Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-13
H, CLAY KING DOOMED.
Little Hope Left for the Distinguished
Murderer of D. Il. P0sten.
ALL DECISIONS ARE AGAINST HIM,
The Supreme Court Saying That he Must
Hang for His Crime.
REVENGE TO BE METED OUT BY THE LAW

MEMPHIS, July 12-Colonel H. Cla,
| King, the murderer of David H. Posten
| arrived in the city last evening from Jack
son after the decision of the Supreme Cour
| was rendered affirming the sentence of death
/ passed on him by the lower court. The
sentence of the Court fixes the date of exc
cution at August IL. Colonel King re.
fused to talk, further than to say that he
expected the law to take its course that he
favored no petition for communication OF
pardon, and that he was prepared to die,
though he denounced the decision of the
Court as an infamous outrage and O judicial
murder.
March 10, 1891, Colonel King shot David
Fl. Posten on Main street at noontide.
The wounded man was removed to the
private infirmary of Mitchell & Maury,
where he died the following evening. The
killing was one of most romantic stories
ever told.
In 1884 Colonel King was engaged as the
attorney of Mrs M. E. Pillow. widow of
Gideon E Pillow, known to fame as the
hero of the Pillow massacre on the Missis-
sippi river. Mrs Pillow was a handsome,
well-preserved woman of 40 when Colonel
King met her.
Prominence Of tho Murderer.
He was a lawyer prominent in his pro-
fession, the author of several law books; for
u years Attorney General Of the State of
Tennessee, distinguished as a soldier, he
being the gallant cavalry leader of King
Cavalry during the war. Soon Colonel
King found it convenient to move his
residence to Lee county, Ark, where he
owned 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 Pillow moved to
Memphis, whereupon Colonel King sent his
family to the Arkansas plantation, himself
remaining here, boarding with Mrs Pillow,
to whom he rented the house, his family
having moved out What the relations of
Colonel King and Mrs. Pillow were can
only be guessed at. On the trial of Colonel
King that question was asked him on the
witness stand. Assuming dramatic atti-
tude he said to the Attorney General in
reply: "You have doubtless read David
Copperfeld;' you remember he was un-
happily married; that he loved another with
pure love, hoping when his wife died to
make her his second wife. Mrs. Pillow was
my Agnes; was her David"
His Agnes Wouldn't Trust Him.
But his Agnes was afraid to trust him,
and when, under her behest, he transferred
to her all his property in Lee county on the
condition that she would not record the
transfer, she violated her part of the agree
ment by doing so. This was the beginning
of the disagreement which followed. The
end was that Colonel King filed suit
against Mrs Pillow, asking that she be
compelled to vacate the plantation, on the
ground that no consideration was given.
This suit was kept out Of the papers for
months, and when at length it was pub
lished, it created q tremendous sensation.
Following the publication Mrs Pillow filed
a cross bill containing the most sensational
matter imaginable. Among other things
was the charge that Colonel King had heard
matters concerning his wife from n negro
that would enable him to procure divorce
from her. This paragraph furnished the ex-
cuse which led to the tragedy which tol-
lowed.
Mrs Pillow had employed David II.
Posten to prosecute her suit. March 10,
1891, b. Clay King shot Posten. The next
day he said he had shot in defense of his
wife's honor, and cited the paragraph in
question to support his statement.
A Dersns. on Several Points,
In the trial that followed the defense was
self-defense, provocation and insanity, and
the strange spectacle was presented of a
lawyer and author, whose own books were
quoted on the trial, occupying the witness
of the ablest criminal lawyers of the State,
and yet his defense was insanity. The trial
lasted 80 days, and resulted In a conviction,
the jury remaining 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
line of defense and took the wind out of his
sails, so that at the last moment Colonel
King refused to speak.
Chief Justice Turney was taken i'll after
the hearing, and no decision was rendered
for three weeks. It was adverse to the
prisoner in every point raised, Justice
Snodgrass alone dissenting.
Perhaps the case stands alone In the his
tory OF criminals in the State. Although
16 months have elapsed since the murder,
public indignation has increased rather than
diminished, and when a petition was cir
culated asking for q Communication to i'm
prisonment for life, straightwav another pc
tition was gotten out, beseeching the Gov
ernor not to interfere, and the latter petit
tion has two signers to the others one.
Revenge Secured Through the Law.
The four brothers of Posten, came out in
card setting forth that their first idea was
revenge, that having finally agreed to let
the law take its course they were satisfied
with the conviction and begging all good
citizens not to sign the petitions asking ex-
ecutive clemency.
1t is almost certain that Governor Bu-
chanan will not interfere. King does not
expect it, the people want to see the law
enforced, and there is little doubt that
Colonel King will swing on the 18th day of
August next, in which case he will be the
first so distinguished a victim of the laws
vengeance since the case of DR.. Webster, of
Boston, back in the ffties.