The Clay-Randolph Duel

One of the most interesting (in my opinion) well-known duels in American history is the one that took place between Henry Clay and John Randolph.  On that topic, here are two articles and a book excerpt.

The Ogden Standard of Ogden, Utah on July 2, 1910

The first is an excerpt of an article entitled "Fist Fights in the Hall of Congress"  first published by the New York Herald, and reprinted in The Ogden Standard of Ogden, Utah on July 2, 1910.  I like this one because, unlike the other two, it discusses why the duel occurred.  The second is a short recounting of the duel itself from a book titled A Treasury of Southern Folklore, followed by a longer article from the New York Tribune which discusses the duel as well as the personalities and careers of both men.

Excerpt of "Fist Fights in the Halls of Congress" first published by the New York Herald, 

reprinted in The Ogden Standard of Ogden, Utah on July 2, 1910.

  John Randolph, of Roanoke, possessed probably the most caustic tongue in American legislative history.  He had a veritable genius for breeding quarrels.  Scarcely a member of Congress in his day went unscathed.  In 1826, Randolph declared that the election of John Quinc Adams to the Presidency was the result of a bargain whereby Clay was to become Secretary of State.

Speaking on the floor of the House, Randolph in tones of passion cried out:--"I was defeated, horse, foot and dragoons--cut up and clean broke down by the coalition of Bliful and Black George--by a combination unheard of til' then of the Puritan with the blackleg."

Upon Randolph's refusal to explain his language, Clay challenged him to a duel.  They met across the Potomac on Virginia soil on April 8, 1926.  After a harmless exchange of shots the contestants were reconciled and became close personal friends.  Clay previoiusly had fought a duel with Humphrey Marshall in 1808 as a result of personal remarks made in the heat of political debate.

A Treasury of Southern Folklore, edited by B. A. Botkin, copywright 1949, Bonanza Books, New York, pg 258.

The Randolph-Clay Duel

The particulars of the duel between Mr. Randolph and Mr. Clay may be unknown to some of our readers.  The eccentric descendant of Pocahontas appeared on the ground in a huge morning gown.  This garment constituted such a vast circumference that the "locality of the swarthy Senator" was at least a matter of very vague conjecture.  The parties exchanged shots and the ball of Mr. Clay hit the centre of the visible object, but Mr. Randolph was not there! The latter had fired in the air, and immediately after the exchange of shots he walked up to Mr. Clay, parted the folds of hs gown, pointed to the hole where the bullet of the former had pierced  his coat, and, in the shrillest tone of his piercing voice, exclaimed, "Mr. Clay, you owe me a coat--you owe me a coat!" to which Mr. Clay replied, in a voice of slow and solemn emphasis, at the same time pointing directly at Mr. Randolph's heart, "Mr. Randolph, I thank God that I am no deeper in your debt!"

Photographs of Bakery on 5th Street, Charlotte, NC

These are photographs that were in my husband's late uncle's possession, of 'The Ideal Bakers' Mayer & Haas Bakery, on 5th Street in Charlotte, N.C.

Obituary of Alienist Allan McLane Hamilton

From the Palestine Daily Herald, Saturday, March 5, 1910.

Dr. Allan McLane Hamilton.

Famous Alienist Who Has Figured In Many Conspicuous Cases.

Dr. Allan McLane Hamilton, one of the country's most famous alienists, who figured in the Guiteau, Thaw, and other trials, is a grandson of Alexander Hamilton.  He is a resident of  New York.

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From the New York Tribune, December 20, 1919.

Famous Alienist Dies

Dr. Allan McLane Hamilton, famous insanity expert and author of "Recollections of an Alienist" (George H. Doran Company), died on November 24 in his seventy-second year.  Dr. Hamilton was the grandson of Alexander Hamilton.  Standing at the head of his own profession, he had come into close contact with many prominent men both here and abroad, and had been personally associated, either as expert or witness or adviser, with many of the famous insanity trials of recent years.

In "Recollections of an Alienist" Dr. Hamilton relates his experiences through a long life of interest, not lacking in excitement, in connection with his study of the diseases of the mind.  His experiences were not by any means confined to the courtroom and were sometimes attended with great danger, but were always replete with interest.

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His memoir, "Recollections of an Alienist" is available for free on google books, here.

