Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-31

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I by the Federal forces 10 Befor
: leaving Washington I directed tn,
IS acting Treasurer to burn the Con
: federate Treasury notes above
> named, i'm the presence of the Sec
rotary of War, General Breckin.
ridge and myself. ~ ~. 49,. - 81 3.
Mr.. Davis was captured nearly a
week after this in Southern Georgia,
j and, therefore, Judge Evans sus.
picions that he cared moro for this
treasure than for his family are as
baseless in truth az they are I'M
manly and ungenerous in Inference.
i These passages in that speech
seem to have been an awkward at
tempt in this modified form to re-
yive the exploded story of Mr.. Davis
being captured in female attire, with
bags of gold upon him, invented
and used at first to excite against
him feelings of ridicule and con-
tempt, and now after the lapse of
nearly four years, revived in Texas
and pressed into service for the pur-
pose of arousing unjust suspicious
against former Confederates, and
to be used as means ofshowing to
the people of Texas that they ought
to divide the present State into
several in order to guard against
the designs attributed by Judge
Evans to Mr.. Davis and others, at
the time of the fall of Richmond, of
a desire to establish trans Missis
sippi empire. Ifthefacts presented
| by Judge Evans for this purpose
are ludicrous, what must be thought
of his logic, and of his respect for
the intelligence of the body he was
addressing, and of the people to
whom this speech is sent2
In this connection think it right
for me to make a statement in
justice TO Mr.. Davis, which has not
heretofore been made public, as far
as know, and O part of which is
only known to him and myself:
In coming through South Carolina,
he and myself riding ahead of our
company, passed cabin on the
roadside, when he asked woman
who was standing at the door for q
drink of water. On handing it to
him she said, care you President |
Davis 2" On his replying in, the
affirmative, she said to him, point |
ing to a little boy barely large
enough to walk a little, 'That is
your namesake; we call him JEFF
Davis" He took from his pocket
a gold coin, apparently the size of |
a three dollar piece or sovereign,
and handing it to her, told her to |
give it to the little boy, saying to |
me as he rode off that that was his |
last piece of coin, which he had
kept as sort of a keepsake on
account of its being coin seldom
seen in this country.
subsequently, when in company
with several members of his cabinet, |
the subject of their finances was
mentioned, and their poverty was
made, among themselves, the sub |
ject of passing amusement. Mr..
Davies took out his pocketbook and |
counted about S270 in Confederate
Treasury notes, then almost entirely |
worthless, and said laughingly |
that was his fortune in money. He |
then added that it was a source of |
qualification rather than of regret |
that himself and nearly all the |
members of his cabinet had sacri~
feed their private fortunes in the
struggle for the liberty of the |
people. 1 win also add that when
it was determined, after the sur
render of, General Johnston, to |
transfer the field of military opera
tons to the west of the Mississip-
pi, one of his cabinet told Mr..
Davis that he had money enough |
to take them both across the river.
These facts are given to show the |
injustice which has been done to
one whose hopes, and thoughts and
energies were all wholly devoted to
the cause, then so dear to US, in |
which he was engaged and who, |
amidst his all-engrossing public |
duties and responsibilities took no
thought of his private fortune or of
his personal safety.
am persuaded that the wise, |
and good and honorable, even
among those who thought him |
wrong in his support of the cause of |
Southern independence, and i'm
periled their lives in opposing him
on the battle field, will accord to
him sincerity of convictions as to
the righteousness of the cause in
which he was engaged, integrity
OF purpose and those great quail
ties of head and heart which fitted
him to be the leader of heroic
people in great struggle. know
the time has, not yet fully come
for explanations like this to be re-
ceived without offence to the pre-
JUDGES of many good people, who
have only viewed Mr.. Davis of late
years as public enemy. But l
trust now, since that cause has been
! forever abandoned, the generous
and just will see that | but per-
form duty to one who, while he is
in distant land, is yet very dear
to me and to millions of others in
the United States. I
Very respectfully, .
n TOrr,r III DrAnAN