Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-06-21

miest years of his late titular Presidency-It is
now in the writer's possession, having been given
to him by Mr.. Davis, and its acceptance insisted
upon as the only thing he had left to offer.
THE TORTURE OF THE PRISONER
Happening to notice that his coffee stood cold
and apparently untasted beside his bed in its tin
cup, remarked that here was a contradiction of
the assertion implied in the old army question,
6 Who cold coffee ina tin cup? referringto
the eagerness with which soldiers of all classes,
when campaigning seek for and use this beverage.
I cannot drink it, he remarked, 'sthough fond
OF coffee all my life. 1t is the poorest article of
the sort have tasted; and If your government
paysfor such stuff coffee, the purchasing quarter
master must be getting rich It surprises me, too,
! for thought your soldiers must have the best
many OF my Generals complaining of the difficult
ties they encountered in seeking to prevent our
people from making volunteer truces with your
soldiers whenever the lines ran near each other,
for the purpose of exchanging the tobacco we had
in abundance against your coffee and sugar"
| Told him to spend as little time in bed as he
could that exercise the best medicine for dys-
peptic patients To This he aasDered By ,oacouerinq
The blankets from his feet and shoaOing me his shack
eled ankles. --herT T~i-
cit is impossible for me, Doctor :; cannot even
stand erect. These shackles are very heavy
know not, with the chain, how many pounds. If
I try to move they trip me, and have already abra.
ded broad patches of skin from the parts they
touch. Can you devise means to pad or cush-
| ion them, so that when try to drag them along
| they may not chafe me SO intoerably 7? My limbs
have so little flesh ON them, and that so weak as
| to be easily lacerated."
| At sight of this turned away, promising to see
what could be done, as exercise was the chief med
ical necessity in his case and at this moment the
first thrill of sympathy for my patient was expert
enced
That afternoon, at an interview sought with Ma
jor General Miles, my opinion was given that the
physical condition of State prisoner Davis required
the removal of his shackles, until such time as his
health should be established on some firmer basis
Exercise he absolutely needed, and also some allie
Walton of his abnormal nervous excitement No
drugs could aid q digestion naturally aceak and so
impaired aCiHOm exercise; nor could aagthing IN
The phd71adcQpoia quiet meroes Ooerrr0ugM and
shattered, 1rhdLe the continual Irritation Of tie letters
cOutepOSing achdteUer medicines mig be gicen.
''You believe it, then, medical necessity? ?"
queried General Miles.
81 do most earnestly"
"Then will give the matter attention :" and
at this point for the present the affair ended
May 26h-Called with the officer of the day
Captain James B. King at 1 P. M. Found Mr.
Davis in bed, complaining of intense debility, but
could not point to any particular complaint. The
pain in his head had left him last night, but had
been brought back this afternoon and aggravated
by the noise of mechanics employed in taking
down the wooden doors between his cell and the
exterior guard room and replacing these WM iron
grdtings, that he could al all times be By tie
Se'ies IN The outside aUeU By ttcO silent
friends, cAo ocere tie uaaspeaAing companions Of lis
solitude.
Noticed that the prisoners dinner lay untouched
on its tin plate his bedside, his meals being
brought in by silent soldier, who placed food OH
its table and then withdrew Had remarked be-
fore that he scarcely touched the food served to
him, his appetite being feeble at best, and his d.
gestiOn out of order.
Quitting him, called on General Miles, and re-
commended that be allowed to place the prison
er on diet corresponding with his condition.
which required light and nutritious food. Con
sent was Immediately given, and had prepared
and sent over from my quarters some tea and toast
for his evenings meal.
Calling about P. NJ. found Mr.. Davis greatly
improved, the tea and toast having given him, he
said, new life. Though he had not complained of
the fare he was very thankful for the change
He then commenced talking,-and let me here
say that L encouraged him in this, believing con-
versation and some human sympathy the best
medicines that could be given to one in his state
on the subject of the weather
How has the weather been-rough or fair? In
this huge easement, and unable to crawl to the
embrasure, he could not tell whether the weather
was rough or smooth, nor how the wind was blow
ing
''All my family are at sea, you are aware, on
their way to Savannah and know the dangers
of going down the coast at this of the year
too well to be without intense alarm. Ny wife
and four children, with other relatives, are on
board the Clyde, and these propellers roll dread
fully and poor sea-boats in rough weather.
He then explained with great clearness of detail,
and evidently having studied the subject, why the
dangers of going down the coast in rough weather
were so much greater than coming North. Going
down. ships had to hug the shore-often running
dangerously near the treacherous horrors of Cape
Hatteras while in running North they stood out
from land to catch the favoring gulf stream, to
avoid which they had to run in shore as close as.
they could when steering South
He appeared intensely anxious on the subject,
recurring to it frequently and specializing on the
probable position of the Clyde at this time
" Should she be lost" he remarked, " it will be
all my pretty chickens and their dam ut one fell
swoop,' it will be the obliteraton of my name and
house,
&c Mrs Davis, too, he continued "has much
to contend with Her sister has been very ill, and
her two nurses left her while here, and she could
procure no others My only consolation is, that
some of my paroled people are on board, and sol
dlers make excellent nurses Soldiers are fond of
children. Perhaps the roughness of their camp
life makes the contrasted playfuness of infancy so
pleasant. Charles of Sweden, Frederick the Great,
and Napoleon, illustrations of this PECULIAR
ty. The Duke of Wellington is the only eminent
commander of whom no trait of the sort is record
ed"
ed In rough sea, l spoke of one called the Burn
side, formerly stationed at Port Royal, of which
the common remark was, that in every three rolls o.
she went clean round.
:" Once, added, "when her captain asked
what was her draught of water he replied that he
did not know to an inch the height of her smoke
stack, but it from the top of that to her
keel
This and other anecdotes amused the patient
for some quarter of an hour and whatever could
give his mind moments repose was in the line of
his cure.
AS was leaving, he asked had been able to do
mad or o1,o all IL