Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-10


''Well. Wickliffe here had the worst OF the
fight. and during the canvass for Congress l
making very good opposition to him.
much 10 the disgust of the pro-slavery partv
He had a handbill which he read during his
speech We had our speeches together, and
when he brought ont this bill always rose and
asked If | might interrupt him. He would po-
iltely consent. and 1 would then say that the
handful he had Just read was untrue and had
been proven SO. The pro-savery men got tired
of this and they decided to Kill me. They sent
for Sam Brown. who was one of the most noted
DULLES of Kentucky. 1t is said that he had had
forty fights and had never lost a battle. Brown
came and he and Wickliffe. a fellow named
Jacob Ashton and Ben Wood. police bully.
held a consultation, at which they loaded a
pistol which Brown was to Use upon me the
next day. 1 knew nothing of this and had
not my dueling pistols with me. l inter-
rupted Wickliffe. usual. and as / did
SO Brown struck me with his umbrella
AMI told me tina: my statement was id
lie. saw at once that it meant fight and
when / recognized Brown knew il meant
fight to the death. l had long, sharp bowie
knife in the breast of my coat. and 1 jerked
this out. but before / could strike Browns
friends grabbed my arms from behind and
hauled me back ABOUT fifteen feet from Brown.
Brown now pulled his revolver and told them
TO get out of the way and to let him kill me.
The crowd got back and stood alone Brown
udu uiN IiStoi pOlnttu IL me anu L started To-
ward him. l could see him looking along the
barrel of the revolver. He took aim and
waited until he thought was close enough to
give him a sure shot and then fired. felt the
ball strike me in the breast and thought it
had gone through me. and determined to kill
him if l could before died.
IsrABBxD HIM.
81 came down on his head with tremendous
blow with the bowie knife, but did not split
open his skull I struck again and again end
stunned him so that he was not able to fire.
With one cut of the knife sliced his nose right
III two. so that il separated in the middle and
came out as fiat as pan cake. With another
blow 1 cut of his ear, so that il hung BIZ
shred. and with q third put out his eve The
conspirators now seized me and was struck
with hickory sticks and chairs, some of the
blows of which l still feel. / broke loose from
my captors and again made for Brown. and
they. TO keep him out of my way. picked him
mp and threw him over a stone fence about
seven feet high, and this ended the fight
Though / was the assaulted party. they after
wards tried me for mayhem. and at
this trial Brown confessed the conspiracy
and Henry Clay defended me. OF course was
not convicted but felt very friendly to Brown
and wrote him a note thanking him for mis- evil
dence, and telling him l was willing to be
friends with him If he cared 20 be So He re-
fused. however. to bury the Ratchet, and when
l remembered his condition / did not wonder
we'll but he was horrible looking object. and
i expected that he would insist upon a duel
with me would attack me and have his re-
yenge. / met him several times efterward
however. and he never touched me- have no
doubt that lac stayed in Lexington intending
to kill me. hut the probability is that he had
not the courage to attack me-"
Where did Browns ball strike you, gen.
eral?' said l.
1T struck me just over the heart" replied
eien- Clay, and 1 would have been killed but
Tor one thing. The scabbard of my bowie
knife was tipped with silver, and in jerking the
knife l pulled this scabbard up so that it was
Just over my heart Browns bullet struck the
| scsobard and Embedded itself in the silver and
| we found the bail there. There was A red suot
1iist over my heart, and the whole seemed
| almost providential.''
WITHIN An ACE OF DRArR.
After Gen. Clay said this he leaned his head
on his hand and looked for some moments into
! the IRE in deep Thought. He was apparently