Mr. Clay And Duelling

Somc weeks eince, we showed Mr. Clay s connection with slavery, by which it appears ihat he is not only a slnvehjldor, but an open and avowed advócale of the perpemity of the system. We now proceed to shew, tliat hc is a duellist, and hns pract6cd nnd defended the crime more or less through all hia pubüc li.'e. The following uinmary of his duels 3 from the American Citzen: - The first affair of this kind n which Mr. Claj participated, was in 1(5, or thereabouts. He luarrelled with Col. Hnmiltun Daviess, a chalsnge ensued, and the partios wei e piocceding to bíoody gratiíication oí tiieir nraligimnt passi ns, when ilieir friends intejíered and preventcd the ight. But as i'ar as the design wos concerned, his wnsas much a duel- showing cious baibaiisin- ufc uus;h the pariies had met. Ia ltiO3. JNIr. Clay and llumphrey Matshall met in mortal combat in Keniucky, boih bejrig membera of the legislatuie. JMr. Clay was this time the challenger. Thy exchanged three shots, and both were woundea f-lJgiuly, when the seconds interfered and the parties were 'satsficd.' íl3 btograplrer, Geurde Piemice, of Louisvillc, in noticing thisevent, af;er sonie exculpatory remarks, proceedsthus: 'Of bis personal courage o one entertains a doubt, it is id oi' him tlmt the eye with vhch hr. ineets nn oDDonent in debate, is not moreijuailing than ihai wliich he gives back the glance , 3f the foe in single combat H is ia a spirit thut knowe not lo bow clown or tromble in the piesence , of on enemy, whatever may be the character under which that enemy p;eenrs himself.' The nc.xt afiair of the kind of whibh nny ] ord is given, is the famous figlu beiween Mr. Clay and that ignis fatuus mono muniae, John Randolph. Thoy met and gave vent to tlieir mutual líate soon after iVlr. Ciay bccame Secre tary of State under Mr. Adams. Randolph was j then a Senator from his famous and inuch vaunted 01d Dominion.' Ue had taken occasion to speak unEcemly ot the virtues of Mr. Cluy, in the course ofa Senatorial harangue, and he was inimcdiately ehallenged to figh.t by the Iatter. - Ilandolph "appearcd on the round in a huge morning gown, eontrary to uil the ruk-softhe code, and this carne near involving seconds and j all concerned in another fighi. But as the j lies went on the ground to 'have a 6hot,' Mr. I Clay waived his objections to this brcacu of ihe j rules, and ihe partios were drawn np in battle array, nnd exchanged two shots; at the secondot which itandolph fired in tho air, as an evidence of his desire ior a cessation of hostUities, and j both retired froin the held unharmed, ohlwugh Mr. Clay'8 ball p.issed through the centre of his antagonik'a inorning gown. w.thout touching the 'thin and swanhy Senator.' Thuse are all the personal fights in which Mr Clay has engaged ot which we have any record.. His biograplitr is somewhat shy.oi partícula. s in relation to tliis matter, and il is huped that if ihore is any thing of tliis kind yct bclund, which jhe people ought to be inlurnied of, thaL some oi thoso gentlenien who are about writing another history of theso events of Mr. Clay's lile, wtll b more full and eacplicit in thejr tubor, Let thopeop!e have the whole tnith. Ot late years there huve been several affaire oi this cliaracter in which Mr. Cluy has taken a mrt more or less conspicuous. The murder ot Jiliey wífl long bc reinembered as a most atrociU8 tragedy. Although concealed at the time, now appeara by the statemontj of H. A. VVise, ne of the accesaaries to that mimler, that Mr. ülay w;is privy to it all, and actually penned ttie ïailenee tinully sent from Graves to Cillcy! - OneF8 bïood fairly curdles with horror at the rec[lection of that most diabohcal piece of villainy nd vinlence. All the survivors ought now to e haininering stone in the penitentkiry, if indeed ïeir coiupany would not be too great an imiigity to cast upori the petty rascáis usually cuijjloyd in such a place. I believe it is but a year ago last March, al the lose of the then 8ession of Congress, that the ublic mind was for a long time in a state oí nxioua disgust at the prospect heid out of a fighi jetween Mr. Clay and Senator King. of Alubaiua! Twoold men, boih near the closo of a long life, going out to imbuo their palsied hands in each otlier's blood, to graiily those malignam passione which diagrace the worst states of savnge society! And this too in a christian country, and by thoee men vvho for their superior intelligence and virtue are selected by the pcople a'slhetr lawmakers and executivesi Oh! this Bubject is 60 black with damning horroisthat the mind revoltsat the idea