The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-12-15
IT FAILED SURELY
GENERAL OLAYs EXPERIMENT IN
MATRIN0NY.

This Much Certain, Through all the Sens q
tiouaiism That May Have Been Heaped
About the Dotard Giant and HIS Corn
Fed Darling-The Old Man Won't Tall
of His Troubles ut all, and His Dora'i
| sister-in-Law Makes . Comparatively
Light Matter Of Them -Reconctiiaiior
| Possible.
New York, Dec. 14-Ther Herald says
The marriage Of old General Cassius NJ
Clay to little Dora Richardson and the
subsequent flight OF the child wife fur
nish one OF the most remarkable roman
ces Of rsal life known 70 modern times
Various rumors have come from Ken
lucky bearing upon this strange ex'
pertinent in matrimony, but they have
been vague and unsatisfactory. With
a view oe getting at the exact condition
of affairs. the Herald last week sent a
| special correspondent to the scene OF the
domestic drama, and the results of his
| investigation are here given to the pub
lie in the fullest detail.
When Pinero wrote The Second Mrs.
| Tanqueray," he grappled with the Soc
| cial problem, and f1oundered in its so
| luton. When General Cassius NJ. Clay.
at the age OF eighty-two, married thir-
teen-year-old Dora Richardson ne also
| attempted to demonstrate social prob
lem-one beset with many more viola
tions of natural laws and social Gus
toms than that envolved from the play
wright's brain. The second Mrs. Tan
queray was a woman with a past; the
second Mrs. Clay is a woman of fu-
ture. Both were out of their sphere;
both were equally impossible.
General Clay was a very old man; Dora
Richardson was a child. He was cul-
turel, a man of repUte in the affairs OF
the nation, the scion of famous family
the possessor of welth. She was litter
ate, untutored in the ways OF the world,
content amid her surroundings because
she never dreamed of anything better,
happy with he uncouth companions be
cause she was their equal
These two, extremes in every law OF
society, were married. Age could not
transform Youth, but Culture set out to
mould Ignorance. The conflict was short
but none the less decisive. Culture was
routed. The old man, who had attempt
ed to make grand lady Of his child wife
bears his sorrow and disappointment
alone in his masion. The girl returns
to the humble roof Of her people, there
to enjoy the freedom from restraint
which is essential to her nature as it is
to the widest creature OF her native
woods
1 have just returned from, the scene
of this drama of real life, with it's wealth
of what the man who makes artificial
plays would term atmosphere" or 30
cal color" have visited stately White
hall and have talked with its venera ble
master. have been to Valley View,
seven miles distant, where the girl wife
is lying i'll in the squalid little hut oc-
cupied by her brother. Clell Richard
Eon- have seen evidences OF domes-
tic romance stranger than anything
in fiction.
1t was just daybreak when left Lex
ington to drive to Whitehall-a cool,
frosty Kentucky morning. The route
was replete with reminders of the dar-
ing deeds of the old white haired war
rior. Before Lexington'S limits were
reached Ashland, the home of Henry
Clay and the,.birthplace of John NJ. Clay
his son, was passed. Alittle further on
and just opposite beautiful Lake Ell
lerslie, passed the magnificent old Ken
lucky manor house where young Rob-
ert Wickliffe was born and reared, the
man with whom General Cassius NJ.
Clay fought hrs first duel. About eight
further was passed the little village of
Athens where General Clay, in anti
bellum days, struck terror to five hum
dren Shareholders who had assembled
there to hear him speak on abolition.
Three miles further on the little ham,
let where the Lexington and Richmond
turnpike crosses the Kentucky River,
and which is now called Cleveland. Be
fore the bridge> was built across the
stream it was known as Clay's Ferry.
1t was owned by General Clay, and the
old mill, which was owned and operated
by him, still stands in a half ruined
condition. Its wheels Will never turn
again and the bur-r-r Of its machinery
has faded out in the distant past. This
was one Of the theatres Of General Clay's
when he was a young man and
was one Of the greatest athletes in all
Kentucky. He would engage in wrest- |
ling and running, throwing and shoot |
ing matches with the other athletes who |
would come to the old mill TO have their |
grist ground.
After climbing the long and steep hill |
on the Madison side OF the river Fox |
town was getched It was here that Cen |
eral Clay engaged in his second great |
hand to hand battle, with Bowie knife |
for his weapon. 1t was on this spot hat !
he killed Silas Turner with knife which |
he wrested from the hand Of one OF the |
twenty-three assians who had conspir- !
ed to kill him on the occasion Of his |
making an anti-slavery speech there. |
And il was here that the General re- 4
ceived what was considered at thetime .
a mortal wound, which even 70 this day 4
though nearly half century has pass
ed. troubles him greatly.
Turning into the lane which leaves the 4
turnpike at Foxtown, the noted old Fox
town distillery is soon passed. L is not
now in operation. but during It's daye OF
il has turned out soH,e OF the
finest wine OF Kentucky" every distii-
A FRIEND misunderstood.