The herald., 1895-11-17

these regular interru ptions, and under
took to permanently quiet Clay. Sam
Brown, deputy internal revenue collector
under Charles Mickliffe, celebrated
| knife hghter and dead sure shot with a
gun, was selected to do the ouieting,
Neither of tho Wickliffes, it should be
noted, Knew of the conspiracy. At the
Russelps Cave meeting, when General
clay remarked politely. but decidedly,
That statement is incorrect. Mr.. Wick
life. Brown broke in with the PROPOSE
/ tion, "You are a liar" anu at tue same
time smote Mr.. Clay upon his aristocratic
head with an umbrella. Tie trouble then
bsgan. Clay reached for his bowie knife,
which he preferred at short range to a
pistol, as il would neither scatter nor
kick. Brown drew his gun and held his
hre for Clay's advance. The latter noted
this fact, and suspected for that reason
| that serious trouble was intended. He
placed his left hand over his heart and
made Jump for mis- enemy. 1t is only
thoughtful, cool person who can act as
General Clay did in that affair. The
Knife came down and the pistol ex.
ploded. Browns skull was cut to the
brain; before he struck the floor he had
been cut SIX times more. His nose had
5een slit, other deep wound traversed
his head from forehead to crown one ann
was cut half to the bone. He was hardly
sound enough to bury IN one box. All
this happened so suddenly that Browns
friends had no time to come to his res.
cue; they rallied in time to save his lie.
SEEING him before he could be dismem-
beied, they threw him over a stone wall
which lncloses the entrance to the cave.
They thought he was dead. and so think-
ing. believed that fall over a seven. foot
fence would do him no further injury.
Clay did not ESCAPE unscathed. The
ball from Browns pistol went through
his left arm. ana so heavy was the charge
that the bullet would have reached the
abolitionist's heart if it had not been for
the scabbard OF his bowie knife. In
drawing his weapo n, which hs carried in
sheath half way with it. The scab bard |
was lined with seeel, and slapped the
lead. Brown. although his brain was ex-
posed in two places, and albeit he shed q |
bucket of blood. recovered. Clay was in |
dlcted for mayhem, and when Brown |
came into court his appearance made a
TRINA facie case against the prisoner. |
He was held together by bandagss, and |
every arm and leg was in a sling. There !
was not an inch of surface on his face or !
head that did not bear a plaster. Henry |
Clay had volunteered to defend his kns- |
man. although they were not friends
politically. Mr.. Clay's matcnless elo- |
quence was not needod. The plea of self
defense was supported by Browns own |
testimony. He was sore in mind as we'll |
as frame. His baugnty soul was IN re-
volt because he had been picked up and |
dumped over fence like eack OF curn.
He ha! a fuftte r grievance in the fact
that his friends had not killed Clay after
he was out of the game. With these
things operating on his mind, Brown
told OF the conspiracy to take Ulays life
ana OF his selection TO perform this meri-
torious act. He gave names and details,
anu described the last conference at the
ha q nf fha h
pistol had been heavily charged with the
sp'cial view Of blowing a hole in tho
abolitionist. Clay was discharged and |
made overturas OF a friendly nature !
toward his enemy. Thess were not met |
half way, as Brown had by no means for
he looked for trouble from his antagonist, |
Clay never experienced any. Brown fire.
quently talked of what be aimed doing
with Clay, but he never acquired suth-
aient nerve to make the attempt. 1t
speaks well for his physical makeup that
oct OF the Russell csve difficulty to have
killed several persons, lived to mingle
with the landscape along the Mississippi |
as the result of steamboat explosion.
Another Of Gensral Claws more des.
perate battles came off At Foxtown. a
hamlet on the Richmond ami Lexington
pike, about mile from W lite Hall Oae
Turner had takeHthe fever for office and
Clay had taken the stump against him.
1t was Mr.. Clay's habit when making |
political or abolition speec1 es to carry |
the lethal weapons whe ewith he made
good his observations in small carpet |
bag. THIS he would deposit in the desk
before him so that valuable time need
not be lost. On this Foxtown occasion
Clay had progressed we'll into his sub
lect when he was interrupted by Cyrus
Turner, who said the speaker was liar.
The ball was packed with Turner ad
herents and che odds were frjghtfully |
desperate. Clay did not stop to count |
foes or reckon chances, snatching his
bowie from his sripsack be sprang over
the desk and mingled earnestly and
effectively with the Turner faction. He |
cut Cyrus Turner in the abdomen. and |
with his useful knife stabbed dozen
more-none fatally-beiort he tainted
from the loss of blood. More than one |
Turner knife had sought hi, life in the
melee. William E.Willserson, who is now
at the age of "a, was Clay's only support |
in this conflict. He realized an ear or
two and few scaips himself in the brief