Huntsville gazette., 1884-11-29
A PORTENTOUS BREEZE,


In Which the President of the Late South.
ern Confederacy and the Retired Com.
mander of the Army Are the Central Fig
ures-What VIII Come of 1t?
ST. LOUIS. Mo-, November "a.
This mornings Republican contains the
following:
"The following letter has for several
days been awaiting space for publication:
sBEAUvoIR, MISS, November 6, 1884.
Editor So. Louis, Republican,:
DEAR SIR have tonight received
the enclosed published account of remarks
made by General w. T. Sherman, and ask
the use of your columns to notice only SO
much as particularly refers to myself, and
which is to be found in the following ex-
tracts .,-.
sThcxsollowing is takca from the St.
Louis Republican:
Frank p. Blair Post, G. A. R., opened
their new hall, corner Seventeenth and
Olive streets, last night.
General Sherman addressed the as
semblage He had read letters which he
believed had never been published, and
which very few people had seen. These let
tcrs showed the rebellion to be more than
a mere seccssiun-it was conspiracy,
most dire. Letters which had passed be-
tween Jeff Davis and man whose name
it would not to do to mention, as he is
now member of the United
| States Senate, had been seen by
| the speaker and showed Davis
| position. He was not secessionist.
| His object in starting the rebellion was
not merely for the secession of the South,
but to have this section of the country SO
that he could use it as a fulcrum from
which to fire out his shot at the other
sections of the country and compel 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,
| General Sherman said, the people of the
| North would all have been slaves.'"
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
'The following is from the Globe-Demo-
Gratis report:
''Referring to the late war, he said it
was not, as was generally understood,
var of secession from the United States,
| 1ut conspiracy. Il have been behind
The curtains said he, and l have seen
etters that few Others have seen and have
heard conversations that can not be re-
| Peated, and l can tell you that JEFF Davis
leyer was a secessionist. He was con-
| 5pirator. He did not care for divisions
from the United States. His object
was to get fulcrum from which to oper-
ate against the Northern States, and if
he had succeeded he would to-day be the
master spirit Of the continent and you
would be slaves. | have seen a letter
from jefferson Davis to a man whose
name l can not mention, because he is q
! United States Senator. l know Davis
writing and saw his signature, and III JtaJ
letter he said he would turn Lees army
against any State that might attempt to
.;ecede from the Southern Confederacy.'
''The public assault, under the covert
plea :hat it is based upon information
which regard for a United States Senator
does not permit him to present, will, to
honorable minds, suggest the idea OF IL
responsible SANDER.
''It is thus devolved upon me to say
chat the allegation of my ever having
written such letter as is described is un-
lualifedly false, and the assertion that
nad any purpose, or wish to destroy the
| liberty and equal rights of any State,
| tIUilCI NOIbu VI DOQtA) 10 ltChiSh'E't
| ,hameless falsehood, especially be-
ause it was generally known
hat for many years before, as well as
luring the war between the States, l was
IN earnest advocate of the strict construc-
ion State-rights theory of Mr.. Jefferson.
| What motive other than personal maligni-
| " can be conceived for SO gross libel.
elf General Sherman has access to any
| etters purporting to have been written
oy me which will sustain his accusations,
| ct him produce them, or wear the brand
| # q base Sldnderer.
Yours respectfully,
JEFFERSON DAVIS
General William T. Sherman was sitting
| It his desk in his study this morning at
he Sherman residence, on Garrison
| venue, writing letter, when the re-
,orter called 81 have read the letter of
Jefferson Davis in this mornings paper"
le began at once, anticipating ques-
lions, "and l have nothing to say
to the newspapers" He laid
.lown his pen and turning in his chair
said, with that firm tone which showed
that the subject had stirred up his
ire: "This is an affair between two
gentlemen. 1 will take my time about
it and write to Mr.. Davis himself. We
will settle the matter between u.s."
"Have the papers misrepresented you
in your remarks before Frank Blair Post
G. A. r ~ was asked.
81 say nothing about that. My reply
to Mr.. Davis will not be through the pa
pers. They are not the arbiters of this
question, nor the go-between for any
dispute. l have no more to say"
The General began writing again and
closed the interview.
What the outcome of this direct charge
and positive denial will be, OF course no
one can foretell, but the characters OF the
two men are well known, and unless there
has been mistake or Misrepresentation
somewhere which, when discovered, will
furnish key to the solution of the mis-
understanding satisfactory to both par
ties, serious results may follow. Further
developments will be anxiously awaited.
The Long Trance.
CLEVELAND, O., November 25.