The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-03-03

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Uncompieted History or the Coarzderacy
-Entertaining Personal Description and
Chat.
Correspondence efMe Springfield Republican.
In company with lady from Hamp-
den county, Mrs. C. S. w, visited to-
lday at Beauyoir, the residence OF Jeffer-
son LAWS, This place is about four
miles east Of Mississippi City, ard is
very charmingly located on Mississippi
Sound, with an illimitable view of the
Gulf of Mexico. studded near the rhore
with few Islands, and locked in on the
east with promontory or long spit of
land rum pipg quite distance out at sea.
4 The honsei iteelf is the center of n large
inclosufe, 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 luxuriant growth rs here,
and scattered about in way to indicate
,thet nature had moro to do with their
arrangement than. The lrand of man.
Ascending q high fight of stairs to the gall
lery we were admitted 20 wide and deep,
corridor, thence to the parlor, large airy
and comfortably furnished room, where
numerous paintings sornamented frescoed
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" n
nephew of his uncle" genial, good
looking and kindly disposed gentleman.
q beautiful, bright-eyed little girl, his
daughter, and what must not be passed
over sans mention, q 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 we ca ed ~ pay our respects
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 bu'lt by Mr.. Brown, that it had
oeen improved by its subsequent owner,
MIR. Dorsey, of whose widow he had pur-
chased it. This announcement gave me
surprise, in view Of the fact that MIS- Dor
sey had given the property to him by her
will, and that suit is or has been pend
ing by her heirs 10 have the will vacated
and the titles transferred to them. This
seeming inconsistency is explained, how
ever, by the further fact that though a
contract for the sale of the estate had
been 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 tesla
trix, @Be that'ae it may,S it is certain
| thepEEsehE occupant of the premises on
4 thisidecaaion 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 1t more than once
during the course of conversation.
ln siiotisifig "a. photograph of himself
hanging just over the mantel 1 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 SC striking
that while you will always recoenize
them as likenesses of Mr., Davis, vet,
when you compare them with the origi-
nal you see at glance they are quite
unlike. 80 that in fact there are two
jeff" Davises; the real one which see
before me now-thin, wiry, straight,
genial and even jovial. with a mirt6fui
| expression OF countenance, and the one
that stares at us in shop windows and from
the drawing-r0om walls of good seces-
sionisis n meager, somber face, which
you would conclude is hardly ever irfi-
tated with 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
tures.:r lie -jocoseiy replied "I pre-
sumo the subject is not pleasing to the
photographer, and be adds not the .artis-
tir touches" He Their discoursed on thie'
inadequacy of the Photographic art to
portray nature, and particularly human
nature, as it is. "Whatever is changea.
conception Of It fixes in rigid lines
single glance of the countenance, and
that is all. Solomon says: There is
nothing new under the sum- But there
IL 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." "I wish
it was true" he replied, "bnt the papers
cannot know. as much regarding it
as myself. IL 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
s:aso conclusion as myself, there is much
of hard work to be done yet" and he
laughed in careless manner aboutit. s
The otium cum dug seems to nave
been Mr.. Davis lifelong possession.
The impression stranger would
conceive OF Mr. Davis is that he
has led the life of literature, rather
than a military Or political one, and
that he had sailed all hisIife ever 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 tn field be lost;
| - .Allis not lost, the unconquerable will,
F1:d study ofrevengo."
Or begging tho favor of his autograph,
he .eplied we were quite welcome
- ls and remarking that "whencvcr
yos have anything to do, it is
we'll to do it at once" retired to his
study, and returning in q few moments,
| presented us each with the dcsired SOU
venir. AS We were leaving he arose with
the grReco knight Of DID, giving his