The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-02-21
CLARK SHOT At
Man IN 1870
Speaker Of House Tells Of Ex-
puISiOn From University,

out today In Hearst, Mag
wine, tells OF Civil war and fued days
IN Kentucky and recounts how he was
expelled from the University OF Ken
lucky IN 1870 Tor shooting al q fellow
student named Webb
His account reads
Il attended Kentucky university three
years and two months, teaching school
during the summer vacations W make
what money ! could My father from
his small earnings gave me all he could
spare, and my sister, Elizabeth (wlis
OF Rev J. J Haley OF Lodi. CALI, Lee
me have such sums "A she could from
her salary as teacher. The truth ~
that she and helped each other as
much as possible. When she had any
money and needed II, 60, Il, and
vice versa We stood up ior each other
loyally; but all three Of u, together
could serape up only about 81 per week
Tor my necessities al the university. lt
Is superlluous TO state hat | did not
live In luxury, but ! stood a, the head
Of my classes
Expelled for Shooting.
"Allcf attending the university tor
three years and two months, was,
In October, 1870 expelled for shoots
ing AT fellow student named Webb,
from Ohio would not mention u,
save for the fact that IL was greatly
magnilied IN the presidential campaign
oi 1912, very much 10 my detrimenL
We fell out about what time we should
have supper IN our barracks mess.
Webb and ! were both oi unusual
strength lie was my senior by sons
three or four years, and had been .
sailor on the Great Lakes. while ! had
lived and lAbofed on farm One night
he came into our room and began e.
conversation about the hour for suppef
"lle wanted II at D because he clerked
IN a shoe store In the afternoon. while
tho rest Of uS wanted II al half past
five The conversation. warm from the
first developed into quarrel He
called me a liar, whereupon | cracked
him over the head with a small piece
Of plank and we olinchcd. Nothing
more serious would have grown out OF
IT, most probably, than blackened eycs
and bloody noses had not one OF my
roommates, young giant named
Thomson, grabbed me baekholds and
pinned both my arms to my body.
Webb squared off and hit me a hard
olt between the eyes and another OH
my mouth. y
81 kept telling Thomson either 10
let me loose or to knock Webb down.
He was so excited that he did neither.
Wild with rage | finally threw him
off, Webb still pounding me. Under
the head OF the bed | had an old re.
yolyer, whose cylinder would not te.
volye eEtcpt by hand manipulation,
Tor which I had swapped Germsp
grammar and a French grammar |
got that and fired at Webb ,1hom.
son knocked up my pistol hand and
the bullet went about an inch above
Webbs head and lodged in the door
casing. That ended the fight
Friends Hold Him.
"The Strage part Of the story -
not that two hot blooded, hlghstrune
young men should get into a per-
sonal encounter when and where per-
sonal encounters we're frequent, but
that the gigantic Thomson who was
my friend and who disliked Webb,
should in his excitement hold me
while Webb was free to pound me.
That was unwise, but in knocking up
my pistol hand he acted with great
wisdom. lie thought, as | struck the
first blow, by holding me he would
end the fight When two men are
fighting it is always dangerous 10
hold ono and not both. know a man
who was stabbed to death while friend
was holding him.
went Immediately to see the presi-
dent of the university, President White,
who had succeeded Graham, and
stated the case TO him precisely As it
was, hoping that my high standing
as a student would save me from any
seyerer penalty than a public repri.
mand or a short suspension. He said.
however, that there had been so much
fighting, carousing and violation OF
the rules among the students that tho
patience Of the faculty was exhausted
and that they would make an example
OF me for the soaring OF the rest BY
expellhg me, which they did. / went
home and taught school for two years,
when the faculty gave me a written in
vitation to return declined and went
to Bethlehem College, West Virginia.
instead.
What Of my friend Webb 0ns
night some twenty-five or thirty
years after the above described fight,
! lectured in a small city in northern,
Ohio Next morning a bright young
man named Webb came to see me and
said that his father, who had been
student at Kentucky university in 1870,
when he learned that | was TO lecture
there, told him to call on me and find
out if | was James B, Clark, who at
tended that university ] answered in
the affirmative and knew that his
father was my Webb. | asked him
where his father was. He said he was
teaching school about twenty miles out
in the country and would have called
in person except for the distance
inquired kindly after his father and
sent him greeting
A year or two after that my fel-
low-student Webb wrote me about hl'
brothers disputed homestead claim n
Oklahoma. asking me to help Iralghlen
a. o,t aud | cornnIipd 10 the hest pf