New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-07-06
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER.
The N. Y. Express has the following editorial
paragraphs:
"TgE PLIGHT OF DAVIS.

zone Of the party with JEFF. Davis. through AL MS
flight from Richmond. south, IN ieng.y S"s n TIs
HeraId no evidence Of the truth Of mo petticoas
story and there is longer any doubt WIN 1ns
that this part Of the reported plight In when DS"
captured IL a bction
- Now let us see precisely what this COM
panion of Days's flight into Georgia does say:
Had he Dayis not gone to assure hmseiL 81 n
w sa Sna hac ne pU would be- without the honor
~ csntnrinr him for nothing was easier than n. es
cape "a Brcckinridge and Wood ana me VIII " h.xs
trpw and Inv meeting interruption themselves ha'o
nroyed Their immunity might have been his. A.
"Bnt Davis ran his risks and took his chances iuly
conscious of imminent danger, ye. poTel'es', caus,
nhysIco veariness 10 do all he designed doug against
the danger When the mnsketfy ming was heaiu iu
the morning, at dim gray dawn was supposed ~ oo
between the Rebel msrauders and MIS- pa,ss rev
camn defenders Urder this impression he hurriediy
put bis boots and prepared to 80 Out ior ine
Of iuterposing. saying: 80,
80 They will at least as yet respect me-
AS he got to the tent door thus hastily equipped and
with this good intention Of preventing an eiusion OF
blood by IN appeal in the name VI fading but not
wholly faded authority, he saw row cavalry Ilde up
the road and deploy III front
"'Ua Federals + his exclamation. .
"Then you are captured. cried MrA Davis with
emotion
In a moment she caught an ldea-a woman's idea
and as quickly in m emergency execute their
designs II done. lie slept In wiapper--a h"se
one ii yet around MIN. This she fastened ere ne
was aware of IT, and then. bidding him ndieu urged
him to go to the spring short distance on wnere ns
horses and arms Strange as II may seem. there
not eycn pistol IN the tent. DAVIS ie't tnat hs
only course TO reach lis horse and arms and com
Piled As he was leaving the door. followed Dy a. ser,
| Want with water bucket, Miss Howell flung Sdfs
orer his had There no time 10 remove without
.xpcsure and and he had not far to
90 the chance exactly as II was devised Tor MN
In these two articles consisted the wonans attire OF
which 40 much nonsense hos been spoken and written,
ard under these circumstances and IN this way was
Jefferson Davis going forth 10 perfect his escape no
bonnet. gown. no petticoatr, 10 crnoinr, h NOM
ing Of al these And what there was happened 70 90
excusabe uudcr ordinary circumstances AMI perieciy
Bat il was too late for any effort resch bis horses
and tue Confederate President was at last prisoner IN
the hands of the United States.
Now this we presume to be an honest
statement of the facts, by one who, at all
events, is not inclined to mako the case against
j. d. worse than II is. Docs 1t justify the
broad assertion Of The Erpre"' Why did not
that journal give The Heraids statement in
stead Of its own most unwaTanted commentary
Who should fear the TRUTH
We never strike one who is already down.
We DO not say that il was wrong, cowardly, or
even ridiculous, for Davis to seek escape from
capture in the guise Of woman. Had he only
succeeded in getting away, the trick would have
been generally deemed clever one. 1t is
failure that makes it seem ridiculous. No one
ever thought worse Of Lavalet,e for escaping
from prison and death In his wife's garments.
Bu: fact is fact, and it is clear as MONDAY that
Davis tricdto evade capture by personating and
being taken for woman. If The Express did
not knop this to be true, why does it not print
the evidence instead of 80 grossly garbling it I