The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1885-02-05
WRITTEN BY ONE WHO
KNEW Mr.. DAVIS SINCE THE WAR. AND
ONE WHO SERVED UNDER BOTH JOHNSTON
AND HOOP, AND ONE WHO WAS A
SCnooL-AIArE OF THE LATTER.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.

occasionally, rs citizens of the com
mon country and parties directly in
, terested in the success of our caus,
, freely duscussed civil matters, ant
( our own Confederate Government
) AS general thing. SO far as on
own memory serves us, Prcsidcn
Davis WAS decidedly popular Will
. both officers and men. 1t is true We
now md then heard cutting remarks
, made of him, but when properly un
derstood these could be plainly traced
t to tho disappointed ambition of the
speaker who gave them uttcrance
Few Of us knew much personally OF
Mr.. Davis and his nntecedents and
3 cared less. He was our represents
tive head-the head of our Govern.
1nent. And as to his patriotism,
honesty, tact and courage, enough of
. him was known to ensure his not be-
ing ut all wanting in this respect
IL Nbo "cll hlo" IL lIlftU Ills
record i'll the past was good, that his
own State had placed him in high
civil position, more that he had held
the Portfolio at the Head of the u. S.,
War Department, and been there rs
Southern mau peculiarly honorod.
We further saw him ut the head of
IN hastily irlprrovised Government,
quietly and calmly holding the helm
OF State. From nothing this Gov
crnnent sprang into as it were instant
eXistance, founded on the affections Of
OF our people, united by one common
band, to resist oppression and not
only to contend for our inalienable
rights but for existence, and self
Government. Such was the Confed-
crate Government. One of the purest,
the best, and the most glorious that
ever on earth eXiSed, for the limited
period of it's existence. jeff Davis
WAS it's Executive head and with all
true COnfcuCratrs his Name will ever
be held Sacrcl 'nd used rs Il house.
hould word, as one nf ihe watvhNoriS
of the past The n%rse. under which
were Tor time Il Natiun and um(}cl
winch 1T seemed we wnllu cert ainl,
enroll our name on the list of cstab
lished Nntionnlatirs. The name undel
which our battlo flag iloatcd proud,
over an hun'lrel victorious fl Ids
We failed, all the world, the rest OF
mankind and the Powers above seem
ed to conspirc against us. If oul
rise was rapid our downfall was
equllv SO.
The war over, all of the malignant
hatred and spirit of our enemies
seemed to be concentrated upon md
huled at Mr.. Dayis--our represent
ative head. AS is well known n veal;
old man, bodily, he was confined in
irons, miserable spectacle for the
much vcneratcd civilization of this
enlightened century. He was to be
tried, convicted, executed, and his
execution WAS to be general atone.
mcnt for cur sins and to wipe out and
cancel the same. To nccOmplish h
this one Underwood, n miserable Vir-
| Ginia traitor, and renegade, was to
! preside ut his trial. But this pre-.
Humptive trial was all farce and
WAS never seriously contemplated.
Our cXistancc had been too we'll es-
tabliShod us bcligercnts, and rs q dc
fecto Government to bear out such q
trial before the eyes of the civilized
world. And this mighty Government
ended the farce by sacrificing OH the
countrys altar the gallows) n woman
accused of beng Il party to Lincoln S
assassination whether she was guilty
or not, and Of her guilt we believe
there remains reasonable grOuds of
doubt-and SO the farce ended. And
"s IL we'll known Mr.. Davis after n
long and cruel confinement was
liberated.
Ihe war wns ovcr,-the Confeder
ate Government crushed-the Con-
tederates had returned to their homes
, and t. the walks of private life, even
jeff Davis turned loose umwillinglv
by his enemies and against their will
had no private life, no privacy to re-
tire to. He was abused and vilhfied
traduccd, and slan1crod by all the
powers North, and even some Con
fcdcrotes forgetting all sense of homo
md shame joined in the general hui
n1,l p,,T- e o1 on1 Mill,