The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-12-22

your ever aEei;tionate husband. /"
see story going thsronnds Of the press
tnat Jefferson Davia' plantation IS Dow
Owned By an ev-slavs This i q mistake
The plantation was managed s long time
- General Joe Davis. Ei1o attended 10 the
financial matters Of Mr. Dsvis This man
had slave named Ben Montgomery. who
was fuis-nlcoded negro. bat who had ex-
sraordinary natural capacity. His master
Sas very fond 81 him. and be sens him TO
France and educated him. he Is vel up
n the languages and mathematics, and
can speak and write several tongues. lie
has also The money making gift, and after
the war he made quite little fortune. He
tried 10 bay the Davis plantation and
offered $1,000 for IL His ofIer was Sc
eepted and the payments were to be made
on the easiess possible terms He failed to
make the payments. and General Joe Davis
released hirn from his bargain. The plan
tation vent back 10 Davis, and the aecom-
plisbed negro vent West and engaged IN
commercial pursuits, and is, II Is SAID. do
ing remarkably well
The debate on the pensioning Of JefEer-
son Davis occurred at the end Of the ses-
sion OF 1879, and IL was one Of the hveliest
and most acrimonious debates that the
Senate has had between the North and
South since the war. IL arose from an
amendment proposed b. Senator Hoar. of
Massachusetts, that the bill then pending
10 pension all the soldiers in the Mexican
war, who were yet living, should not IN
clude Jefferson Davis. The Southern SEN
ators made strong speeches In defense of
Davis, and for some time there was no rad
icai reply from the Republican side Of the
chamber. The present senator William Z.
Chandler was sitting in the galley at the
time listening 10 the debate, and he wrote
note 10 Zach Chandler, begging him for
Gods sake 10 give the south a little Nor
thorn thunder. Chandler bowed to the
gallery rs be received the note. and mo-
nlent later he arose and made a speech.
which was scattered by the millions Of
copies ever the country during the presi-
dental campaign of 1850. 1t was not a
long speech. but il was an extremely bitter
enc, and IL helped 10 make the bloody shirt
one Of the issues of that campaign. 1t de-
csded the question of the amendment and
Mr. Davis was not pensioned 1t was, in
short, one Of those speeches which lead
ing Southern senator once said served to
keep open the feeling between the North
and the South, and that no man, could be
expected 70 keep quiet when the .'other
fellows we're always picking at his boils."
II viii be news 70 many people that JEFF
terson Davis came very near having duel
while In the Senate. The question under
discussion was the Mexican war. The
time was 1850, and the man who was ehal-
lenged by Senator Davis was Colonel Bis
sell, a memsSr Of the House freIn Illinois.
Bisseil bad served in the Mexican war un-
der General Taylor. He took part In the
discussion. and during 1t Southern men,
her charged that BiSsell's regiment bad
turned their backs on the enemy la hard
fought battle, and that JEFF Davis regiment
bad come 70 the rescue in time to save de-
feat and gain the victory. Colonel BisseIl
was charged with cowardice. He replied
in q scathing speech, saying it was Davis
regiment and not his which had caused the
panic. This was reported TO Senator Davis
and he wrote 70 Bisseil that he must apollo
gixe or fight Bissell accepted the chal-
lenge, appointed place OF meeting for the
duel. selected mRskets loaded With sings rs
the weapons. arid asked that the distance
be made eight PAGES. Before the duel came
OF, however. the news of il came to the
father -in-law OF Davis. President Taylor.
he had Davis arrested and kept him in the
White House until Bisseil appeared, and
then acted as umpire and made them set.
lie their differences. get this story from
Mr. stephens. who was for a long time In
The Indian Office here. and was newspaper
correspondent in Washington at the time.