The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-03-03
VISIT TO THE HONE OF JEFF.
DAVIS.

1 ~ xAA0 AAVAAA VI VIA i
DAVIS.
Tho Grace With Which the cx-Confed
crate President Receives visitors-The
Uncompleted History OF the ConfederacJ
Entertaining Personal Description and
Chat.
Correspondence efthe Springfield Republican
In company with lady from Hamp.
den county, Mrs. C. S. w., I visited to-
day at Beauyoir, the residence of Jeffcr'
son Davis. This place is about four
miles east of Mississippi City, and i.
very charmingly located on Mississippi
Sound, with an illimitable view of the
Gulf of Mexico. studded near the shore
with few islands, and locked in on the
east with promontory or long spit of
land running quite distance out at sea.
The house itself, is the center of q large
inclosure, made beautiful with evergreen
trees and shrubbery, among which
are conspicuous the magnolia, orange
and the Pride of India trees,
seldom found out of Florida in the same
perfection of fluxuriant growth as here,
and scattered about in a way to indicate
that nature. had, more to do with their
arrangement than. the hand of man.
Ascending high flight of stairs to the gal.
lery we were admitted to wide and deep,
corridor, thence to the parlor, large airy
and comfortably furnished room, where
numerous paintings oruamented trescoed
walls, while two or more easels supported
paintings, among which recognized St.
Cecilia. One distinguished feature of
the room is that it has in the centre a
circular, cushioned seat that bespeaks
comfort and abundant hospitality. A
glance from the front windows upon the
scene before you suffices to show that
good taste was displayed in the selection
Of the location and that it is not inappro.
priately named "a POutrance." We
were met by Gen. "Joe Davis" a
"nephew of his uncle" genial, good
looking and kindly-disposed gentleman,
a beautiful, bright-eyed little girl, his
daughter, and what must not be passed
over sans mention, noble-looking New
foundland dog.
Jefferson Davis soon made his appear
ance, greeting US with a warmth and
cordiality that made US quite at our ease
and feel thoroughly welcome. After
announcing ourselves as strangers to him,
and that 1--WE called to pay our respects,
4 he expressed himself happy to see us and
hoped we would find enough to pay us
for making the visit. Upon Mrs. w.
speaking in admiration of the place and
its locality, he remarked that the house
was built by Mr.. Brown, that it had
been improved by its subsequent owner,
Mr.. Dorsey, Of whose widow he had pur-
chased it. This announcement gave me
surprise, in view Of the fact that Mrs. Dor
sey had given the property to him by her
will, and that & suit is or has been pend
ing by her heirs TO have the will vacated
and the titles transferred to them. This
seeming inconsistency is explained, how
ever, by the further fact that though q
contract for the sale of the estate had
ebeen-made' to Mr. Davis by the widow,
it had never been ratified by payment on
his part; and hence the heirs claim the
title had never passed out of the testa-
] rrix; BE that1as it may,3 il; is certain
1 the.preseht occupant of the premises on
this OCCASION labored to impress on us the
fact that he came into possession by lawful
purchase, and no other way, as be took
occasion to announce it more than once
during the course of conversation.
In noticing a. photograph of himself
hanging just over the mantel l failed
not to observe, as I have often heard
stated, that there is 4 marked difference
between all of his photographs and the
original. What it the difference it is hard
to distinguish, and yet it is SO striking
that while you will always recognize
them as likenesses of Mr.. Davis, yet,
when you compare them with the origi.
nal you see at glance they are quite
unlike, so that in fact there are two
Jeff" Davises; the real one which see
before me now-thin, wiry, straight,
genial and even jovial, with mirthful
expression of countenance, and the one
that stares at JUS in shop.windows and from
the drawing-room walls of good seces.
sionists-a meager, somber face, which
you would conclude is hardly ever irri-
lated with a smile. The cause of this
curious discrepancy is in the ever varying
expression of the eye, which no photo.
grapher can catch. I alluded to this dis
similarity between himself and his pic
lures. He jocosely replied: II pre-
sumo the subject is not pleasing to the
photographer, and he adds not the artis-
tic touches" He then discoursed on the
inadequacy of the Photographic art to
portray nature, and particularly human
nature, as it is. "Whatever is changea.
BILE in nature it fails to give proper
conception of. 1t fixes in rigid lines a
single glance of the countenance, and
that is all. Solomon says: There is
nothing new under the SUM- But there
is the play of the human countenance." :"
stated that the papers said he had
about completed his History of the Rise
and Fall of the Confederacy. ~ wish
it was true" he replied, "but the papers
cannot know. as much regarding it
as myself. If they could see my manu-.
script not yet sent to the publisher, and
how much more remains to be put into
manuscript, they would arrive at the
same conclusion as myself, there is much
of hard work to be done yet" and he
laughed in a careless manner about it.
The otium Gun, dug seems to have
been Mr.. Davis lifelong possession:
The impression stranger would
conceive of Mr.. Davis is that he
has led the life of a literature, rather
than military or political one, and
that he had sailed all his life over smooth
seas; that if to others there had ever
been "lost cause" there had never been
any for him, and that, unlike that other
great organizer of revolt, he would never
repeat or apply to himselfthe lines:
what though til c field be lost; .
Allis not lost, the unconquerable will,
And study of revenge"
On begging the favor of his autograph,
he replied we were quite welcome
to it and remarking that whenever
you have anything to do, it is
we'll to do it at once" retired to his
4 ot,5,, o,d ratrrp;po in a faw moments