The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-10
DUELS OF CASSIUS CLAY
BLOODY AFFAIRS THAT MADE HIM
THE KENTUCKY HERO.
The Old Man Tells How He Was Given
Enemy After Being Wounded.


man. writer, thinker, dueliSt, minister to
Russia during the first administration of
Abraham Lincoln, relic of days that are
past-whose recent troubles with the child
wife that left him alone in his fortified cas-
tie, White Hail. in Madison county Ken
lucky. has again attracted public attention
to his interesting personality, mas cold
blooded way of abiding to the numerous
bloody affrays in which he has been prin-
cipal. An old friend of his told me that he
met the battle-scarred warrior not long ago.
after a long separation. He congratulated
General Clay on his robust health. Yes"
the sage of White Hall replied, Il have not
been confined to bed for over thirty years
except once, which was from a slight in
disposition occasioned by a rencounter with
man named Turner, of F'oxtown" Gen.
Clay killed Turner with bowieknife in the
"rencounter, and the slight indisposition'
was caused by sixteen knife wounds, his
antagonist having repeatedly driven his
bowie to the hilt in Clay's breast and side.
Turner died in an hour, confidently telev-
ing that his foe had preceded him to the
unknown beyond. General Clay is not COM
municative, and the privilege Of listening
to him relate his experiences on the field
of honor is one accorded very few persons,
and it is something long to be remembered.
MY first duel said General Clay, not
long ago, occurred when 1 was twenty
three years old-nearly sixty-five years ago
and terminated without either party fir
ing a shot. 1 was engaged to be married,
and a rival suitor who had been disappoint-
ed, wrote letter to my sweethearts moth
er. The man was a doctor, and his name
was Declarey. went to Louisville to find
him, and took my friend, James S. Rollins.
| TD-YYs 49,
war, with me- AS soon as 1 went there l
went to cooper shop and got good tough
hickory cane about as thick as your finger.
WELL sir, 1 saw DR.. Declarey on the
street L went up to him and asked him if
his name was Declarey. He replied that it
was, and then 1 told him that l would like
to have a talk with him. This was on one
of the main streets of Louisville, and, al
though intended to cane him, did not in
and prevent my giving him the punishment
he deserved. So quietly turned our prone
made off into a side street In the meantime
my friend walked along the other side Of
the street and watched me.
GAMING DR. DECLAREY.
when we reached a side street 1 said:
DIR. Declarey, am Cassius M. Clay, about
whom you have taken the trouble to write
in this letter, and 1 would like TO know If
you can give me any explanation of your
action He said nothing, so 1 raised my
cane and began to strike him. He cried out
and a crowd soon collected, but Rollins, by
spreading out his arms and running in
again and again, pretending to separate us,
actually kept the crowd back until 1 was
able to give him a good Gaming. A few
hours later 1 got a challenge from him.
We fixed place in Indiana, just over the
river, and the next day was there on time.
A great mob of Declarey's friends were on
the ground, and General Rollins refused to
allow the fight to go on. We thereupon
chose another place, but Declarey's mob
followed us there. The next day was to be
my wedding day and had to be on hand.
Declarey wanted me to come after 1 was
married, but 1 had decided objections to
breaking up my honeymoon in that way.
He afterward said he intended to cowhide
me the next time he saw me. and l went
to Louisville to give him chance. l went
into the dining room of his hotel and leaned
against pillar to wait for him; AS stood
there L heard some one behind me rise.
turned and saw Declarey. He was as pale
as death, and 1 saw the coward in his eye.
He walked out of the room and did not re-
turn. A man who acted like that could not
in those days be respected in Kentucky, and
Declarey committed suicide the next morn
ing by cutting his arteries.
'Curious, isn't it." unused the general,
that a man will have the bravery to COM
init suicide ana Stlll not nave enough pnySl-
cal courage to fight? have had number
of such instances in my life. 1t was so with
Tom Marshall, who was so famous as an
orator in Kentucky. There had been for
years a feud between the Clays and the
Marshalls. Henry Clay, you know, had a
duel with Humphrey Marshall, and Tom
years. My first trouble with him was at the
time I was editor of the True American,
ana Marsha me- and tn eosb the paper
Well. the mob attacked me, but was not
killed.
"Soon after this I went to the Mexican
war as captain of another company of the
| same regiment, and / decided to settle my
| trouble with him before we got through the
war. He was drunk about half the time,
and 1 believed he often cultivated drunken
ness in order to say mean things and not
to have a duel with him. and / got a stone
and sharpened my sword until it shone like
silver and had an edge like razor. gave
him one or two chances to challenge me,
but he did not do So and at last one day,
when we were pitching camp, Marshall rode
into my quarters. He may have been drunk
and he may have mistaken my company for
ANOTHER COWARD BLUFFED.
cat any rate, he came up to me and
made some insulting remark. I rose and
said: Tom Marshall, we may as well settle
our feud and now is as good time as
any. Get down from your horse and we will
fight it out
lie repneU. NOJ NOW. oCtiS ObASI tiiliC.
II here drew my sword and said The
time for men who wear swords is now.
You chose your own time to mob me at
Lexine Ton, and you are coward If you re-
frain on account of your surroundings
Marshall hereupon rode over to his tent.
In a few moments he came back with his
pistol I saw him and went into my tent
and got mine. ] came out with one in each
hand They were cooked, and / said, 1 am
''He was coward and he was afraid to
fire He turned his horse and rode back to
his tent That same evening he tried 10
drown himself in the Rio Grande river, but
the men saw him and prevented him. He
was afraid to fight, but he was not afraid
to commit suicide. Had we fought with
swords | would have carved him up like
pancake.
Congress against Wickliffe gives one an in
sight not only into the fighting character
of this fire-eater. but also affords peep
into that phase of Southern life that is now
happily. extinct He once told the story to
a newspaper men in these words:
During the campaign Wickliffe introduced
nv wife's name into one of his speeches.
I challenged him, and we fired at ten PAGES.
Both of us missed, and | raised my pistol up
into the air and demanded a second fire.
The seconds would not permit this. and we
left the grounds without reconciliation or
an apology on either side. AS l look over
the matter now. | don't believe our seconds
had loaded the pistols with balls, and did
not see how / could have missed.
"Well. Wickliffe here had the worst of
the fight and during the canvass for Con-
gress l was making very good opposition
to him, much to the disgust of the Pro-
slavery party He had handoill. which he
read during his speech. We had our speech