The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-20
WEARS A ROUND COMB
One Sign of Old General
CIay's Extreme Dotage'
is NOW GROWING BLIND
Stories of Terrific Duels He
Fought in His Prime.
5 NOW GROWING BLIND

the world writes from Louisville, KY;
| GeneralCassius M. Clay Is growing blind
and his physician fear that they will be
unable to save his sight.
Under the heavy burden Of his age and
| infimities the Hon-hearted old man is be-
coming more and more eccentric. His
constant delusion is that a vendetta has
been declared against him.
The man whose naked knife was once
his sufficient protection against all the
world is now guarded in his castle home
night and day by armed servitors
Not one of these guardians black or
white, who guard Whitehall would hest
tate for an instant to shoot to kill-were
any intruder rash enough to disregard
their directions. Many of these men have
been with General Clay since before the
war and they areone and all as true as
! steel.
Approach the house and you are met
! by man, black or white, who with the
most respectful bow and in the politest
| accents, says: "You can't go that way, sir;
kindly take this path. It's the general
orders"
And to back up the orders there is a
loaded cannon at the front porch and the
| thick brick walls are pierced for shot
guns.
Except his physicians and attendents no
one has seen General Clay for several
weeks. His last public appearance was
when he received at Whitehall the Ken
lucky League of Wheelmen. They held
their meet in Richmond, and at the So
| licitation of friends General Clay agreed
| to receive them.
When the General tottered out upon his
lawn to meet the wheelmen all were
shocked at his changed mein and bear
ing. His hair was snow white and very
long. An old-fashioned round comb such
! as school girls used to wear, was thrust
lust back of his forehead to keep his hair
out Of his eyes The same thought must
have occurred to all, but no one Of the
guests dared ask the old man If it was
comb left in the house by his girl-wife,
Dora.
welcome. gentlemen and ladies'" said
he. in feeble, quavering tones. I regret
that I have no chairs in the house upon
which the ladies might sit I suggest that
some of you young men bring hay from the
stack yonder and thus improvise seats.
The suggestion was carried out, and to
his auditors, nearly all in the vigor Of
youth, the old man of nearly ninety years
made a short speech, which showed that
he still read and thought much about the
topics of the day.
When he had finished he shok hands
with all his guests then bade them good
by and sought again the quiet and the
darkness of guarded Whithall.
Except in his appearance General Clay
did not on that occasion betray his &C.
centricities. With his failing sight this
is growing upon him. Few Of his friends
expect him to survive much longer or, if
he survives, to retain his reason.
Cassius M Clay is the only survivor
of the great Kentuckians of half CEN
fury ago.
1t is sixty-seven years since he was
graduated from Yale and delivered an
Grafton in which he espoused the cause
of the slaves.
Clay even at twenty-five was not
man whose utterances could pass unnotic-
ed. He was perhaps the richest SoutheT-
ner Of his day and a member of famous
family. From that day the pro-slavery
leaders of the south were his bitter enc
mics
At the outset of his public career Clay
became known a a duelist. He caned a
certain DR.. Declarey, who had written an
abusive letter about him to the mother of
his sweetheart. A challenge followed,
which Clay promptly accepted, but De-
clarey evidently feared to meet his man,
and in the end committed suicide because
of the contempt into which he fell.
General Clay established an anti-slaverv
paper called the True American. It was
frequently attacked by mobs. and on one
occasion the type and presses were
shipped out Of town by rioters Clay for
tilted the office and armed it. vacation
in his newspaper career came when he
went to the Mexican war. Tom Marshall
with whose race and name C1ays family
had long been at feud and who had head
ed mob against the paper. was also an
| officer. The two met IN Mexica and Mar
shall was overawed even as Declarey had
| been, and there was no fight.
Clay was once candidate for congress
against q man named Wickliffe. duel
grew out of the canvass, in which neither
man was injured.
well" said General Clay once in telling
the story, "Wicklife had after that
I handbill which he read during his speech.
We had our speeches together, and when
he brought out this handful I always rose
and asked II I might interrupt him. He
would politely consent and then I would
say that the handbill was untrue and had
| been proved 50.
The pro-slavery men sent for Sam
Brown. one Of the most noted bullies in
Kentucky. II is said that he had had
forty fights and never lost battle. Brown
( came. and he and wickHfe. jacob Ash
/ ton and Ben Wood a police bully, loaded
a pistol which Brown was 20 use upon
ne. I knew nothing Of this and had NOT
/ NY dueling pistols with me.
THAT day interrupted WicklIre as Us
ual and Brown struck me with his UNI
( breHa ana told me I lied. Wien I recos-
/ nized Brown I knew it meant a fight 70
/ the death.
y had a long. sharp bowie knife and
! I jerkei this ont but Browns friends
( grabbed my arms from behind and
F dragged ne back about fifteen feet.
+ Brown pulled his revolver and told the
crowd 10 get OUT OF the way and let him
/ kill ne
/ As the. let so I started toward Brown.
/ I could see him looking along The barrel
/ OF the revolver. He waited uucu he