Sheriff Candidates Draw Straws to Determine Winner, 1904

Previously:

Click here for a list of my other Pulaski/Rockcastle/Laurel County KY articles

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[November 25, 1904] -

In the race for sheriff, there was no official count of the vote as both candidates agreed that upon the face of the returns it was a tie vote, and owing to the irregularity in many precincts, neither candidate was willing to stand a contest, so it was agreed to draw straws for who would be sheriff, the unlucky candidate to be a deputy, which resulted in R. L McFerron's nomination, with G. S. Griffin as deputy. For the other two deputies, it was agreed that, the two running with McFerron and the two with Griffin should decide the question among themselves in the same manner, which resulted in the selection of John Robins and J.T. Nicely. Reubin Abney and D. G. Clark were the unsuccessful candidates.

R. L. McFERRON

Republican nominee for sheriff of Rockcastle.  Upon the face of the return it seems that it was a tie-vote (although there was no official count of the vote) between Mr. McFerron and Mr. Griffin and neither one being willing to stand a contest as irregularities existed in almost every precinct in the county, a compromise was effected, which resulted in Mr. McFerron's nomination, with Mr. Griffin as one of his deputies.

G. S. GRIFFIN

Who will be one of the deputies under McFerron.

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[1] Mt. Vernon Signal, Mt. Vernon, KY. November 25, 1904. Page 1. LOC. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86069561/1904-11-25/ed-1/seq-1/

Infant Coffin Carried by Little Girls, Rockcastle, 1898

Previously:

Click here for a list of my other Pulaski/Rockcastle/Laurel County KY articles

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[July 8, 1898] -

Mt. Vernon Signal, Mt. Vernon, Kentucky

July 8, 1898

The infant of Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Levisay died last Friday and was buried in the Presbyterian cemetery Saturday.  The coffin was carried to grave by little girls.

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We wish to return our many thanks to our friends for their kindness shown us in the sickness and death of our baby.  And especially to the little girls who bore its remains to its last resting place, also to Rev. Carmical for the beautiful little talk which he delivered at the church in his pleasant way.

R. H. Livesay,

Cassie Livesay.

Anecdote: A Strangely Prescient Sermon

Oil and Hell

"Brethren," he said, "the Lord made the world round like a ball."

     "Amen!" agreed the congregation.

     "And the Lord made two axles for the world to go round on, and He put one axle at the North Pole and one axle at the South Pole."

     "Amen!" agreed the congregation.

     "And the Lord put a lot of oil and grease in the center of the world so as to keep the axles well greased and oiled."

     "Amen!" cried the congregation.

     "And then a lot of sinners dig wells in Pennsylvania and steal the Lord's oil and grease.  And they dig wells in Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, and in Mexico and Russia, and steal the Lord's oil and grease.  And some day they will have all the Lord's oil and grease, and them axles is gonna git hot.  And then that will be hell, brethren, that will be hell!"

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[] By William P. Brannan, from Tall Tales of the Southwest, An Anthology of Southern and Southwestern Humor, 1830-1860, edited by Franklin J. Meine, pp. 253-255.  Copyright 1930 by Alfred A Knopf, Inc.  Reprinted in A Treasury of Southern Folklore, edited by B. A. Botkin, copywright 1949, Bonanza Books, New York, pg 112.

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Female Professional Embalmer, 1900

This article about a female embalmer comes from the Kentucky Irish American newspaper of Louisville, Kentucky, printed on December, 1, 1900.

EMBALMING.

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Interesting Interview With Miss Katie Smith Upon That Subject.

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The Only Lady Following That Profession in the South.

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Bodies Can Now Be Prepared For an Indefinite Time.

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METHOD PRACTICED BY EGYPTIANS

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Miss Katie Smith, daughter of the late Gran W. Smith, the only lady embalmer in the South, has made a long and successful study of the subject of embalming, and today she is recognized as one of the most proficient practicing that art.  There has been a growing demand for her services recently, her reputation extending through many adjoining States, especially as many parents prefer her to men when young women are to be embalmed. 

