The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-06-09
VOLUME l.lL x vi b. as.
DAVIS AND HIS BOOx.
An Interview with y Friend OF tho ex-
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An Interyiew with q, Friend OF the. ex-
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CHICAGO. June !.
The Times publishes the following In.
terview with Mr.J. O. Wright, OF the
United States Marine hospital. who 10 afl
old friend Of Jefferson Davis. Nr.
Wright, In reply to en- Inquiry as To iiow
lang he had known Mr.. Davis. said
de was room mate aud chnui az Weat
Point. We both graduated In tho claau
OF 1928. Our attachment was extremely
close. 10 was on ardent, inpassioned boy,
and, although he was not possessed of si,.
perior. bodily strength, he was almost
entirely without fear of anychipg. Ho
was particularly tenacious Of opinion.
and asserted himself always in the most
positive manner. He was e. universal IN.
vorite at school.. During our stay al the
school four classes graduated some three
or four hundred 6fficefe, OF whom but
three are now living, excepting Mr..
Davis and myself. Two of them, Genefal
N. B. Ruford and General @. p. BuckinR.
nam, live in Chicago. while the third rs
General Charlotte Drayton. Of South
Carolina. General Draytor 10 son Of
the General Drayton of fhe Revolutionary
war, aud he and Mr.. Davis were the oply
ones Of the five that were in tho southern
confederacy. Alter leaving Weet Point
Mr. Davis and met but vnsy few tiDlap.
although we have kept uD CORES.
ponder'e for the past 6:ty year J. excepting
the time Of the rebellion. After is' vss
over, wrote to him to learn If all that
was said of him was true, intending. ar
he was not clean in his personal record.
that the correspondence should cease L
was coon satisfied that much that was told
Of him was coined in times Of excitement
and hatred. For instance, that petticoat
story. l'. ' e''id
The truth of II is that SIr. Davis aud
bis wife were not travelling together At
ell. Ho and o party of gentleman vera
making their way toward western Texan
on horseback, aud were Ear in advance Of
Mrs. Davis, who, with her eistey and
servants and escorts, were travelling In
ambnlances, On the night before their
capture they had heard that they were
being followed by tanditti, who believed
that they were carrying away with them
ell the confederate funds, and 30 they
halted for the purpose Of letting tho am.
balances catch up visa them, which they
did. Tents were then pitched. and the
party retired for the night. Mr.. Davis
slept with his boots on, ready TO Jump up
and mount bis horse at any moment Il
ia true that he. had taken off his coat.
Well, during the night Wilson's Mich.
igan cavalry came up on one side of
then aud the Wisconsin cavalry camc up
on the other. Each mistook The other
for rebels aud they commenced firing.
MIR. Davis was of courae, awakened by
the firing, and, knowing that it was I'M.
possible for any confederate soldier 10 be
thels, he jumped up. Knowing that he
wes esptnred, he thought he might effect
his esuape dusing the confusion, but If he
found that impossible, he decided that
he would stop further bloodshed by Civ.
ing himself UP. Just as lie started to
leave the tent, Mrs. Davis reminded him
that he had forgotten his coat, and an old
colored aunty picked UP Mvs. Davis's
shawl and he threw it over his shoulders.
Mr.. Davis was much more feeble then
than he is now, and, fearinl of the chill
OF the air of the gray of the morning, he
kept the shawl about him. He started
out and tried to find his horse, which he
bad left tetheTed near the tent. But be.
lure he left tho tent the cavalry men dis.
covered the identity Of ono another, and
had surrounded the little camp with q
guard. Ofcourae everything was done
in less time than IL takes to tell 1t.
Well, Mr.. Davis found his horae, but It
was mounted by q Wisconsin cavalry.
man. He then determined TO haunt the
shawl in his horse's face in the hobe that
be would rear back and dianonnt the
cavalryInan. and then he could mount
him and eAcape. Just,as he had removed
the shayl from his shoulders for that
purpose he found thnt another cavalry
man was right behind him. Seeing then
escape was impossible, he gavo himself
up. That ia thetrnth about The capture !;
but so far as his being in Mira. Davis 6
petticoats is concerned, that Is simply
ridiculous. q q
''h.r. Davis is very poor man /;
he is what Is called land poor. he Is
living now on the property beqneathed
to him by an old lady who died witheul
natural heirs, but there were aome debts
on the estate, and as the devisee he be-
came the executor of the estate and
was obliged 70 pay OF these debts to get
control OF the property, and he had TO
to borrow money to do It with. So the
beqnest has really thus far been burden
10 MIN. Ills own pfantat m he has
leased entirely to his old slaves. and they
run It to suit themselves, aud never make
Ie.than q living OFF it, and he does not
seek to compel them to pay rent, twas
his poverty that determined him 20 write
hls book. It Is now in the hands of Ap.
p!eton & Co, the New York publishers,
aud he expects that 1t will be ont in q very
short time Itshould have been out ecme
time ago, and ita noh-appearance Is one
OF bis reasons for coming north at this
time. He Is to get q royalty OF each
book published. and is, of course, anx-
sous that sales shall begin as soon as pos.
sible. e
CoNKLrEa AND HIs TEMPER, Among
the many reasons demanding Mr.. Cork.
ling'g defeat is his violent and sindicsige
temper, which keeps him at enmity with
more than half OF the prominent men in