Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1892-07-28
FACE TO FACE WITH DEATH.
COL. H. CLAY KING UNDER THE
SHADOW OF THE GALLONS.
The End Of Sensational Trial at Mem.
phis by which a Wealthy Tennesseean
will Lose His Life-The Murderer
Resigned to His Fate.
New York Sun.l

ton, sentenced TO be hanged on Aug
ust u, refused 10 talk to-day further
than to say that he expected the law
to take It's course; that he favored
no petition for Communication or par
ann, and that he is prepared to die.
denounced the decision OF the
court, however, as an infamous out
rage and a judicial murder.
On March 10, 1891, Col. King
shot David H. Poston on Main street
at noon. The wounded man was
removed to The private intirmary OF
Mitchell & Maury, wl:ere he died the
following afternoon. In 1884 Col.
King was engaged as the attorney OF
MIS-. NJ. Z. Pillow, the widow of
Gen. Gideon Z. Pillow Mrs Pillow
was handsome, well-preserved
woman of forty when Col. King met
her. He was q lawyer prominent in
his profession, the author of several
law books; for twelve years had
been Attorney General of the State
of Tennessee, and was distinguished
as soldier, having been the gallant
cavalry leader of Kings cavalry dur
ING the war.
Soon Col King fou d it convent
ent to move his residence to Lee
county, Arkansas, where he owned a
valuable plantation, which he leased
to Mrs. Pillow He left his family
in Memphis, however, and Scandal
coupled his name with that of Mrs.
Pillow. Three years later Mrs. Pil--
low moved to Memphis. Col. King
then sent his family to the Kansas
plantation, remaining here himself
and boarding with Mrs. Pillow, to
whom he rented the house out of
vhich his family had moved.
On the trial c"oe';an as to the
elation between Co. King and Mrs.
'illow was asked, and Col King,
4ssuming a dramatic attlta1c, said
,sYou have doubtless read Dayid
Copperfeld. 1cu rememeer he was
aahapPi''y married: CHAT he loved
another with pure love, hoping when
his wife died to make her his second
wife. Mrs. Pillow was my Agnes,
David
But his Agnes was afraid to trust
him, ana ..hen at herbehest he trans
ferred to her all his property in Lee
county on The condition that she
would not record the transfer, she
violated her part Of the agreement
by dong 50. This was the begin
Ming Of the disagreement which fol-
lowed. The end was that Col. King
flied suit against Mrs. Pillow, ask
ing that She be compelled to vacate
.he plantation, on the ground that no
consideration was given. This suit
was kept out of the newspapers for
months, and when at length it was
published it created a tremendous
sensation.
Following the publication Mrs.
Pillow fled cross bill containing,
among otoer charges, one that Col.
King had heard stories concerning
his wife from negro that would
enable him to procure divorce from
her. This insult to pure woman
Col. King resented, and this para
.aph furnished the excuse which led
to the tragedy which followed. Mrs.
Pillow bad employed David II. Pos
ton to prosecute her suit. On March
10, 1891, Col King shot PoSton.
TIE .S,u, correspondent accompa-
MED the murderer to jail few min
utes later, and asked him if he had
anything to say. He replied that he
would make statement later. The
next day he said he had shot in
defence of his wife's honor, citing
the paragraph in question in support
of his statement In the trial that
followed the defence was self-defence,
provocation and insanity, and the
strange spectacle was presented Of a
lawyer and author whose own books
were quoted on the trial. He cccu-
pied the witness stand for two days,
successfully battling the shrewdest OF
two of the ablest criminal lawyers OF
the State, and yet his defence was
insanity
The trial lasted thirty-three days
and resulted IN q conviction The
jury was out only two hours. He
appealed to the Supreme Court, and
it was given out that he would argue
his own case. Attorney General
Pickles got wind of his plan of
defence, and so took the wind Of his
sails that at the last moment Col.
Ring refused to speak. Chief JUS
tice Turney was taken i'll after the
hearing and no decision was rendered
for three weeks. 1t was adverse to
the prisoner on every point raised,
Justice Snodgrass alone dissenting.
Although sixteen months have
elapsed since the murder, public
indignation has increased rather than
diminished, and when a petition was
circulated asking for commutation
to Imprisonment for life another petit
ton was at once signed asking the
Governor not to interfere. The lat