of compassingor entertaimng u - anü we cast it from usas we wou] i turn trom the massacre of our sous, and Ü-e violation of our daugluers by the hands of wild and imbruted savages. Can civil zed Christ'um society pass by such atrocilire as of linie consequence? Mr. Clay's history shows him not only a duellist, but the defender of those who had taken the iives of their fellew men, in such nurnberless instancess that it became well known in Kentucky, that wherever the criminal secured the services of Mr. Clay- no matter how plain aud direct thetestimony, or how aggravnted and atrocious the crime, no conviction could bc procured for murder. ín such o caee, hls ttigh intellectual endowments could prove nothing less ihan a curse to the sociciy in which they were exercised; as laws ngaiii6t the lawless and cruel became a dead letter - sn 1 he who could raise the most mean8 of feeing ghis law yer. had the largest license to prey upon the delencelces, or be revenged on an my. Now, in view of these facls, we contend that Mr. Clay is unfitted for the office of President of tho United Siates, because he stands beiore the world an vnrepenting mcrderer at heart - an actual criminal, of no ordinary guilt. Before you condemn us for ench an assertion, bc pleased to consider wiih candor the evidence upon which it is made. A duel, in the ordiuary acceptation of the word, ia a premeditated combat of two persons, with deadly wenpons, with intention of killing each other. 'Murder (says Blackstone) is committcd wken a person of memory and discretion killcth any reasonable creature in being, with malice aforcthouglit, eilher express or implied. Expressmalice is, whon one, with a sédate delibeiate mind, and formed design, doth kill another. - This talccs in the case of delibérate dvelling, where both partiea meet avowedly with intern to murder.' And a greater than Blackstone has said: 'lt' a man smite kis neighbor with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer. And if he smite him with a hand weapon of wood, wherewith l.e may die, and lic die, he h a murderer. And if do thrusthim ofhatred, or hurl at him by lying of wait that he die. or in cnmity smitt him with kis hand that In die, hc that smote him shall surely bo put to death, for he is a murdercr.' The lawa of the sevenil States have also spoken on this subject, and in perfect accordance with reason and the word of God, declare the taking of life in a duel tobe murder. But it may be said that Mr. Clay cannot truly be called a murdercr, because he has never ye: succeeded in hts attempts to kill any one. In answer to this, wo may quote the words of Dr. Beecher, who says: i;The death of thevictim is, I know, necessary to justify the infliction of the penalty in its full extent. But is a crime never committed, until it becomes so palpable that thelaw can talio hol J of il? I do not hesitalo to say that cvery duellist is a murderer, for he has said so himself. He has avovvcd as his own, principie oí murder; he tells you that, if occasion calis: end his skill bc sufficient, he will murder. And, whcn insultcd or chullénged he has stood fortli in the field of combat, and aimed the dead]y woapon, and through want of skill only, or through fcar and trembling, has failed to prostrate his victim, is he therefore not a murderer? Is the profca&ed robber who fails in his attempt therefore not a robber? Is the assassin because his thrust was not deadly, therefore not an assassin?" Uut some who will not deny the facts alleged, mny consider the otTence as venial and trifliug. and undeserving the severe censure we pnssupon it. We will refersuch to the Statute Books oi the different States, where fighting a duel or challenging a person to figln is ranUed aniong CRIMES. A crime, says Webster, is a violation of public law, of a deep and atrocious nature; a public wrong; as treason, murder, robbcry, I theft arson, &c- any great wickedness. Üur own statuie speaks ot th'.s crime and its punishment as Ibliows:Sec. Every peison who shall cngage in a du el .vit li any deadly weapon, olthough no homicule nsues, or shall ensue, or shdl challenj-e anothcr lofigt.t such a duel, or shall send or dehverany writTen or verbal message. purportng or mtendud to be such challenge, ahhough no duel ensue, shall be punished by imprisonment, in the state prison, not me; e than twenty years, or by rine not exceeding ono thousand dollars, and 1111piisonment in the county jail not more than three yeara, and shall also be incapable of holding, or of bein.