Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-02-15
Richmond Daily Register Richmond County KY sssy sa H. NJ Wo
.CASSIUS M. CLAWS
CANNON IN TENNESSEE
Big Gun That Guarded His Paper
Office In Lexington Goes To
Historical Society


cannon which Cassius NJ. Clay
used with other pieces OF ord
nance in 1916 to defend the Office
of his abolition paper The True
American in a brick building
which extended through from
Mill street to CheapSide in Lex
ington. mas been presented to
the Tennessee Historical Society.
SAYS the Leader.
Miss Laura Clay, daughter oi
the Lion of White Hall" re-
calls that in her childhood one OF
the brass cannon was kept at
the old home in Madison county
but never saw the other and did
not know that either was now III
existence.
Expecting mob attacks from
Shareholders and their synnpa-
thizers. the champion OF aboli-
ton fortified his Office, but the
cannon were never fired. \
committee visited his print shop.
whose Mill street entrance was
on the lot in the rear OF the
present Bassett building, boxed
and shipped his printing material
to Cincinnati. Mr.. Clay sued and
obtained a judgment for $500
from two members OF the COM
mittee. He later revived this pa
per, publishing it i'll Cincinnati
and Louisville and circulating !,
over Kentucky. In recent years
workmen eXcavating on the site
OF his office found scattered type
in the soil.
II. W. Doak. clerk OF the Unit
ed States Court at Nashville and
formerly 4 newspaper man in
Cincinnati. presented the cannon
20 the Tennessee Society. He
received it from Colonel William
e.. Terrell. then connected with
the Cincinnati Commercial. TO
whom Mr.. Clay gave it. The
cannon had an iron carriage
which was destroyed when the
GAINESVILLE. Tenn. Democrats us
ci it TO fire salutcS in honor OF
Clcvcland's election in 1884. The
old muzzlc-loadcr is otherwise
complcte-body. brecch. muskct.
touchole. chase. cascabeI and
trunnions. D.
Tradition has it that silver dol
lars OF Spanish origin were melt
cd with the brass to give the
metal the proper consistency. OF
this. however, nothing but the
romance remains. for nothing i
left in the record to show the
truth or imagination OF il. For
there was record left by the
man who originally purchased
The strange old piece OF artillery
and its purpose was for the
defense OF a free press. /
Mr.. Clay in his "McmoirS.
Writings and Speeches. tells
how in 1874 he determined to
start press of his own in the
cause OF abolition in Lexington.
OF the subsequent events he
wrote: II
The present generation can
know nothing OF the terror that
the slave power inspired; but ii
may be family conceived when
= profound minister of the
Christian religion in South Caro-
lima said that it were better for
him. rather than to denounce
slavery. TO murder his own soul
in hell!
My prospectus was moderate
,nongh-proposing nothing but
constitutional methods i'll the I
overthrow OF slavery: but when ,
he first number of my paper APP
,cared on June 3. 1915. the war G
vas raging space all the lines. a
selected for my Office a brick c
and lined the outside {
Ioors with sheet iron to prevent c
being burned. | purchased I
wo four-pounder cannon at Gin !
innati and placed them, loaded Il
With shot and nails. on table h
'reast high. had folding doors. il
ecured with chains, which could D
pen upon the mob and give play Ii
o my cannon. | furnished nv