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

mother. Inc man was DOCTOR, ana MS
name was Declarey. l went TO Louisvi lie
to find him and took my friend, James S.
Rollins, who became General Rollins
during the war. with me. AS soon as l
went there | went to a cooper-shOp and
got good. tough. hickory cane. about as
thick as your finger.
"Well, sir, | saw DR.. Declarey on the
street. | went up to him and asked him if
his name was Declarey. He replied that
it was, and then | told him | would like to
have a talk with him. This was on one of
the main streets OF Louisville. and
although / in tended to cane aim | did not
intend to do it where a crowd would rush
in and prevent my giving him the punish
ment he deserved. So | quietly turned
our promenade off into a side street. 10
the meantime my friend walked along the
other side OF the street and watched me.
Wren we reached a side street l said:
'Dr. Declarey. l am Cassus NJ. Clay, about
whom you have taken the trouble to
write in this letter, and l would like to
know If you can give me any explanation
of your actiOn? He said nothing, so l
raised my cane and began to strike him.
He cried out. and crowd soon collected
but Rollins, by spreading out his arms
aad running in again and again, pretend
ing to separate us. actually kept the
crowd back until | was able to give him
coed Gaming. A few hours later | got a
challenge from HIM. We fixed place In
Indiana, just over the river and the next
day | was there on time. great mob of
Deelarey's friends were on the ground and
General Rollins refused TO allow the fight
to go on. We thereupOn chose another
place, but Declarey's mob followed us
there. The next day was my wedding
day and l had to be on hand. Declarey
wanted me to come back after | was mar
ried. but had decided objections to break
ing up my honeymoon in that way. He
afterward said hat he intended to cOwnide
me the next time he saw me, and | went
to Louisville 10 give him a chance. |
went into The dining-room of his hotel and
leaned against a pillar 10 wait for him.
A stood there l heard some Que rise be-
hind me. / turned md saw Declarey, He
was as pale as death, and | saw the coward
in his eye. He walked out of the room and
did not return. A man who acted like
that gould not in those days be respected
in Kentucky, and Declarey committed
suicide the next morning by cutting his
arteries.
Curious, isn't it." unused the general
"that man will have the bravery to COM
NIT suicide and still not have enough phy-
steal courage t. fight? ! have had num-
Der OF such instances in my lie. II was go
with Tom Marshall, who was so famous
as an orator in Kentucky. There has
been for years feud between the Claws
and the Marshalls. Henry Clay. YOU
know. had duel with Humphrey Mar
SDdil, anu ON marshall ana mYSelt were
enemies for years. My first trouGle with
him was at the time | was editor of the
True American, and Marshall headed the
mob which was raised to kill me and de-
molish the paper. Well, the mob attacked
me. but was not killed.
"Some time after his wentto the Mex
lean War as captain of Ompany of the
same regiment he was in, and | decided to
settle my trouble with him before we got
through The war. He was drunk about
half the time, and | believed ne often cu-
tivated drunkenness in order to say mean
things and not be called to account for
them. | expected to have a duel with
him, and got stone and sharpsned nv
sword until 1t shOne like silver and had an
edge like razor. 1 gave him one or two
chances to challenge me. but he did not do
so, and at last one day, when we were
pitching camp. Marshall rode into nv
Quarters. He may have been drunk and
he may have mistaken my company for his.
al any rate he came up 10 ME and
made some insulting remark. | rose and
said, Tom Marshall we NAV as well set
tie our feud. aud now is as good time as
any. Get down from your horse aud we
will fight ii out
He replied: 'Notnow Some other time
Il drew my sword and said: The
tine for men who wear swords is now
on chose your own time to mob me at
Lexington, and you are a coward if you
refrain on account II your surroundings.'
Marshall hereupon rode over 10 his
tent In few moments he came back
with his pistol. l saw him and wen into
my tent and got mine. I came out with
one in each hand. They were cooked. and
said. am ready for YOU
He was coward and he was afraid To
ire. He turned his horse and rode back TO
his tent. That same evening he tried to
drown himself in the Rio Grande River.
but the men saw him and prevented him.
He was afraid to fight, but he was not
afraid to commit suicide. Had we fought
with swords would have carved him up
like pancake"
The story of General Ciay's canvass fox
Congress against Wckliffe gives one an
insight Dot only into he fighting char ctpr
OF this flre-eaieI. but also affords peer
int tia phase of Southern life that is
now, happily, extinct. He once told the
Story to newspaper man in these words:
During the campaign Wicklitfe into
ouced my lies name into one of his
speeches. l challenged him and we fred
at ten PAGES. Both Of us missed. and