The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-09

fight, and during the canvass for congress
L was making a very good opposition to
him, much to the disgust of the pro-slav-
cry party. He had a handful which he
read during his speech. We had our
speeches together and when he brought
out this bill l always arose and asked if
1 might interrupt him. He would polite
ly consent, and 1 would then say the hand
bill he had read was untrue and had been
proven So
The pro-slavery men got tired of this
and they decided to kill me. They sent
for Sam Brown, who was one of the most
noted DULLES in Kentucky. 1t is said that
ne had had forty fights and had never lost
a battle. Brown came, and he and Wick
llfte, a fellow named Jacob Ashton and
Ben Wood, police bully, held cousulta-
ton, at which they loaded a pistol which
Brown was to use on me the next day.
Knew nothing of this, and 1 had not my
duelllng pistol with me. / interrupted
Wickliffe as usual and as 1 did so Brown
struck me with his umbrella and told me
that my statement was a lie
L saw at once that it meant fight, and
when [ recognized Brown 1 knew it meant
a hight to the death. l had long, sharp
bowie knife in the breast of nv coat, and
Jerked this out, but before could strike
Browns friends grabbed nv arms from
feet from Brown. Brown now pulled his
revolver and told them to get out of the
way and let him kill me- The crowd got
back and l stood alone. Brown had his
pistol pointed at me and l started toward
him.
i could see him looking along the bar
rel of the revolver. He took aim and wait
ed until he thought l was near enough to
give him sure shot, and then fred
felt the ball strike me in the breast and I
thought 1t had gone through me, and de-
termlned to kill him if l could before 1
died. L came down on his head with a
tremendous blow of the bowie knife. but
did not split open his skull l struck him
again and again, and stunned him so that
he was not able to fire.
with one cut of the knife 7 SLICED his
nose right in two, so that it separated in
the middle and came out as fiat as a pan
cake. with another blow I cut off his ear.
so that 1t hung by a shred, and with a
third L put out his eye. The conspirators
now s!ezed me, and l was struck with
hickory sticks and chairs. some of the
blows of which I still feel
I broke loose from my captors and again
made for Brown, and they, to keep him
out OF my way picked him up and threw
MN over a stone fence about seven feet
nigh, and this ended the fight. Though l
was the assaulted party, they afterward
tried me for mayhem. and at this trial
Brown confessed the conspiracy and Hem
ry Clay defended me.
of course. 1 was not convicted but T
felt very friendly to Brown, and wrote
MN a note thanking him for his evidence.
ana telling him l was willing to be friends
with him If he cared to be so. He refused.
however, to bury the Ratchet, and when I
remembered his condition, did not won-
der at it, The doctors had patched him
we'll he
looking object, and 1 expected that he
would insist upon duel with me- or would
ottack me and have his revenge. I met
MN several times afterward, however.
ana he never touched me- I have no
doubt that he stayed in Lexington, in
tehdlng to Kill me, but that the probability
Is that he had not the moral courage to
attack me-"
Where did Browns ball strike YOU
general?" 800
ut struck me just above the heart 81,
replied Gen. Clay, land ! would have been
Killed but for one thing. The scabbard Of
my bowie knife was tipped with silver
and in jerking the knife pulled this scah-
bard up so that 1t was just over my heart
Browns bullet struck the scabbard and
Embedded itself in the silver, and we found
the ball there. There was a red SPOT lust
over my heart, and the whole seemed al
most providential
Although Gen. Clay never Travelled with
| out brace of pistols in his sachel, his
favor1te weapon was a bowie knife, which
| he always carried concealed under his
| coat During a fight at political meet
ing once he was stabbed in the lung.
He drew his bowie knife and rushed
upon the man, who had been responsible
| for the outbreak. The crowd got out of
| his way, and he found clear path to the
man who had melted the riot. With a
shout of anger, he plunged the knife into
the mans abdomen, and then exclaiming.
Il die for my countryr' 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