Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1861-07-27


.JRFp DAVIS was son.inlaw Of Zachary
Taylor, which facts probably accounts for
his pot having been courtmartinled for his
conduct ut the battle Of buenN Vista
where he LEFT his regiment, spread ont In
the shape Of V to receive the charge OF
1000 Mexican cavalry. Nothing saved /
them but their Workmanship. He married
the old Generals daughter by stealth, IN
opposition to the expressed wishes and posi-
tive commands of her father Gen. Tay- |
lor said TO his daughter, If you marry |
Lieut.. Davis, will never see your ince a
gain, dead or alive The infatuated girl
nevertheless, eloped with Davis, who bad
taken advantage Of the pstrongo Of his
commanding officer and violated the laws
Of hospitality by secretly gaining the uf-
fections Of his daughter. In such abhor-
renee did Zachary Taylor hold Davis, that
he kept his word with frmness that may
be deemed pitess cruelty When in the
course of time, his disobedient daughter
lay on her death bed, she sent to him
penitent message entreating him to visit
her, that she might die in peace, with her
fathers blessing or bis forgiveness. The
stern reply of the inexorable old man was:
I warned you that il ever you married
that man, would never see YOU again, liy-
ing or dead, and ] Esrsr rN' Aud so
the unfortunate lady died, unblesi and un.
forgiven by him.
When Davis cane dniiar the immediate
command Of his SItaerliiriuw in the Mexi.
can war, Gen Taylor rgilsed 10 recognize
him in any way. except gGejIIly. IS in Civ.
ing orders, and IN other matters, Of purely
military form and duty
There was twO-f0ld obstacle to Tay.
lor's performance Of his duty in the Buena
Vista matter. Davis was his son.in-aw,
and was at the same time, known to he
the object Of hatred aud adherence. He
could not well have escaped suspicion Of
bad motives or personal feeling, in either
view.
A friend to whom | read the foregoing
short time since, gave me the following
sketch VI Davis relations to an old Missis-
sppian, renowned for desperate aud reek-
less courage. Alexander McClung often
proved himself on the battle field and on
the duelling ground, q man of dOuntess
and unsurpassed valor, showing an abso.
lutte contempt for death on every occasion
that presented. He killed many men with
his own haud, and fually shot himself in
the head.
l happened to be in constant commnnica
tion with COL A. r: McCIung, of Missis-
sissppi, in lS49 and 1850, aud had almost
daily conversation with him in relation to
prominent MSSisSppians. AS matter OF
course, jeff Davis was frequently named,
and for him McClung entertained the most
supreme contempt.
He said that JEFF was not q man of true /!
courage, that be wished to be regarded as
a duelist but in giving a challenge would |
always cast about for q non. Combatant, and .
would exercise enough prudence to creep /
out of accepting one from an antagonist
over whom he had not great advantage.
McClung said, on one occasion :
i am very sorry | ever fought a duel. 1t
is not pleasant busness and yet would |
like to fight one more with one man, aud
that man is Jtfferson Davis, because think |
the United States will be better without !
him. He will not fight me, he is too great .
coward. In fact, he is not now, never
was and never will be brave man, in the
true sense of the word. He is dangerous
and willy politician loaded down with vani-
ty and self conceit, wishing ouly for his cwn
aggrandizement, and lie cares not at what
expense or how many desolate households |
He thinks of himself only, and | should |
not be surprised to find him, one of these |
days, taking such step in public as will
place bis neck in halter, for he is bad
man and a scoundrel, and | have frequent |
ly denounced him as sucb before the peo.
pie of Mississippi and the poluoon never
had the courage TO resent it,