The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-06-15
AN INTERVIEW WITH JEF-
PERSON DAVIS.
His Appearance and Conversation
--.Tribute 10 the Hero of
the Lost Cause.

His Appearance and Conversation
Tribute 10 the Hero of
the Lost Cause.
Correspondence of the N. Y. Tribune.
COLUMBIA, S. c., May .. 1871.
jefferson Davis arrived here on Tuesday
on business connected with the life insurance
company Of which he is President. / was
| introduced to him yesterday In a lawyers
office, where he was holding an Informal
reception, and had a half-hour's converse
| ton. Mr.. Davis bears little resem blance to
the pictures with which every body was ia
miliar during the war. And he might walk
the streets of any Northern city without q
chance Of being known by people who have
seen only his photographs. In entering the
| back room of this lawyers Office / found
seated conspicuously in the midst of about
| dozen persons quiet looking gentleman
of medium height with gray hairs, thin
gray beard and mustache, light blue eyes,
| slightly aquiline nose. rather sallow and
snnken cheeks, and high wrinkled forehead.
dressed with scrupulous neatness in a suit of
! somewhat worn black clothes. This was
! the guiding spirit of the great rebellion
Nothing in his appearance indicated remark
| able ability or genius. When / was pre-
scented by an ex-COnfederate, he arose and
greeted me with pleasant, cordial manner,
continuing at first a conversation already
| begun upon cotton planting. Afterward he
spoke of the imprisonment of the Tribune's
correspondents In Washington, saying that
be remembered a similar Instance when he
was in the Senate. A reporter named Nu-
gent was taken into custody for refusing to
| tell where he got some information relating
| to doings in executive session, and a tho
rough search was made to see if there was
not some place about the chamber where he
could have concealed himself; but no dis
coyery was made except large black cat
that was found above the ceiling. Nugent
was released after a few days, a Senator
having acknowledged that he had given the
information, and thought there was no harm
in it.
Mr.. Davis carefully avoided politics du-
ring the conversation. saying that he did
not desire hat.publicity should be given to
his opinions on. political subjects. There
was some talk about the present condition
| of the negroes, and he expressed the opinion,
which appears to be generally entertained
by thoughtful and Observant Southern men,
that the black race in the United States is
diminishing in numbers, and will ultimate
ly disappear. He said that the negroes did
not give proper care to their young child
| rem and to their sick, and now that the
whites had no interest in caring for them
they were dying rapidly. He Thought that
ultimate extinction was the inevitable fate
of the race. / asked if he thought there
was any tendency among the negroes of the
more northern of the former slave States to
W tie 0uAl ObdtcSs lie ulu hot De-
lieYe there was. A number of negroes had
been brought into Mississippi from North
Carolina and other States by the agents of
large planters, but the movement did not
originate with the blacks. Those who
would be benefited by emigration were too
ignorant and too poor to move, and the
more intelligent were doing well where
they were, and had no object to leave their
homes. MIR. Davis told us of one of his
former slaves, man las black as the ten
rIx.h
in Mississippi, one of Mr.. Davis. and one of
his brother, from which he had sold 2lOO
bales of cotton last year. He wrote a good
hand, kept accounts well, and had his agents
in st. Louis, who did not suspect they were
dealing with black man. Such instances
OF business talent among the negroes MIR.
Davis thought were very rare. As a rule
they had shown no ability to accumulate
property.
Mr.. Davis spoke in a deliberate way, and
in low and pleasing tone of voice, instead
of that of self-reliant man who has played
prominent part in history. Instead of look
ing into the faces of his listeners, he looked
downward, in the half-diffident way of one
who has cultivated a habit of seeking to es-
cape observation, and, as he spoke, he fire.
quently spread his hands out and tapped the
ends of his fingers together. The general
impression he made was that of man who
has experienced great trials and misfor-
tunes, and has lost all ambition for the fu-
Inc conversation was nearly all upon
commonplace subjects, and was constantly
Interrupted by the arrival and Introduction
of new corners and the departure of men who
had remained onlya few minutes. The man.
ner of the people present toward him was
one of great respect mingled with affection
ate regard. One old gentleman addressed
him as MIR. President" and said, ''YO GU are
still my President and always will be-
Mr.. Davis smiled in a half melancholy
way but made no reply. Another, in taking
L. hah oA G. r.
rebels, who would call and pay their respects
in the evening, at which Mr.. Davis made
some humorous reference to the numerous
family OF John Rogers. All the callers APP
peared carefully TO avoid any reference TO
the war, perhaps on account of the presence
of Northerner whom they preferred not
TO have for listener. In the evening, the
"ex-President," as he is usually designated,
held q reception at Gen. Preston's house.
one of the few mansions of the old first
families that the soldiers of Sherman spared
in their march through the State. A stream
of people came and went for an hour and
half. Much the greater number were la
dies, whose warm greetings told how dear
the fallen chief of the lost cause still is to
them. At one time during the reception
throng of pretty children dressed in white
came up the steps, and Mr.. Davis came out
of the gloomy parlor upon the broad piazza
and greeted the little ones affectionately,
giving a kind word to each, and taking the
smallest in his arms to kiss.
After the reception there was a concert in
little hall attached to one of the hotels.
Mr.. Davis attended the concert, coming in
after the audience were nearly all assem-
bled. When he entered, the people all rose
to their feet, showing as much respect as
subjects do to king, and they remained
standing until he was seated, when they
gave him a long round of applause, at
which he bowed, and smiled. At the close
of the concert the pianist played THE
Bonnie Blue Flag" with an enthusiasm that
he had not shown in any of his performan-
ces during the evening, and again there was
a great uproar of applause, mingled with
cries of davis! Davisl" The hero of the
occasion was not disposed TO speak, and the
group of children who had taken part in
the singing, set up loud call for ssDixie y
accompanied by half-frantic clapping and
stamping, but the pianist did not respond.
The audience fingered until some one an
nounced that the concert was ended. i
Judged that this revival of the memories of
the struggle which ended in defeat and
disaster was not pleasing to the men from
the expression upon their faces, but the
ladies were delighted. All through the
South the women cherish love of the alost
cause with a pertinacity that seems like a
species of insanity, and the earliest instruc-
ton they give their children is toreverence
| the dead Confederacy, its flag, and its he
roes, and to hate the 4 Yankees, and the very
name of the United States. Even now.
when six years have elapsed since the end
of the war, these fanatics will not allow
their children TO play with the children of
Northern people. and a Southern woman
who ventures to associate with the hated
Yankees is denounced and ostracised by
her friends as a renegade. Mr.. Davis left
this morning, and q large crowd assembled
at the station to bid him farewell. His re-
ception here showed more truly than reso-
lutions of conventions or declarations Of
public men, the real feeling of the people.
A eco, 00e Verdict agaimt n Radi.
cal Company.