Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-11-22
GENERAL CLAY'S WOE
SENSATIONAL INTERVIEW WITH
THE ECCENTRIC KENTUCKIAN.
HE HAS BEEN Prosecuted
THE AGED WARRIOR BITTERLY DE-
NOUNCES HIS CHILDREN.
Holds Them Responsible for His
Troubles and Accuses Them of
Seeking His Estntes-Iiis
Marriage With Pres
ent Child Wife.

ent Child Wife.
Valley View, Ky, Nov. 2l.-Gencral Cas-
sus Marccllus Clay to-day gave out the
following sensational interview covering
the troubles arising from his marriage with
the li-ye;,r-o!d girl. Dora Richardson, and
her deserving him:
My first marriage was unfortunate. I
married in what was called Fashionable So
ciety. ! was forced into divorce for causes
which have never disclosed. l sued for
a divorce and my wife opposed it. Finding
myself advancing in years. | was unwill-
ing to die in the hands of hirelinss, so L
determined to marry again after Il long
period of bachelorhood. determined to
try the other extreme of society and mar
ried a peasant. -Four times L attempted
to make a match. Four times my chill
dren interfered and prevented. Finally
by accident Dora Richardson was thrown
into my house. She a very interest
ing girl. hut too young for marriage.
determined to wait. but the Intervention
OF my children forced me into a marriage.
If had sent her away. young as she was,
she would have been lost, body and soul.
as others have been lost under similar
circumstances. Her age was represented
10 be II. The marriage was legal by the
law of all civilized nations, no matter what
her age.
Cruel Vendetta Against Him.
Then came the most cruel vendetta ever
waged against any man in history. have
had used against me fists and steel poison
and dynamite. and every other wicked de-
vice that human ingenuity can invent.
Ponds which existed lifetime have been
blown up with dynamite and turned dry;
horses. sheep and dogs have been killed;
racks of provcnder burned up, wells pois
oned, and the water from two cisterns
near the house turned into the cellar so
that the damp air crept up through the
floors. through the carpets, through the
desks so that my pistols therein were
rusted
Il have had the grip and pneumonia at
the same time. L could get no attention.
l have sat up in bed and taken my pre-
scriptions with my watch in hand. l have
worked for three years from sixteen to
seventeen hours day, which left me seven
hours sleep. and that often interrupted.
Three times my large house has been fur
nished from top to bottom. and part of
the time 1 have lain on a pillow for weeks
that wore have been stolen. One hundred
and seventy gallons of spirits, vinegar and
other liquors were stolen from my cellar;
the liquor in the bottles was drunk and the
bottles broken and put in the manure piles
so that all over my place the hands and
feet of men and feet of animals would be
destroyed.
..They piundered all the house. took up
the floors and sold them or used the plank.
stripped my meathouses, used my lard and
broke the jars, left me without tools and
farming implements to work with. stole and
disabled all the guns and pistols that 1
bought for my sef-defense. except a few
trusty weapons that 1 concealed from
everybody.
Attacked by Enemies.
Then they felt ready for an assault and
combined to assassinate me at o'clock in
the night, but was in my fort. my house
was built to guard against the kuklux. and
four good men can defend it against AGO out
siders. That night had the son of traitor
in my room and gave him TO understand
would have done it. This held them back
until morning, when my friends We're here
ready to defend me. But before morning
they had left the place and never been
back. L have been three times poisoned.
! sleep with my pistol near me. but the last
hand to take hold of it.
But [ was saved by a girl that L had
raised in the house from her infancy. whom
the poisoner had ruined. She relented,
brought me the remedies. and | lived"
Here General Clay pointed to a cross
was pinned to the wall
She herself made that cross and placed
il there before they drove her into disgrace.
and $4,000 worth of Southdown sheep. My
loss in sheep and other things would all
amount 10 $1,000 or $4,000. / had really
then a child wife. as the newspapers say.
Here he took the correspondent into the
drawing room TO see the little armchair his
wife. Dora; sat in when she first came TO
This is an heirloom. 1t was nearly 100
years old. and was used by me when WAS
Il child. No matter what happens | intend
10 keep that chair.
Persecuting the Young Wife.
The very ones who misrepresentei
Dora's age to me We're the first to make
war upon her. OF course. the object was
to prevent a division OF my hereditary es-
away she would return; These attempts
at separation gradually lost their force
until the present effort WAS made; The
last time she remained at White hall con-
tlnunusly for nearly year, never leaving
the premises What the result can be no
one can fOreSee.
Wien / married Dora she was a hand
some and sprichtiy girl. After awhile rn.Y
Gruseed her, from the effects of which she
suffers at times from melancholia. Then
sht. is irresponsible for her acts. one Of
the methods used by my enemies is to get
up the most gross and Infamous calumnirs
il tended to cause me to discard her, most
of which ] know to he lies and many Jt
them impossible.
Il have examined into all these calumnies
with Il watchfulncSS and penetration
wiiich would be natural to husband. ana
declare before the almighty God that
have seen nothing to warrant them.
Whether she returns or not to remain per
maD,ntly my wife fate Will decide. | have
tried by all human possibilities to do nay
duty as Il husband and citizen. | have
exhausted my money. my time and my
health. Ny eyes are threatencd: ! can 10
no more. If all is lost have 10 remorse.
My conscience is clear
Dora was seen this afternoon. She said
She was going 10 visit General Clay to-
morrow. but was still undecided as TO
whcr she would return to remain pcrma-
nently at White hall.
A PLOT FRUSTRATED.