arteries"
TEE CLAY-MARSUALL FEUD.
It is curious thing, unused General
Clay IS he p0ked up the dying emberS
Of the ire into a glow, that man will
have the bravery 70 commit suicide and
yet not have enough physical courage
10 fight. have heard OF q number Of
such instances in my life. 1t was so
with Tom Marshall, who was so famous
as IA orator IN Kentucky. There has
been for years feud between the Clays
and the MarShalls. Henry Clay, you
know, had q duel with Humphrey Mar
shall, and Tom Marshall and myself
were enemies for years. My first trouble
with hin was at the time l was the edi-
TOR Of the True american, and Tom Mar
shall headed the mob which was raised