Miss Smith, whose picture accompanies this article, talked most interestingly and instructively to the Kentucky Irish American upon this subject, giving much information that is known to but a few.  She is now associated with Gran Smith's Sons, the well-known undertakers at Seventh and Walnut streets, a firm that has been in continuous existence perhaps longer than any in this city.  Among many other things she said: 

In order to practice their profession intelligently and successfully there is a certain amount of knowledge that the embalmers should and must possess.  They need not be educated in the classics and arts, but they should be possessed of a certain amount of knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the human body, particularly those parts pertaining to embalming.  They should have a good general knowledge of the vasular system, a knowledge of visceral anatomy and be acquainted with the formation of the general and serous cavities; be able to raise and inject arteries with ease and with very little mutilation; understand the modern methods of doing cavity work; be somewhat acquainted with the morbid condition of bodies dying of certain diseases, and understand all the expedients that are resorted to by the up-to-date embalmers in overcoming the various obstacles to be met with in the practice of their profession. 

Dueling Tales Involving Baseballs, Hot-air Balloons, Poison, and more

Duels, Strange and Tragic

By George Fortis

New York Tribune, New York, NY - July 29, 1906

Now that dueling is practically a thing of the past, we look back on its tragic scenes, its inimitably pathetic incidents, and on the bitterness which drove men to meet in a mad struggle to take each other's lives, with only a half realization of the awful significance of a challenge and its acceptance. When once a challenge was issued there was no alternative for the person to whom it was sent. He must either accept or be branded as a coward.

Yet in spite of this an element of fascinating mystery has always associated itself with duels. What could be more tragic than thee fact that the tossing of a coin for position during a combat has cost more than one duelist his life. And there is something weirdly fascinating about the accounts in old papers of desperate struggles to the death between duelists armed with knives in darkened rooms, or the choice of two black vials in one of which death lurked in the form of a deadly poison.

But duels, like everyone else, have had a certain amount of humor mingled with them, and the colloquialism of a duel with cream-puffs at forty paces becomes less of a myth and more of a reality when we learn from records that some ten years ago a duel took place in Paris between a French Count and an American college man, in which the weapons were base-balls.  The affair arose through a slight fracas in an art school, and the Frenchmen sent a challenge.

June 31st - Gravestone

       CLACKUM

William Clackum  |   Jane Clackum

June 31, 1850      |   Sept 13, 1852

May 28, 1904      |   May 10, 1931

    Gone, but not forgotten

Gravestone located in Citizens Cemetery, Marietta, GA

William's birthdate according to this gravestone is June 31, which is not a real date. I think it should say June 3, 1850. In the book The First Hundred Years: A Short History of Cobb County, in Georgia by Sarah B. G. Temple, published in 1934, there is a transcription of all graves in this cemetery, Citizens Cemetery, Marietta, at that time. She transcribes this grave as: "W. R. Clackum June 3, 1850 May 28, 1904". 

Although the book was published in 1934, the author undertook the task of trying to compile and publish a comprehensive transcription of all cemeteries in Cobb County at the time, which likely took several years to accomplish.    Jane Clackum's grave is not listed in the book despite dying in 1931.  It is reasonable to assume she died during the same time period as the author was transcribing these graves and therefore didn't make the book. Perhaps there was a different headstone at that time for William, and it was replaced when Jane died to give them a joint headstone. Reasons I think there was a different headstone is because the birth date differs, and secondly, his name is not transcribed in Temple's book as being written out William as it is in the above pictured headstone. Instead his initials are given, whereas his middle initial does not even appear on the present gravestone.

Engraving "Crossing the Plains," 1853

Below is a scan of an etching called "Crossing The Plains: Views Drawn From Nature, In 1853, By George H. Baker" which I found folded up in an old book.  It contains illustrations of wagon trains, indians, and famous rock formations in the American West.  I googled the copyright listed at the bottom of the sheet, and found that the Online Archive of California has the same engraving on their website, but in a slightly worse condition. 

Click to enlarge:

Where to Find Old U.S. Newspapers

The following information discusses how to find U.S. Newspapers online and on microfilm.  Hopefully this information can help you track down a specific newspaper title or issue, or help if you want to search multiple papers for a specific person, event, or topic.

Free sites.  Some of these have overlapping content.

• Library of Congress - Historic American Newspapers Database - Newspapers from 22 states and the District of Columbia.

• Google News Archive - There are a lot of newspapers here, but  I can't seem to find a list of exactly which ones.  I don't think Google updates this archive anymore.  Some are pay-per-view, but it's worth a shot to search because something free may come up.  I got the Richmond Dispatch article in my previous post about Czolgosz through this search for free.  You have to choose "Archives" in the left sidebar under "News" after you have entered a search term.

