The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-12-12
CASsTUS M. CLAY.
Some Interesting Reading About the
Venerable Crank.
From the Buffalo Express.

From the Buffalo Express.
Cassius NJ. Clay. the Kentucky octo-
genarian. who has made a sensation by
marrying his l5-year-old ward, Is one
Of the strangest characters living IN
the United States to-day. | do not be
lieve many persons ever had the pa
tience to read through his book of rem
iniscences of his life, though IT would
well repay perusal by any person IN
terested in studying a singular man.
[ never read an autobiography IN
which the author SO plainly laid bare
his own faults by the painful anxiety
he showed TO hide or explain them. Ii
is a case of man being the worst wit
ness against himself Cassius VI. Clay
has been a queer mixture OF great per-
sonal bravery, heroic devotion 20 prin-
ciple and inordinate vanity. One cam
not speak too highly of the courage OF
n man who dared to be an advocate of
anti-slavery views in the dark and
bloody ground of Kentucky during
the exciting times which preceded the
war. Anti-slavery orators were being
mobbed then in the northern states.
What reception must anti-SiaVery or
ator have expected in slavery's own
domain? Clay's position was not so
much friendliness for the blacks as
friendliness for the poor whites lie
held that slavery was a worse blight to
the white laborers of the south than TO
the slaves. 1t was among the poor
whites that he found his sympathizers
and followers.
He was ~ combative as the most
typical Kentuckian, and seemed to
seek rather than avoid personal con-
flict. For more than twenty years he
carried his life in his hand, and the
fact that he was not assassinated was
probably due TO fear of his proves.
The man who tried to kill him was
more likely to be killed himself
Aside from his fight against slavery
there is. however, little in his career TO /
admire. His record at the Court of
Russia was smirched with scandals /
which finally led to his recall, and 1
which resulted in his wife securing a 4
divorce. The pittiless frankness with /
which he airs his dirty family linen in
his book is calculated to disgust and
horrifv the reader. 1t is a wonder 10
me that his children did not prevent |
the publication. TO be sure, he denies |
most emphatically the principal charg-
- which were made against him, bat |
one cannot help feeling he protests too
much. 4 few years after his return |
from Russia, and when the separation
from his wife had been accomplished, !
he sent for an ilIegitimate son who had
been born to him while he was the
American Minister TO 1t. Petersburg,
and this Russian child was reared in
his lonely kentucky home.
one smiles in reading his book to
hear the author boast that he saved
Washington from capture by the reb-
els. and that this was service enough
TO the Union cause and excused him
from entering the army. II Is ANUS
ING. too. TO read of the high political
honors TO which he believed he was
entitled, and could have had but for
the jealous opposition of enemies. The
Vice Presidency, the Secretaryship of
War and the command of one of the
Union armies were among the places
TO which his deserts entitled him in
his own opinion.
1t would not surprise me if this lat
est escapade should move his children
TO take steps to have him declared in
sane. His eecentricities for many
wear. certainly have been such a to
warrant an inquiry into his mental
balance.