The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-07


THE seconds would not permit this, ava
we left the ground without rec0ncllls-
ti0n or an apology on either side. Al L
look over the ma ter now. l don't believe
that our seconds had loaded The pistol :
with balls, and did not see how L couid
have missed.
@WeIl, Wicklffe here had the worst OF
the fieht, and during the canvass for Con-
gress l was making very good Opposi-
lion to him, much to the disgust oil the
Pro-Slavery party. He had handbil
which he read during lis speech. we had
our speeches together. and when ne
brought out this bill l always arose and
asked if might interrupt him. He would
politely consent. and l would then say the
handbiII he had read was untrue ana had
been proven so.
"The pro-slavery men got tired of this,
and they decided TO kill me. The sent Tor
Sam Brown, who was one of the most
noted DULLES in Kentucky. 1t is said that
he had had forty fights and had never 1851
a battle. Brown came. and he and WICK
life, fellow named Jacob Ashton and
Ben Wood. police bully, held a consulta-
tinn at which they loaded pistol which
Brown was to use on me next day. L
knew nothing of this, and l had not my
dueling-pislol with me. l interrupted
WIckliffe as usual, and as l did so Brown
struck me with his umbrella and told me
that my statement was lie.
Il saw at once that 1t meant fight, and
when recognized Brown | knew 1t meant
a fight to the death. l had long, sharp
bowle-knife in the breast of my coat, and
lerked this out, but before | could strike
Browns friends grabbed my arms from
behind and hauled me back about nlteen
feet from Brown. Brown pulled his
revolver and told them 10 get out OF the
way and lei him kill me. The crowd go'
back and | stood alone. Brown had MS
pistol pointed at me and l started toward
him.
Il could see him looking along the barrel
of the revolver. He took aim and walled
until be thought ] was close enough TO give
him sure shot and then fired. l 1elt the
ball strike me in the breast and thought
it had gone through me. and l determined
toskill him if | could before died. l came
down on his head with a tremendous blow
of the bowie-knife. but did not split open
the skull. struck him again and again,
and stunned him so that he was not able
to fire.
with one cut of the knife sliced his
nose right in two, so that it separated 10
the middle and came out as fiat as pam
cake. With another blow l cut off his ear
so that it hung by shred, and with
third | put out his eye. The cOnsplrators
seized me and | was struck with hlck-
DRY sticks and chairs, some Of the blows
of which l still feel.
II broke loose from my captors and
again made for Brown, and they, to keep
him out of my way, picked him up and
threw him over stone fence about seven
feet high, and this ended the fight.
Though | was the assaulted party, they
afterward tried me for mayhem, and at
his trial Brown confessed the conspiracy
and Henry Clay defended me.
'Of course | was not convicted, but l
felt very friendly to Brown and wrote him
a note thanking him for his evidence and
telling him l was willing to he friends
with him If he cared 10 be so. lie refused,
however to bury The Ratchet, and when l
remem bered bis condition Ibid not wonder
at it. The doctors had patched him up
pretty we'll. but he was a horrible looking
object, and l expected that he would insist
upon a duel with me or would attack me
and have his revenge. l met him several
times after. however, and be never touched
me- l have no doubt that he stayed in
Lexington intending to kill me, but the
probability is that he had not the moral
courage to attack me-"
"Where did Browns ball strike you,
geneTal?
az struck me just over the heart" re-
piled General Clay, land | would have
been killed but for one thing. The Scab-
bard of my bowie-knife was tipped with
this scabbard up so that 1t was just over
my heart. Browns bullet struck the sca6-
bard and i'm bedded itself in the silver, and
we found the ball there. There was red
spot just over my heart. and the whole
seemed almost providential."
Although General Clay never travelled
without brace of pistols in his satcheI,
his favOrite weapon was a bowie-knIfe,
which he always carried concealed under
his coat. Duliug a fight at a political
meeting once he was stabbed in the lung.
He drew his bowie-knife and rushed upon
tlo ,l,n h-d ~
outbreak. The crowd got 2pt of his way,
and he found clear path to the man woo
had melted the others TO riot. With a
shout OF anger he plunged the knife into
the mans abdomen, and then, eXclaiming
Il die for my country" he fell fainting TO
the floor. he WAS carried home, and for
many days hung between life and death.
Upon the day that he was able for the first
time to leave his bed the man whom he had
stabbed died.
General CIay's political career, his
speeches. his election 10 the Kentucky
Legislature, his part, as Minister to Rus
STA, in bringing about the annexation of
Alaska. all belong to the history of the
nation. The few incidents above mar
rated belong exclusively TO himself and
Miss Dora Richardson.
When asked on one occasion how he
had managed to preserve his health so
long. he said:
using spirits, tea or coffee seldom and to-
bacco never. l can hardly say that l have
changed any of my habits absolutely. | sit
under trees, hold communion with flowers,
trees and bird. | read much; my favor
ties are OF the school of Burns and Dick
ems in light literature. l always require
nine hours of sleep, and 60 over that now
rather than fall below.
my father, Green Clay, never allowed
his children TO be aroused from slnmber,
but left the time 10 nature. All animals
incline 10 sleep after eating, yet night is a
bad time to eat too much or unsafe food.
The SpaEiards well said fruit was golden
in the morning, silver at noon and lead at
night. L assign my healthy old age to
life spent in the open air. 1t is not the
night air which hurts, but the full air of
close rooms, when the oxygen is exhausted
and foul elements left in rlace. 1 have a
good head of white hair-I rarely wear a
hat. l excelled in most sports of my time
running, wrestling. scuffling. handy.
baseball, jumping. dancing. riding and ali
that. Modern athletics, dependent upon
training l think a great mistake. The
animal force should be regula ly and ju-
diciOusly developed and sustained. Most
persons sci me down as likely to reach 100
years! Blu can hardly hope for that, as
init yDff ar1