The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-27
GEN. CLAY AND HIS WIFE
THE AGED ABOLITIONIsT is A VIC
TIM OF STRANGE DELUsIONs.
He Imagfnes that Assassins Are Seek
ing His Life, and Every Accident
Is Charged to a ssVendetta.-

real cause of his tribuIations. That he is
in his dotage his closest friends frankly
admit. That there can be no congeniality
of spirit between Inc aged man and the
childish Dora Richa rdson the most ardent
disciple of Tolstoi who has ever seen Dora
cannot deny They are as dissimilar as the
Klondike region is different from the ever
glades of Florida.
General Clay's whole life has been a war
fare. When young man in love with the
daughter of the distinguished Kentucky
physician and aristocrat, Dr. Elisha War
field although his wedding day was but
few weeks off, his pugnacious spirit led him
into the duel with young Bob Wickliffe,
who had been charged with having made
some indecorous remark about the future
Mrs. Clay. After he espoused the cause of
negro emancipation his fighting proclivities
had full sway. Every man, woman and
child in the State of Kentucky with possi-
bly, three exceptions, opposed his teachings.
Slave owners who feared they would be
robbed of their human chattels hired des-
peradoes to attend his speakings and to
pick quarrels with him. He called them
hired assassins." That was more than
half Il century ago. Ever since then he has
believed assassns were continuously upon
his track.
Although a. third of century has passed
since the question of slavery has been set
tied and the practical work of Cassius M.
Clay has been DONE he still believes the as
sassins are after him. He sees in every
misfortune that overtakes him the work of
the conspirator and the assassin. When
the colored nurse left Launey, the son of
the Russian woman, fall from the second
story of the porch when he was an infant
the general saw in this accident the work
of conspirators. He thought the assassins
were trying to STAY the motherless boy, and
to this day he firmly believes that the con-
spirators stunted his growth and prevented
him from becoming a man of noble stature
When his son tried to persuade him from
marrying Dora, the daughter of outcast
woman, he thought it was part of another
conspiracy and ordered his son from the
place. and warned him to keep away on the
pain of DEATH
After he married Dora the work of his
mysterious eGr eonspiF rat began to take
would be killed by neighbors' dogs he said
it was the work of the conspirators. When
his cistern cracked and some of the water
ran into his cellar he thought the conspra-
tors did it. When some sneak thief robbed
his smokehouse of bacon and other provi-
sions he laid it at the door of the conspra-
tors When some of his timber was cut
down by thieves and RATED along the Ken
lucky river he believed that was the work
of the vendetta" his latest term for the
conspirators.
FEARS THEY WILL KILL DORA.
After Dora left home, and while she was
staying at John Bggerstaff's, she rode one
of Johns young horses. The animal became
frightened one day and threw her, and all
thou Oh an ordinary accident, the general
attributed it to the vendetta" Dora, feel
ing lonesome in the big house at Whitehall
and having no young company, concluded
to go away for a season where she could
see persons more nearly her own age. The
general attributed this desire on her part
to meet young people as coming from the
vendetta" Her trip to "Clell Richard
sons and her long stay there were caused
by the vendetta in the generals opinion
The keeping of Willie Bryant at "Clells"
is also a part of the vendettas'' work, so
the general thinks. When "Clell,' on ac-
count of severe spell of sickness, because
half crazy and drove Dora from his house
and then shot at her the general exclaimed
THANK God, the vendetta was not able to
The general thinks "Clelr' is in the pay
of the vendetta" and he thinks VIII Rich
ardson Is also being paid by. the vendetta"
Whitehall. He thinks the vendetta" would
kill Dora and then kill him if Dora were
to remain at Whitehall, and it is to circum-
vent these mysterious enemies that the
general allows Dora to remain away from
him.
The World correspondent has talked to
General Clay for hours at time since Dora
has left him. The burden of his conversa-
ton is the vendetta He firmly believes
that he has scores of enemies who would
He said he would allow no man to come
into his house in the night time. as he even
instructed his best friends for fear they
might bp of he
delta" He is monomanac on the subject
and during the past three years he has
bought enough firearms to equip two dozen
men, so that he can repel his imaginary
foes should they attack him in the night.
A PITIABLE WRECK.
His Authorizations render him most pitt
able object. This grand old warrior, who,
in his prime, never knew the meaning of
physical fear when principle was involved
is now afraid almost Of his shadow. The
rafting of the windows by the wind at
night is the gathering of hoofs which tells
of the approach of the emissaries of the
vendetta" That constant dread has I'M
settled the old generals reason there is not
the least shadow of doubt in the minds of
his neighbors. He never sleeps in the same
room two nights in succession for fear the
vendetta" will have him assassinated. 1t is
this fear of being killed which is no doubt
responsible in a large measure for the de-
sire of Dora to be away from Whitehall.
She heard of nothing but 'vendettas, con-
spirators and assassins, and the simple
child thinking "Mr. Clay" as she calls
him. would not talk about such things I'M
less they really existed, actually grew
alarmed for her own safety and wished to
live in more congenial atmosphere, even
though in the howell of her brother, day
laborer.
The expression on the face of General
Clay when he tells of the wrongs he has
suffered at the hands of The consprators is
can see, but when the vendetta" seeks to
slay him at night and TO destroy his child
wife body and soul it is more than he can
stand.
A gentleman who has known Cassius NJ:
when hi he Killed ISL Turner at Foxtown,
talked entertainingly to the World CORE
spondent about the vagaries of the master
of Whitehall.
II am not superstitious," he said, but I
a fellow-man never have any peace of mind
hardly think however, that the killing of
Isl, Turner had much effect on General
CLAW But 'Si Turner IS not the only man
Cash Clay has killed. He killed Turner in
a hand-to-hand fight with bowie knives.
He was unarined when Turner attacked
him and he snatched a bowie knife from
the hand of another man who was attempt
ing to assist Turner in killing him. Thus
the killing Of Turner was doubly a case of
I'm ali that you newspaper men have
written about General Clay / have never
seen any mention of that other tragedy
1t occurred since General Clay represented
the United States at the Russian capital |
There was a negro man who lived on Gen.
Claws place-an industrious, worthy negro |
One day he incurred the displeaSure of the |
general and he shot MIN with rifle The |