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Show Till" fltl. Ill MM!, (It llMil.r.. Tub name of llonry Clay King of Tennessee has beeumenllontd n treat deal In the ja) era during tbe lait eighteen months. Tho story 'nf his life mutes a lamentable cLailcrlu the drama of human hlitor). Only a short lime ago he was fount Kullly o( murder I y a Jury ol his fellow i Itlzena nud waa 'sentenced to lu hanged. UoiernorHuchanan, on the 0th Inst , commuted the death sentence to I on si servitude for ll'e. The, commutation com-mutation was not well iccelved by the people of Memphis, nnd Klug had lo be removed secretly In order to escape a 1 nchlng. Col. II. C. King was a man whnio celebrity as n lawyer, au thor and soldier was rot confined to the limits of his native atatu. In tl e war of Itie rebellion he achieved fame aa a sillier of the confederate army. His rejlment, known as "King's llgeri," makes a formidable show Ing In thu civil war lice ids. lu law his work known ni "King's Digest" lartcogulzod nan shiudard In Its Hue, l'roleaslonally he ranked among the foremost of the Tcnnsisec bar. And tt was whll n In the raetlca of his lufiMlou that ha brought upon hlmsell the nilury which blighted his name, his family mid tils honor. About five years ago Mrs. Mary J. l'illow, wl low of General Uldeon J. l'llluw of Mexican war fame, callul atthuolllco of Henry t'l.i) King In Menihls,uusomu trilling legal I miners. mi-ners. Hhu was a woman of forty-five, but oiessng certain charms which attructeil King. He subrcquontl-, left hlsHifuand children nud went to Ilvu In her bouse. This naturally created gossip and cauied great scandal. King found that ubllo opinion was not by uny means on his elde. 11" owned a large plantation In Arkansas, and to this ho and. Mrs. Pillow retreated, and live I there as man and wife. the lady urged King to lace his rroerty beyond tho reach ofhlsUwful wife nnd children. Hhu Induced him tu tracafer the Arkansas Arkan-sas csUlo to herself for protection. Dili ho did. Mrs. Pillow (hen quietly had thoruerly recorded lu her own name. Whin Klug discovered this ho charged tho woman with perfidy, and with lotting to tuln his wlfo and children. Mrs. Pillow lu return ot dcred him oir herieuilc. Ho had to go, an I returned to Muni his, where only couitirnallouiiwnllod lilni. Ho tried to become reconciled Willi tho Pillow 'woman unco mors, lut she spurned hlui from her homo that lor merly waslili. Ha then entered suit for tbe re cove ry of bis roj erty. Mrs Pillow rctslncd as her attorneys thu firm cf Piston and Pcston of Mini phis. During the trial the relatlei s of tbn plalnllfl and defendant were I fully dliclcsed. In his specc b i at Ibe trial, David II, Poetin, senior member of the firm, scored King lu n merciless and ecith Ing mauner. Thu speech arcused King to Bleat nnner. He met Ffatou lu Meinhlson Match 10th, 1801, and shot him ele ad. At tho tlmo the murder mur-der created Indignation lu Mcmh!a. A large mob attacked King who bold them at bay Willi hlssmoklng revolver, but finally surrendered lo deputy slellff. His wl'u visited him lu rlson, nnd stood by him to the last. Ills defense at the trial was based on Insanity, but the Jury rendercin ver diet of murder against him after two hours' deliberation. It Is weld that strong Inltuonce both lltlcal and social was brought lo bear on Uovu mor Hurhaban. If King hid challenged Poston lo cjnibst lu the usual Hottthcru way public o-lhlon woul I not bo so flerco against him Hut King walked deliberately up to his victim, pulled the trigger within a few feet Of Poston'e body, sen ling the ball "(ear through the Intestines. King's real lt by tho (loveruor wa based principally on technical grounds It wee considered he was entitled to si change of venue, which was dented htto, and that there were eomo other Informalities about the trial. It la unlikely un-likely that thero would havu been n ootnuiuUtlon of sentence If the convict ha I oecupled a less romlnent position luaoclety. As It la, penal servltudo for life Is a Icrrlblo punlshmeut. |
