The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-03-13
A FOUL CRIME.
One Prominent Memphis Attorney
Kills Another.

MEMPHIS, March 1O.-Henry Clay
King, one of the brightest lawyers al
| the Tennessee Bar, is pacing in cell al
the county Jail, his hands still wet with
| the blood of a fellow attorney whom he
murdered to-day in the open street III
| the presence of scores of people, and he
knows that only the strong walls and
| iron framework of the prison saves him
from the summary vengeance OF his
| victims friends, and all because OF d
! woman who lured him from the path OF
| honor, wrecked his happiness and for
| tune and left him to add to his folly the
guilt of assassination.
The woman is Mrs. Mary J. Pillow
widow of Gen. Gideon j. Pillow, who
| won distinction in the war with Mexico
| and who, fifteen years later, p ned the
way to the diememberment OF the Con
| federacy by surrendering Fort DoneI-
| son to Grant.
Mrs. Pillow is about A. years OIL and
| looks to be not over 30. She is wO-
man of queenly presence, finely edu
Gated and of the most fascinating man
| ners, She has the daring of Bern
hardt, with the wit and polish Of a
Reoamier. She was known to be
"risky" and women of her own social
rank gradually drew away from hel
after her husbands death, but nothing
positively wrong was proven against
her until she met Ii. Clay King, fouI
years ago.
1t was a chance meeting in Kings
own Office, where she had called to con-
suit his partner on "A matter OF business.
He was captivated at first sight. His
eyes devoured where she sat, and his
manner instantly became so pro-
nounced as TO attract the attention OF
partner and the charming widow her
self.
From that moment he was her slave.
He was never satisfied when absent
from her side, and she encouraged his
| attentions. Finally, his infatuatiOn
caused him to throw OFT all disguise.
He deserted his wife and children to go
and "board" at her house, and when
the scandal became so notorious that it
could no longer be Outfaced, he took
the widow to his plantation in Lee
County, Ark, where they kept house
together. Mrs. Pillows youngest child
| a girl of II years, the only Otner white
member of the household. They
claimed to be partners in interest in the
plantation and it was given out that
which to run the place, In the course
of time Mrs. Pillow gained such an in
fiuence over King that he decided to her
all of his property, not even excepting
the house in this city occupied by his
family. 1t seems to have been a "merrY
bond" like that which Antonio gave to
the Jew of Venice, and not intended to
be made matter of record. But Mrs.
Pillow had ideas of business which
would not permit her to throw away
SuCH al opportunity 10 PROVIDE against
a rainy day. She took the deeds and
privately caused them to be recorded.
When King found this out he was
wild with rage and there was terrible
scene between the two. The result was
that Mrs. Pillow ordered him Off her
plantation and he was forced to go.
Even after this he tried 30 renew his
relations with her. She refused his ad-
vances, and then he brought suit in the
Arkansas courts and the Chancery
{ IF a q IN NH ia a hi
erty. Then the whole wretched story
came out in the pleadings. The Ava
lanche and the Appeal published it and
KING sued both papers for $4,000
damages. The suits, however, came to
nothing,
The efforts of King to turn back on
his bargain with Mrs. Pillow are still
pending in the courts. Mrs. Pillows
counsel are Pos on Il PoSton, law firm
composed of DAVID IL. Poston and his
also counsel for the Memphis Il Charles
ton Railroad and among the leading
members of the Tennessee Bar.
The older brother has conducted the
| defense for Mrs. Pillow. He is of an ag-
greSslVe nature, and though not at all
| quarrelsome is given TO plainness OF
| speech, In the conduct of the case he
1 was very severe on King, and the latter
! became very deeply incensed. He has
| drank a good deal since his break with
/
Last night he was drinking in a saloon
and said publicly that he Intended to
kill Dave PostOn on sight. The threat
was repeated to POston, but, being nat
urally plucky, he paid no attention to it.
To-day about 80 o'clock he came
/ down the street, swinging his big hurley
| body from side to side, and little reck-
ing of the pale, gray-halred man await
| ing BIN with 44-calibre pistol, held
ready in the pocket of his overcoat, and
! lGhklng eagerly up the street for sight
{ + h familiar form in the crowd.
| THIS man was III. Clay King. He had
not long to wait. Poston came up,
looking straight ahead of him and sus-
pecting no danger. When he was pass
| ing the door of No. 275 Main street
where King stood, the latter stepped
out and presented his left hand to Pos
! ton as if in friendly greeting. PostOn
halted and was in the act of extending
his own hand, when King whipped the
revolver out of his pocket, placed the
muzzle within few inches of his VIC
TINS body and, kissing out, "You s-of-
a-b-,n pulled the trigger.
! Hha bullet entered PostonIa ALBANIAN.