Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-01-11
JEFF, DAVIS EARAX HISTORY.
False RepOrta Contradicted-The Story

raise kepOrta Contradicted-The Story
of His Marriage Told by Himself.
Communication IN st. Louis Globe. psa0erat
The letter of 'Johanpea Factotum.a
IN your Journal Of January /, 1888, con
tains complete refutation OF the slandar-
! he had been misled into reporting in his
previous letter to you of Decem-
Der :, 1882, about Mr.. Jefferson Davis.
The attention of Mr., Davis having
been called 10 that gossip, he
| Thoughts proper to send to an old personal
Friend q private letter, from which the
writer OF this communication takes the
liberty, without consultation with him, to
give some extracts, as furnishing the
most authentic disproof of the incidents
20 WAale4 the letters of Johannes Facto-
tYm' relate, in the early life of the Chief
OF the late Southern COnfederacy.
Mr., Davis says of the letter of December
2, 1852, that ''every incident it relates is
totally destitute of the least Foundation in
truth. mat letter placed him at Prairie
du Chler ia 1884, and he continues! 81
Eas then serving in the First Dragons,
Y. ;. A., west Of Arkansas. The letter
describes lile as engaged In playing a game
% araM p0keF--a game which, so far as [
know, did not then exist, and of wkieh
have never learned even the drst rules.
NO officers of the names given belonged
10 the First Infantry when / served
III IL, and l never knew the John
Lorraine it describes. There ,yas no
officer OF the name of Harrison who ever
served with me at TL9,irie du Chien, and
had nc such diHiculties as those the letter
9etaIIS with any one. While l was on
duty at Dubuque my orders required me
frequently to go to Galena, The SON of
the hotel-keeper, Reading Bennett, was
well known to me, and il he were living
wppil promptly brand the statement of
the letter. so far as he and are concern
eQ, as ialsehood, The truth is. | never
drank nor gambled, and any one whs ever
served with me would probably say that
i'll my youth / was oveFwilling to fight.
The story OF the elopement with Gem
eIai laylor's daughter is as unfoGnded as
the rest. L was one of the two officers Sc
lected from the First Infantry for promo
tlOn In the neW regiment of DRAGONS or
gaafked In March, 1888, which Separated
me from Colonel Taylor's regiment, In
1850 / Went to Kentucky, where
Miss Taylor was with her fathers
sister, near louisville, and there mar
RED her In the presence of General
9aylors brother, sister, his sOn-in-law
ana daughter { DIR. and Mrs. Wood j. with
many other members of the Taylor family.
| served under General FORMERLY Colonel)
Zachary TaTlol In the siege Of Monterey,
and Was one Of his commissioners to ar
range for its capitulatiOn. This fact
sufficiently explOdes the scepe described
as occurring at Buena Vista, ~
This statemenF OF Mr.. Davis does effec-
tlalEy dispose of the oft-repeated tale of
General Tdylor's ill-feeling toward MIN
and their reconciliation or the battlefield
OF Buena Vista, that brilliant victory, to- !
ward which the then Col. jefferson Davis |
50 ably and gallantly Contributed was |
gained several r1oatAs after the capi.aia-
ton of Monterey, and what is thus lsst TO |
tae Quqst romance Of history will be a
giin to the accuracy Of 3 biography. |
WHICH viii always be OF interest to ali /
students Of the true history Of the greal
American civil war, ReerectfuIIr