• Wikipedia List of Online Newspaper Archives - This list compiled on Wikipedia is an index of websites which contain online scans of newspapers, many of which are free.

• Library of Congress - Online Newspaper Archives Directory  - Another list of other online newspaper archive directories.  I include both because one may have information that the other does not, or one may be updated more often. 

As examples of what you can find on those last two links, here are two state online archives (the ones I personally use the most):

• Digital Library of Georgia - Select newspapers in Georgia, available for free.  These are NOT on the LOC site. 

• Kentuckiana Digital Library (KDL) - Newspapers from throughout Kentucky.  Many are also on the LOC site, but there are some on this site that are not on the LOC site, due some of the scans not meeting LOC guidelines.  For example, the Kentucke Gazette, the oldest newspaper available on KDL, is not on LOC's site.

Subscription sites. In addition to the paid content on the above linked Google News Archive, there is Ancestry, Footnote, and GenealogyBank.   They have some content which is not available elsewhere online for free.  If you cannot afford a subscription to any or all of these sites, I suggest trying to find a local library which has a subscription.

• GenealogyBank.com - GenealogyBank is my go-to subscription database for newspapers.  Their search is quite reliable and their holdings are large and are updated monthly.  My only complaint is that many of the original images of the articles are not high quality scans.  Some are poor, harshly high-contrast images which can be hard to read.  They probably do this for OCR reasons, which does seem to have improved their search.  That's the trade off, I guess. 

• Ancestry.com - I've found Ancestry's search to be little better than useless when it comes to searching newspapers, which is a shame.  They do have many newspapers not available elsewhere, but perhaps the only way to really use them it to treat them as microfilm--flip through page by page.

• Fold3.com - (formerly Footnote.com) The link should take you directly to the list of their newspapers.  I haven't really used footnote all that much so I'll refrain from judging the quality of their search. I haven't used it mainly because of their very limited selection of newspapers, many of which are available elsewhere.  I personally doubt they'll expand their newspaper offerings any time soon since that does not really fit into their new military focus.

Microfilm. A large majority of newspapers holdings are only available on microfilm.  If you are searching for a specific paper which is not yet online, hopefully the following websites and tips can be of help:

• The Library of Congress Microfilm Directory can tell you what major libraries possess microfilm of a specific newspaper.  The directory is easily searchable by the paper's state, county, and city.  However, it is not complete.  It lists mostly university and state libraries and archives, but is a great starting place. 

• State Archives, University Libraries.  You might assume that your state's archives would be the best place to go for old newspapers, but in my experience this is not the case.  Newspaper scanning projects are typically done by a state university, and they therefore have the best collections of microfilm.  See the U.S. Newspaper program website or the above linked LOC or Wikipedia indexes to find out the university or historical society which scanned the newspapers for the state of your interest.  The Kentucky Archives in Frankfort, to my knowledge, has no microfilm newspapers for viewing, as they limit their holdings to only government-created documents.  The University of Kentucky library in Lexington, has a comprehensive collection of microfilm Kentucky newspapers, they are also the ones that maintain the KDL newspaper database listed above.  The Georgia Archives has a decent collection, but if you're going to make a trip there just to browse newspapers, UGA's Main Library is a much better destination.  They have a larger collection and are also open more hours during the week (The GA Archives are only open to the public Fridays and Saturdays). However, the Georgia Archives has subscriptions to Genealogybank, Footnote, and Ancestry on their public computers.

• Smaller Libraries.  Smaller universities, community colleges, county-level public libraries, and county/regional historical cities often have newspapers on microfilm, and these places are not listed in the Library of Congress microfilm database. They often have microfilm of the local county paper(s).  It is best to check directly with a library to see if they have microfilm of that paper; just because their website makes no mention of microfilm holdings does not mean they do not have any available.
  
  The smaller libraries may be more convenient to you than the larger libraries and archives, either by location or by hours of operation.  Keep in mind that the large libraries will attract more researchers, and that these places have a limited number of microfilm readers.  Some local libraries that do not advertise their microfilim holdings may only get one or two viewers per week.  On the other hand, the larger libraries may have more advanced technology than the smaller libraries--for instance you may be able to save microfilm images directly to a USB drive.

Am I missing any good resources or tips?  Are there any broken links?  Please let me know in the comments.