The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-15
JEFF. DAVIS IN 1861.
What He Thought of Secession, and His
Opinion Of Its Outcome.

What He Thought of Secession, and His
Opinion Of Its Outcome.
j. A. s. in New York Sun.
On the 2lst Of January, 1861, Senator Davis
of Mississippi, and Representatives Houston, of
Alabama, and Cartel, of Georgia, resigned their
seats in the United States Congress- and started
for. their homes by way of the then but newly
completed Southern railroad route. They
reached the Virginia and Tennessee State line in
the midst of the heaviest snow storm that had
been known in that region for many years.
Travel was obstructed by the snow drifts in the
deep CUTS and, in consequence, the seeding
statesmen were weather bound in the village Of
Bristol Goodson for some forty eight hours.
The presence Of such distinguished statesmen
in the young but aspiring town naturally Gre
ated sensation. There an Informal meet
ing Of citizens desirous to hear from his own
lips the views of the great secessionist upon the
impending crisis. A note expressing their views
was addressed to Mr.. Davis, to which he re-
sponded that he would be happy to meet and ex-
change views with his fellow citizens at such
time and place as might suit their conve-
nience Subsequently Messss Houston and
Gartrell, as matter of courtesy, were included
in the invitation
By o'clock in the evening the hall of the new
academy, the place appointed was filed with
several hundred Virginans and Tennesseeans,
residents of the village and vicinity. A brief
reference to the locality and the character of the
audience may here not be amiss.
Bristol Goodson is divided into two munici-
palities by the State line dividing the main
street Goodson is in Washington county, Va,
the county seat of which was the home of John
B. Floyd the War Secretary of Buchanan's
Cabinet. Bristol is in Sullivan county, Tenn,
the Democracy of which were the Tenth Le-
gon of Andrew Johnson's old congressional
district. On the Virginia side of the line there
was strong conservative element, composed
of old-line Wings, who were the open and
avowe6 opponents of secession. On the Tennes-
see side, though the breach had already COM
menced on this issue between Mr. johnson and
his Sullivan county supporters, there were still
many Union Democrats. The Union men in the
main, however, were only conditionally such.
They professed to be ready as the secession
lists to resist any overt act Of aggression upon
State rights by the Lincoln administration. So
it happened that the audience at the academy
that evening about equally composed of
Unionists and secessionists.
Although the paramount desire of the assem-
blage was to hear JEFF Davis. by some inadvert-
ence Messrs Houston and Gartrel were intro
duced first, and each consumed an hours time.
The audience listened with strained poiteness TO
the trite anecdotes of the and the prosy plat
itudes of the other, and it was not till after 10
o'clock that the Mississippi senator got the floor.
The restlessness of the people had become mani
fest Mr.. Davis arrested their wearied attention
by few remarks directly TO the purpose and
soon riSeted 1t with his graceful oratery. have