ï elected or appointed to any place of honor, profil or trust, under the constitu'ion or lawsof this State. Skc. -1. Every (ersm whoehaH accent challer ge, or who shallknow ingiy carry or give any such challenge or messnge whetiicr a duel ensue or not. and every person who shall be present at the fighting oí a duel with deadly weapons, as on ailor second, or who shall advise, encourage. or promote such duel, shall be punished by unpriaonment in the coun'.y jml, not more than one year, or by fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, and hall also be incapacitated as nientioned in the preceding section, for the term oí five years alter such conviction. But while Mr. Clay's offence is thus'rnnkand snjells to Heavcn'- while it is condemned by human and divine Iav8, some havo urged in extenuation, that he only followed the custom of the society with which he niingled, and though not justifiable he is tlierefore excusable. This apology, when analyzed, amounts only to this. that many othershave committed the same crime that Mr. Clay has. Shall we thcrefore assume the piinciple that the greater number of person engaged in committing a crime, the less is the guilt of each individual? We do admit, howevc-r. that a single ofTence of the kind, committed by Mr. Clay in nis younger days, understrong pvovocation, might be overlooked, providcd tlie praetice of riper ycars manircstcd a disapprovnl of the violence of youth; but such is not the fact. In the duel in which Citley was murdered. Mr. Claj and Mr. Crittenden were the managers of the afibir, and Mr. Cluy wrote the, ckalltnge ichich resulte.d in Cilhy's murder. Was this a business befitling an aged statesnian and patriot? Was this a proper example to be bequeathcd to younger legislators and public men, by one who stood so high in the honors of his cmmtrymen? This man. vrhosc memory is thu3 staincd with the records of unrepenting guilt. is now held up r.s a candidate for the highest office in the gift of the people. The issue is alrcady made; those who vote the whig ticket at the coming election, will virtuálly vote lor this dis tinguisW desput. gambler and duellis'. You will thereby fully commit yourself on his side.- Will you do ü? Wa wish every voter who reads this article to ask himself this qucstion. OtTAm I Killing to rote for a man to bc chief magistrale of t'tis nation, whost cnmzs are so grent, thalifarraigncdliefore meas a Ju.roror Judge, I should bc obligcd on mj SJlaan oath lef ore Almighty God. to consign hiin to viany ycars residence in the SUUe Prison To show that we are noi alone in our estimation of the guilt of duelling, we subjoin the iollowing extract from a sermón of Dr. Beecher, publislicd in 1306. Speaking of a refusal io vote for duellists, he saya: J Let it be known that even one county wiïl not uphold despotism and murder. and the ñames of er i'ots and murier-.us will no longer disgracfcSyour tickets of suff age. The Sghting of a luclwill becoine a disgnice - a millstoiio ubout the neck ofaspiring ambition. "And ow let me ask you 6oletnnly; witn these considerations in view. will you persist in vour attachment to these guilty men? Will you 'uny lonrer, either deliberately or thoughtlessly vote for Them1? Will you renounce aliegiance to your Maker, and cast tho Biblo behind your back? Will you confide in men, void ot 'he fear of God and destitute of moral principie? - Will you uitrust We to m'irderars and Uburty to dcspoïsi Are you pntrtots, and will you constitute those legislators. wlio despise you, and despi?e equal laws, and wage war with the cternal principies of justicel Are you chnsuans, and by upholdinr duellists, will you deluge the land with blood. nnd fill it with widows and orpnnsT Will you aid in the prostration of ustice- injtne escape of crimináis- n the exiinctionfot lihertyï Will you place in the chair ol state- in the sonate- or on the bonch of justice, men whoj if able icould murdtr youfor speuhing the trutli, bhnll your elections turn on expert sliooting, and your deliberat:ve bodies becomo a host of armed men? Will you destroy public morality by tolerating. yea. by rewardiug the most infamous crimes'? - Will you teack your chüdrcn that therc is no ntüt 'in murder? Will you instruct them to Think lightly of duelling, and train them up to destroy orbe destroycd in ihebioody field? Will you bestow your sufirage, when you know that by withholding it you may arrest thisdeadly evil when this too is the only wny it can be done, and when the present is the only penod in which resistance can avail- when the remudy is so easy, so entirely in your power; and when God, if you do not punish theseguilty men, will most ïnevitably punish you?"