The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-25
M0ben Clay
VIZ Stamped im
49, Indiana.

In the last week of September, 1871,
Henry Clay, accompanied by Senator
Crittenden and Gov Metcalf with other
friends. came to Indiana on an election
eering tour preparatory to his race for
president in 1874. A letter In the Indian
apolis Journal says: Mr.. Clay unwisely.
as 1t would seem. brought with him his
slave Charley as a body servant. Char
ley was repeatedly told that as he came
into the state by the consent of his mas
ter, he was a free man. but declined TO
leave his master, and made the tour of
the state with him.
The first stop made by the party was
in Richmond, where Clay made his first
great speech in Indiana. The audience
was very large one. composed largely
of voters known to be opposed to sIa-
very. Before commencing his speech one
Mendenhall handed Mr. Clay a petition,
numerously signed, praying him to eman-
cipate his slaves, and this petition be
came the foundation of Clay's speech.
In the conclusion, after declining to
obey the prayer of the petitioners and
stating his reasons, he said:
Go home Mr.. MendenhalI; mind your
own business and I will attend to mine -
This was exactly what Mendenhall eX-
pected, and probably what he desired.
1t made the foundation for third par
ty of political Abolitlonists, which NOM
mated John G.. Birney, who, as is well
known, received votes enough in the ate
of New York alone to defeat Clay. Peo-
pie can see now that Clay's election was
impossible after that speech, though they
did not then.
Clay and his friends left Richmond the
first week In October for Indianapolis.
travelling in carriages over the national
road. which at that season of the year
was in excellent condition. and the party
reached Knightstown the first day, where
1t put up for the night.
The following morning I reached the
- town before the tourists departed and
had my first sight of the great Ken
tuckan.
There resided then at Knightstown
one of Napoleons soldiers, Col. j. j.
Lemanousl1i a Polander, who at the close
of NapoleOn's wars came to this coun-
try and made the acquaintance of Clay.
They were taking a morning walk arm
in arm on the street, deeply engaged In
- conversation. Both Clay and Leman-
ouski were tall and commanding in APP
pearance calculated to excite the ad-
miration of one who never saw them
before I afterward heard the colonel
deliver his great lecture on the Span
ish inquisition. which Napoleon over
threw. He said the priests who stood
by and witnessed the destruction fully
expected the Lord to strike the COM
mander dead then and there, but Provl-
dence declined to interfere and save the
sacred edflce
The people of Indianapolis, anticipating
great crowd 70 hear the speech, opened
their houses to entertain visitors, and
had committees stationed on all roads
entering the city to assign visitors to
quarters Before reaching the corporate
limits I met a member of the committee,
c. w. Cady, a we'll known insurance man
of that day, who directed NO to go to
the house of Henry P. Coburn, clerk
of the supreme court for many years
His house was an unpretentious structure
and stood not far from the lot now oc-
cupied by the blind asylum. I went
to this house and Gen. John Coburn then
big boy took care of my horse and did
the honors of the house, so far as 1 was
concerned.
The people from distant parts of the
state had been arriving all day in
wagons or on horseback. and while, since
the construction of railroads and IN
crease of population. more people have
assembled In the Capital City on some
some occasions, it is certain no meeting
ever assembled there which made the
same display Of people and their means
of transportation, The exercises took
place in the ample grove which sur
rounded the house of Gov Noble, who
made the speech of welcome to Clay and
his companions, who responded. The
speech of Clay did not. as I now remem>
Der, after the lapse of flfty-seven years,
fully satisfy the expectations of his adj
mirers, but 1t was conceded th-t. Chitten-
den made a great speech. TIL lost elo,
quent speech delivered from the stand
was that of Joseph L. White, a distin-
guished orator of that day, who left In
drama many years ago and settled In
New York.