Evening journal., 1898-01-07
H. C. TURNER S FATHER
1t Could Not Have Been Henry
Clay, the Eminent Statesman
HIS FATHER WAS AN IRIsHMAN

CLAY TURNER WAS BORN
FIVE WEEKS AFTER HIS MO
THEIR LANDED IN AMERICA.
AND SHE NEVER SAW HENRY
CLAY IN HER ENTIRE LIFE.
MRS. BROOKS TURNER WHO
ADMIRED CLAY. NAMED THE
BOY IN HIS HONOR.
Henry Clay. the statesman, was not
the father of Henry Clay Turner, the
lawyer, of this city. This statement is
made on the authority of Miss Jane
Elliott, the mother Of Henry Clay Trlr-
ner
Miss Elliott never saw Henry Clay in
her life. She came to this country
from County Tyrone, Ireland, and
Henry Clay Turner was born fve
weeks after her arrival in this ooun-
try His father was an Irlshman with
whom she lived prior to coming to this
country. He was named Henry Clay
Turner by Mr.. and Mrs Brooks Tur-
ner of this city, with whom Miss El-
lictt, mother of the unfortunate law
yer lived as cook at the Delaware
House, on Market street, about fifty
years ago. They were great admirers
OF Henry Clay. and on one occasion he
| stopped at their hotel. When he died
the hotel was kept in mourning for a
whole year. Miss Elliott remembers
that perfectly, but declares that shS
never laid eyes ON the man, living OF
dead.
In Philadelphia paper on Sunday
| there appeared a column and a-half
story about the parentage OF Henry
| Clay Turner II has aroused the indig-
nation Of the friends OF him and his
mother. AT the solicitation OF some oi
them an Evening Journal reporter
went out TO Seventeenth and Union
streets last evening and interviewed
Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Schaefer, witt
whom Miss Elliott, the mother O
Henry Clay Turner, has lived for tbs
past thirteen years. The Schaefers de
nOunced the story in unmeasured term
and stated that they told the CORE
spondent Of the Philadelphia paper Il
question that there was absolutely d
truth in the Henry Clay story, but h
persisted that it was true and gave a
his authority a prominent Democrati
, politician.
Miss Elliott is bedfast with a broke
z nip, and the physician who is attend
ing her says that II she recovers sh
will be compelled to go on crutohes 70
the balance OF her life The inju1'
2 was sustained on the Saturday follow
} ing the funeral of her son. which wa
five weeks ago. She was going TO he
. | room at the Schaefer home The foe
Inf hn11 4c. III
4 the floor of her room. She missed hs
d footing on those steps and fell cruel
!. ing the socket OF her hip and sustain
!. ing injuries which will disable her +,
- life even if they do not kill her. n
fear OF fatal consequences the etol
/ printed in the Philadelphia newspaps
a has been kept from her sight, and a
visitors are cautioned not to mentic
o it TO her.
A Miss Elliott was born in Count
n | Tyrone, Ireland, said Mrs. Schaefe
"She will be 40 years old next Septen
Der. She came here in June 1913, AT
y Henry was born FIVE weeks after h
n arrival She has told me all this tin
~ and time again. Henry Clay was
u Wilmington when he ran for the pre-
II dency of the United States, but she d
= not see him, either then or at al
l. other time. Mrs Brooks Turn
: thought a great deal of Henry Cla
. and so did her husband. Harry Tu
!. ner was five weeks old when his m
ther went to the Delaware House
10 the capacity OF cook, and she retain
e that position there for period Of I
teen years. Mrs. Turner gave him I
j., name Of Henry Clay, and he also 70.
the name Of the Turner's.
" When the reporter OF that Philadl
-. phia paper came here I told him th
he was mistaken about Henry Clay
ing his father. but he insisted that
=; knew better. He also said that ne "
~ never wounded in the war. That
~ false and 1 know it, He had thu
holes in his head and his hOrse "
shot from under him. The fall injuI
IN his pine, and Superintendent Hanoi
- attributes his mental collapse to u
VI last-named injury. Before Miss Eli
% or Jane, as we call her, came to Il
ne country she lived out at service in 1
on land, and it was then that she got
IL her delicate condition. She has new
as far as I can learn, told anyone I
or name of Henry's father. but she
M said that he died in Ireland after (
en- left there. Thirteen years ago last
Ny tOber she came here TO live with
II not as a domestic, but rather as one
be the family.
M After she left the Delaware HO
she lived as cook in the home Of Ri
go ard Gibbons. She was there for E
MS. teen years. She was taken sick Z
ok, went to Philadelphia, where she sp
M. some time with her sister. For ii
lch she lived with the Bowmans, at ID,
lhe ware avenue and Harrison street, (
cen after that with her old mistr
ith | Brooks Turner'S widow. While tn
vas she fell and broke her arm. Ha
md | lived there with her. We were liy
ION on Adams street then, and l asked
ms, to come with me and help care for
1th children. She did so, and has b
ed. with me ever since. She was trea
more as a member OF the family q
anything else, and was more saving
to me than she was for herself. and
ny, is saying a great deal Not only 4
and but she always proved as honest
he the day was long Ii was an Outf