Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-02-14
What General Maury Says.
Montgomery (AlG.) Advertiser.

w Z SOmCuOW ONtIlOOBG ca at JuS blUG
the following manly letter from General
Maury Gs to the false position in which
an interviewer, under the weighty name
of General Joe Johnston, placed Presi-
dent Davis. We are indebted to a
thoughtful friend for copy of the letter
and take pleasure in laying it before our
readers. 1t is, throughout. thoroughly
Confederate in tone and sentiment owe
fought in earnest we surrendered in
earnest" And now we stand in earnest
by united country; we stand by its
Constitution and for an honest admins
tratiOn of the government.
Surely no one in all the land could be
mean enough to give any credence to the
base insinuation against the integrity of
the noble old chief of the lost cause, in
the face of his own lofty character and
of this plain eloquent and spirited let
ter from one who knows whereof he
speaks, and whose veraoity no living
man can question:
Editors Richmond Dispatch. The re-
cent publication of reported interview
with General Joe Johnston about Mr.
Davis and the Confederate treasure has
Justly stirred the indignation of our peo-
pie. We regard it as an assault upon US
as false as it Is insidiOus. 1t is a base
attempt to strike at us through the two
highest living representatives of "Our
cause.-the cause in which they staked
and lost the very fruit of their long and
distinguished career. 1t seems futile to
discredit a statement so bald and i'm
probable.
1t is incredible that Gen. Johnston,
habitually careful to reticence, even
with his friends, should unfold himself
to any stranger; and it is utterly at va
rance with his life and character that
he should have made such utterances as
this interview reports.
The facts attending Mr.. Davis move
ments every hour after he left Rich
mond April ID, 1865, in all their details
havepassed into history.
Eight millions of Southern people had
put him forward to lead them in that
great struggle for civil liberty. He owed
it to them to be the very last to give it
up; and without care or thought for his
individual fate he played his part like
man to the very last
When he and his Cabinet were in Dan
vile they heard of Lees surrender.
While being entertained at breakfast in
the house of one of the hospitable citi
zens of that town, they began to discuss
their present resources They were slen-
der enough. One Cabinet minister had
near $100 in gold. None of the rest
were so fortunate. Mr. Davis kept silent
until his host said: ''Mr. Davis, we have
not heard from you. We hope that you
have been more provident than your
Cabinet" "Sir," said he, 81 have not
one dollar in the world save the Confed-
crate money in my purse"
Soon afterwards the party took the
train for Greensboro, and Just before
starting a Virginia woman sent Mr.. Da-
Wis bag of gold with her simple "God
speed" With great emotion he declined
to accept one cent of it, and so cast his
fortunes to the last with his people. At
Washington, Ca, all the coin (about
$50, ,000) carried along with the Presiden-
tial party was divided among the escort.
After the failure to try Mr.. Davis for
treason, after his incarceration, after the
attempt to degrade him with handouts,
when at last he was again at liberty to
reioin his people, movement was made
at New Orleans to raise 800, 600, to be
given him by the Southern people. 1t
was taken up in the generous way char
acteristic of that gallant people. But so
soon as Mr.. Davis heard of it he forbade
it peremptorily.
The invention and publication of such
stories now as this interviewer has sent
out are only malicious and mischievous
insults to gallant people. While we
were fighting we fought in earnest, and
when we surrendered we were in earnest,
and have ever since striven to rebuild
our waste places and to cultivate kindly
and peaceful relations with our late enc
mics, and to promote the power and
prosperity of this whole country. AS
for Mr. Davis, he has played his great
part and passed from the arena of public
life forever. Whatever sins or errors he
may have committed in his high office
they are ours. We put him there. He
was the exponent of our cause, and its
brave, unhinching champion to the very
last, and no smirch of cowardice, inf
deity to trust, or avarice furnishes his
bright shield DABNEY Fl. MAURY.