Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-04-24

| LIFE IN THE REBEL CAPITAL.
THE FARE AT A FASHIONABLE BOARDING HOUSE
JEFFERSON DAVIS WIFE.
A Murfreesboro correspondent of the Gin.
cinnati Commercial communicates to that
journal copy of letter recently found on
female rebel near our outposts, from the
wife of rebel Congressman, and directed TO
person in Nashville, which furnishes a
most interesting view life at the Confcd j..
crate capital. We quote: ~
| =, HcHMoND, VA, Friday, Feb. 6, 1863
-" ny Dedr dnna | have an opportunity
offered, this morning, for conveying letter
to you, and embrace it gladly. - Ny
little boy is named Malvern His papa
called him after the battle ground of NAL
yern Hill, where our braves fought so nobly.
he begins to play, and tries to talk. lie
spits at the Yankee pictures, and makes wry
faces at Old Abes picture. He is a great
boy, and the best and prettiest baby ever
saw. lie is much petted by the members
OF Congress who know him. Mr.. +. is very
much engaged in the House during the
day.
We are boarding at Mrs Johnson's, on
Governor Street, just opposite Gov Letcher's
mansion. 1t is large boarding house, hiqh
prices and stareatios mittn. Such living
never was known before on earth. Tell
grandma the poorest hut in the Western
District of Tennessee is palace compared
with this, so far as fare goes. We have to
cook almost every thing We eat in our own
room. In or larder' the stock on hand
is boiled bacon ham, which we gave only
eleven dollars for; three pounds of pure Rio
coffee, we gave four dollars per pound for,
and one pound Of green tea, seventeen dol
lars per pound; two pounds of brown sugar
at two dollars and scventy-fiye cents per
pound; one bushel of fine apples, about the
size of good common marble, which were
presented to me BY member of Congress
from Missouri one pound of butter, about
six months old, at two dollars per pound,
and SIX sweet potatoes, at fifty cents.
-" we have to give dollar for very small
slice of poundcake at the confectionaries.
| forgot to say had present of fine jar
of pickles and piece of cheese from mem
Der, also. Well, so much for the way we live.
You see the board is three dollars each per
day, for Mr.. F. and |, and half price for the
servant, and then we get nothing on earth to
eat. Yesterday, for dinner, we had nothing
on the table but two eggs and slice of cold
bakers bread and glass of water. Well,
linen such as we gave one dollar for at home
when left, sells here at six dollars, and the
commonest domestic two dollars; calico two
or three dollars per yard, of the most indlf.
ierent KIND. You may well believe I get but
little. Richmond is strictly a Jewish city,
all making fortunes out of the war.
The women are far below the standard
OF Nashville ladies either in elegance or re-
flnement. There is seldom lady seen who
shows the gift of high born gentility here
Such have generally abandoned this city and
retired to the country, or keep recluse, so
that the mongrel race reign supreme on street
and all the more frequented parts of the |
city.
We find Governor Letcher's family real
types of the Old Dominion gentry. He has
daughter just your size. = i: There al
about dozen unmarried members here that
promised me to vote the capital where wish
ed, if l would provide them chance with |
my little queens. They all agree the Nash
vile girls are the bellies, deseryedly, of the |
Southern Confederacy."
SECOND LETTER
The Honorable Mrs. F. having more to say
added another sheet of letter paper, of which !
The following is rather racy:
Joe Pickett is here from Memphis He
is counting Miss Nh, great belle, ugly
and rich. Gen. Price is here on business.
ne Is fine gentleman and very handsome.
Tell them (the writer's children), Mrs. Jeff.
Davis is not pretty, but fine looking wo-
man-dresses badly, in no taste, She is not
much liked here, and is said to control Jeffie,'
as she calls her husband. She has several !
children. She takes but little notice of them.
They go about with their clothes tossed on
IN any and every style. She has the public
affairs to attend to- Ask aunt Kitty wha.
she thinks o. that.
The President looks careworn and troub-
led. He is very thin, and looks feeble and
bent lie prays aloud in church, and is
devout Episcopalian.
CHATTIE"