Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-11

and someone behind me stabbed me in the
| breast reaching around in front. The knife
SnIereG Snn h my nG inng; II cut apart my ybaSt
1 was killed, and determined to kill the
man who melted the mob. / grabbed my
| bowie kniie in my fingers, catching it by the
| blade and the handle and cutting the nesh
through to the bone. You can see the scars
now" and with that General Clay held out
his hand on the two fingers of which were
seen great white scars where the bowie
| knife had cut them.
well, got the knife and fourfshed it
around my head with my bloody hands.
Inc crowd disappeared as 1 cried out, geT
| out of the way, and 1 rushed for Turner. L
cut him in the abdomen, but as drew the
knife from him, almost tainted from the
loss OF blood, and fell saying died Ior tne
boy ran in with my revolvers but it was zoo
late ana could not use them.
WHAT NORTHERN PEOPLE said.
"The crowd thought I was dead and this
| saved my life. They carried me home and
lay between life and death for some days.
L did not think 1 was going to die, ana
would not let the doctor touch me. would
not let them change my clothes, and lay
for days drenched in blood. After some
time, however, began to mend, my wounds
healed and got well again. As for Turner,
he died
"This affray caused much discussion among
the Abolitionists of the North, and not few
of them criticised me not little severely
for fighting. They thought ought to have
submitted and let them kill me, and DR..
Bailey, the editor of paper in Washington,
said would have done great deal OF GOOD
to the cause if I. had died. and remarked
that the blood of the faithful is the seed of
the church,"
As he said this rather humorous but vim
dictive smile spread over General Gays
face, and he paid his respects to the New
England Abolitionists in language that was
both emphatic and graphic. He referred
also to the ingratitude of the negro for the
whites, and 1 asked him as to the killing OF
Perry White.
KILLED IN sELF-DEFRNsE.
General Clay has perhaps done more for
the negro than any other man in the South.
He freed his slaves and fought for the abo-
lition of slavery, when no other man dared
to speak or act for them. After the War was
over he came back to Kentucky and lived
quietly IT White Hall, devoting his chief
time to study. He had with him his adopted
son, Launey Clay, q little boy of four, whom
he brought with him from Russia, and he
lived alone with Launey and his servants at
White Hall.
His servants robbed him right and left.
They stole his silver and his furniture, and
systematically plundered his plantation.
They poisoned his son and attempted to
poison him, and when he DISCHARGED them
warned him to keep off of the place.
White left, but sent letters saying he in
tended to kill Clay. One morning, when out
riding, General Clay saw him on his planta-
tion, concealed in the woods. General Clay
jumped from his horse and, believing that
the negro intended to kill him, drew his re-
volver, got the drop on him and told him to
throw up his hands He then began to give
threatened his life, when Perry White put
down bis hands and
JERKED OUT HIS PISTOL.
General Clay then fired and struck the
negro in the neck. He fired a second time
and shot him through the heart. He was
tried for the shooting, but was acquitted on
the ground of selfdefense. 1 walked with
General Clay over the place where the shoot
ing occurred. 1t was within u stones throw
of the house, and the General said that he
had no doubt that he would have been
dead man il he had not killed White.
General Clayis now nearly 50 years OF age,
But he is still n dangerous man to fool with.
Quiet i'll his mien and gentle in his converse
tion, he would resent an insult as quickly
to-day as when he was in his prime. and in
self defense, am sure he would he equal to
two average men of half his years. 1t is
now only a few years ago since he came
very near having duel with Julian Haw
thorne, the novelist. Hawthorne had re-
viewed n copy of General Clays memoirs.
and in his review had criticised Clay se-
verely, and had discussed the subject of the
chastity of his wife. Said General Clay: 81
was very angry. l did not believe that
could make anything out of the man by
suing him, and / determined to make him
apologize or fight.
BROUGHT HAWTHORNE TO TIME.
81 wrote to Colonel W. G. Terrell, of WASH
ington, asking him to act as my second, and
1 also wrote to Whitelaw Reid inclosing a
letter to Hawthorne, which asked him to
cl E ia aloti I'd Ho
were such that he could do so without affect
ing them. In this letter 1 told Mr.. Haw-
thorne that the article which he had pub
lished concerning me, in which he had used |
the name of my wife, was false, and that he |
had attributed language in that article to |
me which had never uttered, and that 1 |
demanded an unequivocal retraction of |
everything he had said about her in the a.
ticle and that this retraction should be so |
published that it would have as wide o cir |
culation as his article had had.
81 told him that would give him an op-
portunity of withdrawing his allegations, |
and my letter was so written that between |
the lines you could see that l meant he |
them. Well, 1 sent the letter to Mr.. Reid. |
He replied that he was 4 friend of Haw- |
and that he could not publish the |
letter, but that he would refer it to Haw-
thornr. Hawthorne got the letter and ap-
preciated the situation. He wrote retrac-
ton that was perfectly satisfactory and pub |
liShed it. This ended the matter.
WOULD HAVE SHOT HIM.
"Had he not done SO would have chal- |
Ienged him, and if he had refused to accept |
the challenge would have shot him on the |
streets. As to what his article said about |
me, did not care. 1t was bitter and unjust, |
but am accustomed to such attacks. did |
object, however, to what he said about my |
family, and made him retract his remarks |
my wife"
By this time the fire had burned low in the !
great open fireplace. The hands of the clock |
on the mantel pointed to the hour of Il, and |
The General arose, and gave me light tell
ing me he thought it was time for US to re- |
tire. Before leaving 1 asked. him what he |
thought of the Code Duello. He replied:
81 am opposed to it on principle, and |
think it is u savage way of settling diff |
GUILTY, but there are some cases for which it |
seems to be the only remedy, and don't |
know whether it is good thing or not. In |
Ill my life l have never courted aQuarrel, |
md in the case of Tom Marshall he began |
the feud by attacking me at Lexington. 1 |
believe it is mans duty to defend himself |
when attacked, and such encounters as 1 |
have had have been brought about by |
my enemies. FRANK G. CARPENTER.