The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-22
CLAY MOURNS HIS BRIDE
STORY OF THE PEASANT GIRL
RAISED FROM CABIN TO MANSION.
Aged General Lays Her Departure to
Tricks of Enemies Who Have
Plotted His Assassination.

the first time of his child wife, who was
Dora Richardson, leaving him. He said:
After living in bachelorhood for many
years. since l obtained divorce from my
first wife, who was an aristocrat deter
mined to marry a peasant. 1 decided to try
the other extreme of society.
After four attempts, which were frus-
trated by my children, who did not wish to
have my hereditary estate divided, I mar
ried little Dora Richardson three years ago.
She was too young to marry, but the chill
dren forced me into the union. If l had
sent her away, young she was, she would
have been lost body and soul, as others have
been lost under similar circumstances. Her
age was represented to be fourteen.
almost Immediately after we were mar
ried the most cruel vendetta ever waged
against any man in history was begun. My
ponds have been destroyed by dynamite
horses, sheep and dogs have been killed,
provender has been burned, wells poisoned
and my cellars flooded by the cisterns being
turned into them My clothes were stolen,
my cellars were robbed of hundreds of gal
Ions Of spirits and liquors, meathouses
robbed, farming utensils stolen and my
guns and pistols that l bought for self-de-
Tense disabled.
"Then my enemies felt ready for an as
sault and combined to assassinate me at
2 o'clock in the morning. l frustrated their
design by threatening to blow out the brains
of son of member of the attacking party
who was in my room.
Eyes, it was a child wife that I married.
The very ones who misrepresented Dora's
age to me were the first to make war upon
her. Whenever she was persuaded away
al 10 nfIfrY a
separation gradually lost their force, until
the present effort was made. What the re-
suit may be no one can foresee. ,a
when l married Dora she was hand
some and very sprightly girl. After aWhlie
they drugged her, from the effects of which
she has times of melancholy, when she is lr-
responsible for her acts. One of the meth
DDS used by my enemies is 10 get up the
most gross and infamous calumnieS, In
tended to cause me to discard her, most OF
which I know to be lies and many OF them
impossible. / have examined into all the
calumnies with a watchfulneSs and pene-
tration which would be natural to hus-
band, and / declare before the almighty
God that have seen nothing TO warrant
them
whether she returns or not to remain
permanently, my wife will decide. 1 have
tried by all human possibilities to do my
duty as a husband and a citizen. l have
exhausted my money, my time and my
health Ny eyes are threatened. l can do
no more. If all is lost, have no remorse;
my conscience is clear"
he is doubly so now, and woe be to the
luckleSS man or woman who crosses his
path on one of his rambles.
Two weeks ago Dora Richardson, the I'M
cultured untutored mountain girl whom he
raised from a cabin to a mansion, grew
weary of her prison-for such she found it
and like the song bird of the fields longeu
for the freedom of the life she knew before
her captivity. Weary of beating her wings
against her cage, she found an opportunity
TO eude her stern captor. Without mo-
ments thought of the consequences, she
left White Hail. taking with her only such
things as her childish fancy dictated among
them doll, French harp and other minor
trinkets. She went to the home OF her
brother, Clel Richardson, who lives In
plank cabin on Tate's creek, and who works
In q saw mill nearby. On the rough, I'M
carpeted floor, and before the great log ire,
she found life far more pleasant than in the
richly-furnished room of White Han, Su3I9-
ed at all times by her grim Whlte-Oeafdeu,
white-haired husband. When asked yester-
day morning why she left General Clay she
said in a simple, childish way: L was lone
some"
And the girl spoke the truth. She said
she had had no company during the three
years that she had been the wife OF Gen.
Clay, and that she craVed the companion
ship OF girls of her age. That she was tired
of dogs and books and music and art and
studies and Of General Clay; that she
wanted to get out into the open air and
break the bonds that seemed to bind her
while she lived in the famous old mansion
that her aged husband had provided for her.
Cincinnati several weeks ago. Mamie Big
gerstaff, a neishborhood girl, had stayed
with her, and that when General Clay re-
turned she decided that she would visit
awhile also.
81 came here because wanted to see the
folks" she said, and when l have tired
of this place l will go to others. Then,
perhaps, / will go back to White Hall"
She denied that she had ever SAID tnat she
did not love General Clay, but said that she
would not go back to him until it suited
her, and that she intended to have her
VISIT out" no matter how long she was
away.
She did not seem to think that she had
done wrong but looked at 1T as a runaway
child would look upon the offense of stay
ing away from home a few nights without
it's parents permission. She said that she
had visited General Clay at White Hall
five times since she had been away and
that she would visit him again tonight,
but that she would not return to him until
it pleased her.
puckered frown overspread her face.
In speaking of General Clay's life she
said: white Halls an awful big place
Was you ever there? Well, there are
thirty-five rooms in the house, and he's got
seven of them furnished and bed in every
one, and just sleeps around in a different
room every night He does that to fool his
enemies. They never know just where he
is sleeping, and they couldn't shoot him if
they should happen to get into the house
before Toomey and Bud could stop them
CFoomey and Bud are two men paid to
guard the house) He's fixed for his enc
mics. He's got cannon in the house, and
can move it so that it will shoot out any
Of the windows.
of guns and knives he has; an awful lot
CT them, though. oh, I am not afraid of
him. He and are on good terms. just
don't want to live with him. want to
have some fun visiting around. I'm going
TO visit over to Richmond and up to Lex
ington, and l would like to see Cincinnati"