Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-08-23
A CANE AND SOME LETTERS
Property Taken From the House
Of Jefferson Davis which
the Owner Would
Like 20 Re-
cover.

An interview is published in the
Chicago Times of last week, with
certain ex soldier, hitherto unknown
to fame, who claims to have effected
an entrance to the country seat of
Jefferson Davis, during the war, and
to have robbed the same of a number
of private papers belonging to the
owner of the house. Inasmuch as
the reporter has been shown several
of the documents captured (including
JEFF s" commission as secretary of
war, signed by Franklin Pierce, and
hearing date March Z, 1853, and an
autograph letter from Daniel Webster
to Jefferson Davis, asking that en-.
ployment might be given to young
Mr.. Newcomb, on the ground that he
was descendant of General joseph
Warren, who fell at Bunker HilD.
there seems no reason to doubt that
the story Of the ex-soldier. George
ii. Spaulding by name, is true. 1t
seems that Mr.. Spaulding has been
recently in communication with the
ex-Confederate president, and has Of
fered to return some of the papers he
captured; an offer which he now,
however, seems disposed to back out
Of. The reporter of the Times, hay
ing been shown letter from Jefer
son Davis, written last February. in
which he thanks Mr.. Spaulding for
the offer to return the things, and en-
closes his address, asking that they be
sent Q. Q. D., interviewed the latter,
and obtained the following story: 81
was in McPherson's command said
Mr.. Spaulding, land on the 10th OF
July, 1863, we were near jackson,
Mississippi, getting ready for the
battles that follow ed. At the mo-
ment things were sorter quiet, and
two comrades-Joe Little and Chris
Keegle-started off for scout.
Once away from the lines, and
on the pike we met big darky. He
tried to dodge us and we stopped
him. Where are you from ?, III
asked. 'Brarfeld, said he. What's
that2 a town. was my next question.
No he answered, It's plantation.
w no owns it2 Massa Davis. Then, |
said |, in a joking sort of way, and
never dreaming | was so near the
truth, Not President JEFF Davis, is
Yes, he acknowledged, and |
then, you can bet we were bound to 90
there. We found 1t only five miles
away, and so we started at once, max
ing the African lead the way. Itl
turned out to be a roomy old mansion,
tenanted only by two women--a young |
lady and one of middle age. We
walked in without bOthering to knock |
at the door, and Lord what
tongue lashipg those females gave us. |
| tried TO explain something about
the fortune of war, and so on, but it |
was use for while | talked the other
boys tore up a lot of great paintings
with their bayonets and smashed the |
piano. Finally | followed them up !
stairs and discovered keegle at work |
tearing up a lot of papers he'd found |
packed in gun box. The man was
German and ignorant, and didn't |
know the value Of what he was de-
stroying. ] stopped him just as he'd
ripped in two the original articles for
the capitulation of the city of Mexi !
co. But wasn't | mad when | saw
what he already torn up. Why, sir, !
it was nothing less than an autograph |
book, in which Davis had the names
Ct all the big men he'd met in his long
public career. Well, it was no time
to cry over split milk, SO | dived into
the gun-box myaolf There we're
packages of letters by the hundred, !
each tied up and labelled with |
the name of the writer. | picked
out one bunch that had Miss
Taylors name on, grabbed that COM
mission you saw, showed a book in my
pocket and tucked gold headed cane
that Franklin Pierce had given jeff
under my arm. You know, | was
sort of relic hunter In those days, and
liked to get such things to ship home.
Well, all this wasn't half load, but
as | passed a window to make for an
other gun box that hadn't been touch.
ed, | looked out and saw one of our
boys streaking it up the road on
mule. He had the reins in his teeth
and his gun in his left hand, while
down his useless right arm gtreamed