Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-03-11
PILLOWS WIDOW.
a Story of Illicit Love, Hatred
and Bloodshed.
OOWARDLY MURDER OF A LAWYER.

Shot Down without Warming nv the On,s
Lover of the Ex-Confederate Generals
hehct - Beautiful Woman Who
kuined Man and Then Cast Him or
LAlsation Develops Hate in Place of
Love and Brings q Brilliant Man to n
Felons' Cell
MEMPHIS. Tenn, March ll.-Mr. David
II. Poston,a prominent lawyer of this city,
was yesterday shot and MORALLY wounded
oy Col. Ii. Clay King. a well-known citi-
hen' ana also member of the Memphis
par AS Col. King was standing in front
Oh Lees cigar store on May street. MIR.
Poston came along. When he reached
King, the latter. without a word of warn
ing, placed pistol against Mr.. Poston's
aouomen and fired. The wounded man
staggered blindly for few seconds, when
friends rushed to his assistance and car
RED him into a restaurant. King stood
still, pistol in hand, and was arrested a
lew minutes later.
causes That Led to the Murder.
Inc causes which led to the shooting
nave their origin in the lawsuit which
mas become case celebrated in both Ten
heSSee and Arkansas judicial annals, and
TO which III. Clay King and Mrs. Gideon
.. Pillow, widow of Gideon j. Pillow, of
tort Pillow fame, were the principals.
Inc litigation has been pending for a
NUMBER OF years, and grew out of certain
transactions between these parties with
regard to Arkansas lands, Mrs. Pillow
hn 10
signed by King and which he claimed
were never executed Us far as delivery was
concerned, alleging that she obtained sur
reptitious possession of them.
Fell in Love with the Widow.
Mrs. Pillow is about As years old and
looks 30. She is a woman of aueenly pre-
sence, finely educated and of the most
fascinating manner. She has the daring
of a Bernhard with the wit and polisb of
Recamier. She was known to be
1risque." and women of her own social
rank gradually drew away from her after
her husbands death, but nothing posi-
lively wrong was proved against her until
she met Henry Clay King, four years ago.
1t was chance meeting in Kings own
Office, where she had called to consult his
III
captivated at first sight, and from that
moment was her slave.
King Deserts His Wife.
He was never satisfied when absent
from her side, and she encouraged his at
tentions. Finally his infatuatiou caused
him to throw off all disguise He desert
ed his wife and children to go and board
at her house, and when the scandal be-
came so notorious that it could no longer
be outfaced he took the widow to his plan
tation in Lee county, Arkansas, where
they kept house together. Mrs Pillows
youngest child, girl of II years, was the
| only other white member of the house
| hold.
Made Her Liaison Paw
In the course of time Mrs Pillow gained
such an influence over King that he deed
ed her all his property, not even excepting
the house in this city occupied by his de-
serted family. 1t seems that the deed was
| not intended to be made matter of rec
| ord, but Mrs. Pillow had ideas of bu..-
ness which would not permit her to throw
away such an opportunity to provide
against rainy day. She took the deeds
and quietly caused them to be recorded.
When King found this out he was will
| with rage, and there was terrible scene
| between the two.
Discarded Her Paramount.
The result was that Mrs. Pillow or
| dered him off her plantation and he was
| forced to go. Even after this he tried to
| renew his relations with her, but she re-
fused his advances, and then he brought
| suit in the Arkansas courts and the chan
Gerry court at Memphis to recover his
property. Then the whole wretched story
came out in the pleadings. The two local
papers published it and King sued both
for $50, 600 damages. The suits. however,
came to nothing, and the suits of King to
recover his property from Mrs. Pillow are
still pending in the courts.
Threats Against the Victim.
The firm of Poston 6, Poston was coun-
sci for Mrs. Pillow, and has prosecuted
her title vigorously. A very bitter feeling
| was aroused between the parties to the
litigation Kings bitterness against Mrs.
Pillow was in a measure transferred D
David Poston, the leading counsel Mon
day night King was drinking in saloon
and said publicly that he intended 70
shoot Dave Poston on sight. The threat
was repeated to Poston, but, being
plucky, he paid no attention to it.
United to His wronged Wife.
When King was taken to Jail his first
request was for a bottle of whisky; his srr-
ond for his much wronged but still loving
wife, She visited him and an affecting
scene took place between the two, thus
reunited under the shadow of the gal
lows Mr.. Poston's family is one of
the most prominent in the city and we'll
known Throughout: the south. Col. III.
Clay King served with distinction in the
Confederate army, is a brilliant lawyer,
and is the author of Kings digest of Tie
laws of Tennessee, which was for a long
time a standard work.
Sale of Tho Minneapolis Tribune.