The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-12

| Wlckliffe, after securing the best law
yers in the land, including Henry Clay
who was a strong political opponent
of the Wickliffes, succeeded in getting
clear
Another editor was found for Ben
netts paper in the person of a little
man of the name of Denton. He never
fl1nched from what his duty was to at
tack the Wickliffes on every occasion
He not only assailed young Wickliffe
and called him murderer, but he also
attacked the father and said that he
was everything but what he pretended
to bev-a gentleman. Young Wicklffe
could not stand this, and he promptly
challenged Denton to a duel Being the
challenged party Denton said he want
ed shotguns at five steps The second
sent by Wickliffe was horror stricken
at this and exclaimed:
why, that would be murder!"
Yes, and it would be murder for
Charley Wicklffe to shoot me at 20
steps with a pistol, for I am so near
sighted, that I cannot see man over
five steps away"
After much parleying it was finally
decided that the men should fight with
rifles at 20 yards, The spring races
We're then going on in Lexington, and
on the morning young Wickliffe started
to go to the place of rendezvous, a
friend accosted him, and asked him
where he was going at that time of the
morning, remarking that it was too
early to be going to the races. Wick
life laughingly replied;
"Oh, I'm just going out here in the
country to kill a near-sighted scoun-
drel I'll be back in time for the races"
| He drove on. and within less than an
| hour he was a corpse. The two men
We're attended by their seconds and two
surgeons. They We're placed at the
proper distance apart and loaded rifle
| was given to each. At the word both
fired but Denton's gun cracked an in
slant before Wicklffes. and the bullet
struck Wickliffe's heart, killing him in
stantly. Denton escaped unhurt. He
was acquitted at the examining trial,
but being of a deeply sympathetic ma
ture the ordeal through he had passed
caused him to lose his reason, and he
was taken to the Eastern Kentucky
Asylum a few months later.
During the Civil War there were many
killings, as Kentucky was about evenly
divided between Confederate and Union
sympathizers
From 1867 until 1872 there were many
other political killings in Kentucky,
They were mostly done by the young
men who were not old enough to go into
the war, but who irnbibed a spirit Of
lawlessness from the conditions which
obtained during the latter years of the
struggle. These young men banded
themselves together in Ku-klux Klans,
as they We're called, and visited their
wrath on political opponents. These
klans belonged to both parties and the
Republican klans were as vindictive and
as bloodthirsty as the democratic. They
hanged and shot many victims and
whipped many more.
Prior to the Civil War Cassius M Clay ,
had several political fights besides his
duel with young Wickliffe
He was preaching a new political doc
trine, He wanted constitutional eman-
cipation of the slaves. This was very |
distasteful to the average Kentuckian, !
as about every man in the state who I
was able to do so owned negroes. Thus |
it was that when Clay was making a |
speech near his home at a little place
called Foxtown, in Madison county, a
number of DULLES in the neighborhood
to interrupt him. He paid
little attention to them at first, but I'm
ally got angry and told them what he
thought of them. Thereupon ten or a
dozen young fellows attacked Clay He
wac powerful, physically as well as
and he fought the entire
crowd. He used his fists, as he had no
Finally one of the men drew
a large knife and Clay saw that I'M
less he disarmed him he would be killed.
He grabbed the blade of the knife in his
left hant and with his right tried to pry
open ,he clenched fist of the holder of
the weapon. He succeeded, but just
then 81 Turner ran and cut him in the
right side with a bowie knife. But now
Clay was armed. and he went at Turner,
who was soon lying on the ground with
mortal wounds. Clay was also badly cut,
and it was six months before he was
able to go out, Turner died the next
1av.
In the year following Clay was speak
ng at Russels Cave, in Fayette county ,
He was making a plea for the abolition
If slavery by constitutional means. The !
opposition to Clay had sent down South ,
md secured a noted gambler and fight
II, Sam Brown, who was known all
,ver the lower Mississippi region as one ,
If the best pistol shots in the country.
he was present, together with number
If fighting men the slavery party had {
hired to attend him. When Clay got \
veil into his speech and was growing 8
loquent over the curse Of slavery one of 8
Browns companions interrupted him,
md Clay made some rough rejonder, q
md the fight began. Brown drew a s
,istol and shot at Clay, who was not r
more than twenty feet from him. The d
'ullet struck the scabbard of Clay's +
'owie knife and glanced off. But the +
hook was SO great and he drew his knife t
nd began slashing Brown. In telling f
f the fight Clay said s
II thought J. had received my death il
gound from Brown. / felt the bullet C
rom his pistol strike me a tremendous c
low in the breast, and | believe that t.
had only little while to live. did t
OF know but what he had another pis- o
d and / drew my knife determined to
all what little Of life l had as dearly r.
S possible I was held back by his b
riends and could not get close enough Il