Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1864-02-05
NARRATIVE OF IAN INTELLIGENT
CONTRABAND."

A special Washington dispatch to the Tri
bune says that. on Monday last, 1.-THE intelli
gent contrabsnd,' who has disappeared from
public view for some months, turned IN a
the capital, where he occupied during ma a.
hours the attention of Gen. Halleck and o
the Secretary of War. His name is jane
Dennison, alias Pemberton. He is ful
bred Ethiopian, aud has been for nearly TWEEN
ty years the body servant Of jeff Davis, and
In such relation has been known bv many O
the people Of Washington. His story is q
very interesting one, and the points in it o
the greatest public interest arc the following
''Jim says that Jefferson Davis, in private
conversation, is unreserved in urging the
abandonment Of Virginia, AZ line of defense
no longer tenable. That he has heard Mr..
Davis in conversation with cor fdential mem
bers OF the so-called government declare FREE
quently that Virginia had been used for all it
was worth; that it had proved shield of
immense value in Tending off the devastations
OF war from the rice and cotton States, which
were the natural heart and body polite of the
new government. Steps have been already
taken, on various pretexts of their labor be-
ing needed on the public works, to send all
the valuable abe-bodied negroes and breed
ing negro women from Richmond along the
railroad to LyncAburg, and also South into
Georgia, which Mr.. Davis declares TO be the
next base of defensive operations. But Gen.
Lee, whom Jim describes as looking very old,
with his hair now snow-white, is perempto-
rily opposed to the abandonment of Virginia,
and declares that Virginia soldiers will lay
down their arms, if their State be given up to
the Yankee despotism. jim does not give
these points as they are here stated the TO-
lowing being about fair specimen of his
. style of iniormation
The cupola roof of the Presidents house
leaks badly, he says, so that during the re-
cent rain-storm all the tubs from the kitchen
had to be taken up to save the ceiling of the
lower floors. Mrs. Davis, who often says
that if they had known how it was going
they never would have left Washington with
her consent, was calling Massa Davis atten-
ton to the state of the roof. and asked him
Ia send to the Quartermasters Department
and have it repaired. Mass Davis, who has
grown very petulant and irritable of late, re-
piled: 4 reckon we will be out Of this be-
fore another rain-storm. Dom fuss your
self and fret me about these trihss.'
The talk is not about going to Columbia,
S. C., but to some city in Georgia. jim
heard gentlemen ask Mr.. Davis at the table,
whore Alexander Stephens was, who has not
attended Congress this session, and who is
said not to have visited Mr.. Davis house or
office for over year. Davis replied that he
had heard that Stephens had gone to Europe,
but had not thought it worth while to en-
quire what had become of him
Jim accompanied Davis in his recent tour
around the Confederacy, and describes the fol-
lowing scene as having occurred on the sum
i
one bright day from the lofty eminence com
handing clear view into four States, and a
very distant view into fifth, Davis saw the
Yankees almost beneath his feet across the
valley, working like beavers on their fortif-
cations. Il have them now, said he, in just
the trap / set for them. To which Lieut.
Gen. Pemberton, who YVES sitting on horse
back beside him replied Mr.. Davis, you are
Commander-in-C Chief and you are here. You
think the enemy are in trap, and can be
captured by vigorous assault have been
blamed for not having ordered general at
tack on the enemy when they were drawing
around me their lines of decentralization at
Vicksburg. Do you now order an attack up
on those troops down there below us, and
will set you my life that not one man of the
attacking column will ever come back across
that valley, except as prisoner.
When Davis was passing through North
Carolina he only stopped at Wilmington to
consult with General Whiting. While there
he was pressed by numerous delegation OF
Confederate office-holders TO stop in Raleigh
for consultation with Gov. Vance. This he
sngrily declined. Ii appears that the health
OF Mr.. DAVIS is rapidly breaking down under
his neuralgia attacks, insomuch that he can
no longer use his only good eye by candle
light. lie continues his old habit after din
nor of stretching himself on the carpet before
the FIRE in a room otherwise unlshted, and II
is fast becoming dangerous for any one to APP
proach him.
Always of violent and fretful temper
this is becoming greatly aggravated by his
misfortunes, and Jim describes him on one
occasion az hinging about the chairs and fur
ni,ure when so disturbed. About four weeks
! ago pistol exploded in his room when he
was loading it, and the whole family rushed
up, feeling confident that, as they had long
decided. he had committed suicide.
Jim says that Mrs PAWS. in conversation
with female friends, frequently talks Of the
! Couiederacy hopeless, and is loud in re-
grets for tie lost pleasures Of Washington.
J There is no forage except in the Mssissip
| ,; kr al for NJ .