The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-29
PHANTOMS OF THE PAST.
VISIONS OF BLOOD CONSTANTLY
BEFORE CASsIUS CLAY.


HaIIucinatiom Transforms Him Into
PitiabIe object-One Tragedy
About which He Never Speaks.
Gnawing Dread That 1.-THE Ven
delta" viii Pick Him on While He
Sleeps Induces Him to Invent
Device for Thwarting Them.
From the Memphis Commercial-Appeal
Whitehall, KY, Jan. 22.-The true story
of Gen. Cassus NJ. Clays domestic trou--
bles has never been written. The old gen
eral himself does not know the real cause
of his tribulations.
That he is in his dotage his closest
friends frankly admit. That there can be
no congeniality of spirit between the aged
man of affairs and the childish daughter
Of nature, Dora Richardson, the most ar
dent disciple of Tolstoi who has even seen
Dora can not deny. They are as dissimilar
as the Klondike region is different from
the everglades of Florida.
Gen. Clay's whole life has been a war
fare. When young man, in love with the
daughter of the distinguished Kentucky
physician and eristocrat, DR.. Elisha War
field, and, although, his wedding day was
but a few weeks off. his pugnacious spirit
led him into the duel with young Bob
Wickliffe who had been charged with hav-
ing made some indecorous remark about
the future Mrs Clay. After he espoused
the cause of negro emancipation his fight
ing proclvities had full sway Every man,
woman and child in the state of Kentucky,
with possibly three exceptions, opposed his
teachings. Slave owners, who feared they
would be robbed OF their human chattels
hired desperadoes TO attend his speakngs
and to pick quarrels with him. He denom-
mated them hired assassins."
That was more than half century ago
Ever since then he has believed assassins
we're continuously upon his track. AL
thoungh a third of a 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
assasslns are after him. He sees in every
misfortune that overtakes him the work
of the conspratcr and the assassin. When
the colored nurse let Launey, the son of
the Russian woman, fall from the second
story of the porch when he was an infant,
of conspirators. He thought the assassins
were trying to slay the motherless boy,
and to this day he firmly believes that the
consplrators stunted his growth and pre-
vented him from becoming a man of noble
stature. When his son tried to persuade
him from marrying Dora, the daughter of
an outcast woman. he thought it was part
of another conspiracy, and ordered his son
away from the place and warned him TO
keep away on pain of death.
After he married Dora the work of his
mysterious consprators began to take on
a new form. When his fine Southdown
sheep would be killed by neighbors' dogs
he dominated It the work of the con-
spirators. - When his cistern cracked and
some of the water ran into his celler, he
thought the conspirators did it. When
some sneak thief robbed his smoke house
of bacon and other provisions, he laid 1t
at the door of the conspiracy. When some
of his timber was cut down by thieves and
RATED along the Kentucky river. he be-
heved that was the work of the ''vendet-
ta," his latest term for the conspirators.
After Dora left home, and while she was
staying at John Biggerstaff's, she rode one
of Johns young horses. The animal be-
came frightened one day and threw her
and although an ordinary accident, the
general attributed II to the vendetta. Dora
feeling lonesome in the big house at White
hall, and having no young company con-
cluded to go away for 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 Rich |
ardson's and her long slap there were in
the generals opinion, caused by the ven-
delta. The keeping of Willie Bryant at
Clelrs is also a part of the vendetta's
work, so the general thinks. When Clell |
on account of a severe spell of sickness,
becomes half crazy and drives Dora from
his house and then shoots at her. the gem |
eral exclaims: Thank God, the vendet- |
Ia was not able to kill my darling Dora."
The general thinks Clel "a In the pay of |
the vendetta. and he thinks VIII Richard |
son is also being paid by the vendatta to /
watch Dora and keep her away from |
White Hail. He thinks the vendetta |
would kill Dora and then kill him il Dora |
we're to remain at Whitehall, and IL Is
to circumvent these mysterious enemies
that the general allows Dora to remain
away from him.
Your correspondent has talked to Gen.
Clay for hours at a time since Dora left |
him. The burden of his conversation is
the vendetta He firmly believes that he
has scores OF enemies who would take de-
light in killing him and his girl-wife He
said he would allow no man TO come into
his house'in the night time, as he even dis