The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-02-03
jeff. Davis in Prison.
HIS MODE OF LIFE.
From the GaulOis.

TOm tnc U0u1OlS.
Mr.. jeff. Davis, ex-president of the
Confederate States of America, il
among us, with his wife, whose hero.
ism is equal to the harshness of hel
destiny. He comes to see Paris and
seek retreat to which he can bring in
a week his children, left temporarily
in America. Nothing can be more
simple than this man, who is expert
enced, like our fathers of 90, and who
like them, sent suddenly to all points
of the Southern States as many armies
as the French Republic opposed to the
coalition in Europe. JeffDavis is very
thin, but erect. His chest is not hol-
low, and his body supports an admira-
BILE head, joined to broad shoulders by
a rather thin neck. His forehead il
ample, his hair gray, his contour rath-
er bullying, in which are set clear blue
eyes, which are very soft, yet Observ-
ing. His face is thin, his cheek bones
prominent, and consequently his cheek
appears hollow. The nose is aquiline
and like an eagles beak. His mouth
is rather large and indicative of good
ness and resolution; his chin promi-
VI
is now mixture of mediation and in
diligence.
JEFF. Davis speaks mildly, and his
face expands as he smiles. He is nat
urally slow in expressing his ideas in
our language, which he constantly
mixes up with idiOms from his own
tongue. He is quiet in gesture and in
recrimination; but his phrases in the
mother tongue are well rounded, con.
else and neat. Has experience, in the
failure of better or stronger combina-
tiOns, rendered him less pOsitivee or
does he always proceed, in the express
sion of his ideas, less in an absolute
than a dubious wayf It is true, he
feels his way IN our language.
He has remained true to the princi-
pies of slavery, but modifies, as he adj
mits. He comedies rights to the negro
race which can prove that it is born to
enjoy them and made to understand
them; but, at bottom, he is convinced
that the African and the Caucasian ra-
ces cannot assimilate. As to the rest,
the extreme violence which the exigen-
cies of the anti-slavery party caused,
the effect of which was the sudden ruin
of the Southern people, was, in his
opinion, the consequence of the resist
ance which the latter made.
Here, JEFF. Davis is fully enjoying all
the curiOsities that Paris affords, which
he finds very beautiful, aan which he
untiringly visits all the day. AS to his
material life, he does not care as to his
food, breakfasting on slice of bread
and butter and cup of coffee, and
dining on two dishes.
Morally, his courage, his views, his
strictness, his exquisite probity, the
example of all his devotedness, his
self denials, his good faith to his prin-
which he has sacrificed eve
rything, for which he has suffered eve
rything-the placidity of an apostle,
and the commiseration of martyr for
his enemies, his resignation and seren-
ity-all these have made jeff. Davis a
rare and great man-so great that, in
the midst of our modern civilization,
one cannot come near him without the
utmost respect.
Mr.. jeff. Davis dined on New Years
day at the residence of his old repre-
sentative at Paris, Mr.. Slidell. The
dinner was quite private, and Mrs.
Davis, in mourning for her mother, was
not there,