Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-07-12
A New Chapter--The Guilt Of Jeffer'
son Davis.

In an able article on the above subject,
the Mobile Advertiser publishes some re-.
markable facts connected with the secret
history of our late Government. They
prove what the intelligent among our peo'
pie will always contend; namely, that JEFF
fersou Davis was not a leader of the seces-
sion movement, but on the contrary, that
his influence at the beginning, was put forth
to restrain it.
He represented public sentiment, but its
creation was the spontaneous work of the
Southern heart. But the facts.
The States Of Mississippi, Florida and
Alabama adopted ordinances of secession
on the 9th, 10th, 11th, of January, respeo.
lively, in the year 1861; on the 18th Of
January, 1861, the Pensacola Navy Yard
was surrendered, by Commander Armstrong,
to a body of volunteers from Florida and
Alabama, commanded by Col. William H.
Chase, Major in the Engineer Corps of the
U. S. Army, Fort Barraucas was evacua-
ted at the same time, and the few troops
composing its garrison were thrown into
Fort Pickens, on the other side of the
harbor where the authority of the United
States was maintained by Lieut. Slemmer.
The events occurred several weeks be.
fore the formation of the Confederate
Government.
Co.. Tepnent LomaY, who commanded
the Alabama troops, was exceedingly anx-
ious to obtain permission to attack Fort
Pickens at once.
The true cause of the failure to push the
enterprise to completion was the interveu-
ton of few leading Southern men, then
in Washington. These we're Senators Fitz.
patrick, of Alabama; Mallory, Of Florida ;
and Davis, of Mississippi. 1t is easy to
infer, too, Mr.. Davis was the controlling
spirit.
These gentlemen, on learning the state
of affairs at Pensacola, Immediately tele-
graphed to the Governors of Alabama and
Florida, and to Col. Chase, earnestly dep
rscating any aggressive movement. Tele'
gram after telegram was sent, urging that
Fort Pickens should not be attacked, and
that nothing should be done that could
possibly bring on hostilities. These dis.
patches, coming from gentlemen of so much
influence and such opportunities for know
ing the state of affairs in the Federal capi.
tai, could not be disregarded by the
Governors of the two States or by the
commanding officer of the troops We
have excellent reasons for believing that
they decided the question, and that to them
alone it is due that nc effort was made to
obtain possession of Fort Pickens.
1t would be going too far to assert that
its possession would have insured a ditte.
rent termination to the war, but who can
say, that it would not9 Great events are
often determined by comparatively insig-
nifcant causes, and the possession of Fort
Pickens was by no means Insignificant to
either party.
1t is singular instance of the caprioious-
ness of fortune, or rather Of the imperfec.
tion and injustice of human judgment, that
Mr.. Davis, who in the beginning thus threw
all the weight of his influence and position
against everything that might tend to bring
ebout bostilities between the two sections,
who did not l,td but tolloaoed bis own
State in her separation from the Union,
who had no agency in the formation of the
Confederate Government, but who was
called, without seeing it, to the chief place
iu shat Governmental is remarkable, We
say, that he should be denounced as the
head and front of the "rebelion." 1t is q
little remarkable, at least, that he should
be the object of the most implacable and
vindictive hatred of the enemies of the
late Confederacy and of the principles on
which it was founded, while so many others,
whose measure of so.called "guilt" in this
respect is far greater than his, should be
comparatively exempt from their resent.
ment.
The long confinement of Mr. Mallory,
whose reluctance to. secession and to war
was still more decided, if possible, than
Mr.. Davis's, is another case of the same
kind.
CURE FOR SpRAINs.-In the Paris hos.
pitals treatment is practiced that is found
,oo,. e,ooasef,,I for q froonant oooidepk and