Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-12-06
LETTER FROM JEFFERSON DAVIS.
st"temcnts by Gen. Sherman Dc.
Mod in STRONG Language.

The following letter has for several
!a"s been awaiting space for publica-
ton:
BEAUvOIR, MISS, Nov. 6, 1884.
EDITOR ST. LOUIS REPUBLICAN: Dear
sir have Tonight received the Ell.
closed published account Of remarks
made by Gen. w. Il. sherman, and
ask the use Of your columns to notice
only 40 much ~ particularly refers to
myself, and which Is to be found in tho
following extracts.
The following Ia taken from the st.
Louis Republican:
Frank Z. Blair post, G. A. II open
ed their new hall, corner OF Seven-
teenth and Olive streets, last night.
Gen. Sherman addressed the Assem-.
blage. He had read letters which he
believed had never been published,
and which very few people had seen.
These letters showed tho rebellion to
be more than secession 1T was cor.
spiracy most dire. Letters which had
passed between jeff Davis and man
whose name 1t would not do to men.
lloli, us he Is now q member Of the
United States Senate, had been seen by
the speaker and showed Davis posi-
ton. He was not secessiOnist, His
niurefy IUT int secesslOn ~ tile south,
but to have this section of the country
80 that he could use 1t as fulcruIn
from which to fire out his shot at the
other sections Of the country aud COM
pei the people to do as he would have
them. jeff Davis would have turned
his hand against any state that would
secede from the south after the south
had seeded from the north. Had the
rebellion succeeded, Gen. Sherman said,
the people of the north would have all
been slaves"
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
The following is from the Globe
Democrats report:
referring to the late war,h eaid it was
not as generally understood, but thewar
of secession from the United States,
WAS a conspiracy. 81 have been behind
the curtain" said he, sand have seen
letters that few others have seen, and
have heard conversations that cannot
he repeated, and tell you that jeff
Davis was never q secessiOnist. He
was conspirator. lie did not care for
division from the United States. His
object was to get fulcrum from which
to operate against the northern states,
and if he had succeeded he would to-
day be the master spirit Of the CONT
nent and you would be slaves. have
seen letter from Jefferson Davis TO
man whose name l cannot mention, be.
cause he il United States senator. I
know Davis handwriting and saw his
signature, and in that letter he said he
| would turn Lees army against any
state that might attempt to secede from
| the southern cOntederacy."
This public assault, under the CO.
vert plea that it is based upon infor-
nation which regard for United
States senator doe, not permit him to
present, will, to all honorable minds,
suggest the idea of irresponsible SLAM
der.
1t is thus devolved upon me to say
that the allegation of my ever having
written such letter as is described is
unqualifiedly false ,and theassertion that
had any purpose or wish to destroy
the liberty and equal rights of any
state, either north or south, is q reck-
less, shameless falsehood, especially be-
cause it was & nerally known that for
many years before, as well as during
the war between the states, | was an
earnest advocate Of the strict construc-
ton state-rights theory OF Mr.. Jeffer-
son. What motive other than personal
malignity can be conceived for SO gross
libel.
Ii General Sherman has access to any
letters purporting to have been written
by me which will sustain his accusa-
tions, let him produce them, or wear
the brand of base slanderer.
Yours Respectfully,
| JEFFERSON DAVIS.