Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-11
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DrspArcH.,

affair was kept entire ly secret from Jefferson
Davis.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH,
SYRACUSE, N. Y, May 10.-The story o
the courtship and engagement of Mis-
Winnie Davis, 'the daughter OF the Con
federacy," to Mr.. Alfred Wilkinson, o
this city, reads like fairy tale. Now tina
the widow of Jefferson Davis has confirmed
the approac hing marriage of her daughte
some of the facts, hitherto suppressed, hav'
come to the surface and show pretty srat
of things. One in truth that surpasses tn
conceptions of even Robert Louis Steven
son.
The "wooing Of it" covers a period o
three or four years, but in order to fully un
derstand the circumstances connected will
the coming of Miss Winnie to Syracuse ant
her introduction to Mr.. Wilkinson it i
necessary to 60 back to the year 1926 wheI
JEFF Davis was a cadet at West Poin:
Among his classmates and chums Their
was General William h. Emory, of the
Nineteenth Army Corps, that die
such brave fighting under Sheridan
Young Emory and Davis were fast friends
and this friendship was still further cement
ed by their campaign in the Mexican Wa
in 1876.
THE CHANGING YEARS.
When the great rebellion broke out, tht
two friends found themselves facing eacf
other on the tented field, although for som,
time it was feared that General Emory
would follow his old chum into the Confed
crate ranks Indeed Emory's sympathie:
with the South initiated at first against hil
promotion in the Union ranks.
As it was, however, the General became q
loyal son of the Stars and Stripes, but the
conflict of feeling made itself felt in his two
sons, Thomas and Campbell. Thomas was
then student at the University of Virginia
and when the war broke out he decided to
fight under the Stars and Bars. He, there.
fore, enlisted in the Confederate naval ser.
vice, and, through the influence of JEFF
Davis, was appoipted surgeon on board
The Florida.
At one time during the war he lived al
Mr.. Davis house in Richmond for some six
months. The Florida was captured neal
Brazil, and young Emory was taken as a
prisoner to Boston, which finished his mill
tary career The other brother, Campbell,
entered the Union ranks, where he distin-
guished himself for his bravery. Thus was
the Emory household divided against it
self.
THE FRIENDSHIP RENEWED.
When the Rebellion closed it was the
most natural thi ng in the world that Jeffer.
son Davis should renew the friendship oil
To no,,ll ot hir1oa1f hr,t
he decided to send his daughter Winnie to
visit the people he loved so we'll. DR..
Thomas Emory had located in Syracuse. His
fsther and brother Campbell were dead
at the time OF Miss Winnie's first visit here.
This visit occurred some four or five wears
ago. 1t was at DR.. Emory's house that she
first met young Wilkinson, who was on in
innate terms with the Emory family There
was certainly no affinity, but rather a di-
v1nity that shaped their ends and brought
them together.
Neither had anything in common. One
was the grandson of the most pronounced OF
the abolitionists, the other the daughter OF
an arch traitor. One came from the North,
from people that had been trained in the
hardship and vigor of Northern cline
the other came from the South, from a
people whose traditions and temperament
were largely due to the influence of the
Southern cline. Young Wilkinson had
not yet graduated from Harvard, while Miss
Winnie had become a repository of facts in
history and philosophy, and had earned no
mean reputation as writer. Indeed, one
OF the things that gave her so fascinating a
hold upon Syracuse society was her remark
able education, mainly secured while acting
as amanuensis for her father.
AN ARDENT CHAMPION.
In one or two Northern cities, previous to
her advent here, it was rumored that she had
been received with coldness. This only
served to increase young Wilkinson's atten-
tions to Miss Winnie, and he boldly cham
pioned her cause in Syracuse. A second
visit to DIR. Emory's, year or two later,
brought Miss Winnie and Mr.. Wilkinson
again together. Their friendship had never
waned during the separation, and they soon
came to hold each other in high regard.
When she returned to her Southern home
she was no longer 'heart whole and fancy
free" The secret of the lovers was care
fully guarded and the Confederate chieftain
passed away quietly, little dreaming that
he would suffer another defeat, this time
not at the hands of Mars, but of Cupid.
Many will doubtless feel that Miss Winnie
should have taken another course. But,
aside from the pain the knowledge of her
marriage would have caused
her father she felt she was justified in her
actions by her fathers own course in mat
tiers of love.
Young Davis romantic elopement with
the daughter of President Zachary Taylor
gave Miss Winnie precedent enough. In
deed, Miss Winnie would not have been
jeff Davis daughter if she had not dis
tinguished herself in this wise. 1t was a
family tradition in the Davis family for
generations, that to capture and carry off in
another mans daughter was honor
able from the days of Rome.
A DETERMINED LOVER.
Jefferson Davis himself had a remarka-
BILE history in this respect. 1t was soon
after his campaign in the Black Hawk
War in 1882 that he determined to marry
the daughter of Zach Taylor, who was then
q Colonel in the army, in spite of the old
mans opposition and threats. This he did
by the most romantic elopement on record,
and old Zach did not forgive him until
nearly 10 years afterward. In 1876 young
Davis Joined the regiment TO assist
General Taylor in the Mexican war. The
young mans great bravery at Buena Vista,
where he introduced the "V'' shaped pha-
lanx, and succeeded in routing the Me1i-
cans, being himself severely wounded in the
was the means of turning the
Did Generals anger into admiration.
The present match is one entirely OF love.
Miss Winnie has no fortune. Iu fact, the
Did homestead at Beauvoir, Miss, has a
mortgage hanging over it. Mr.. Wilkinson,
in like manner, has only moderate in
come, and no future whatever. Some 6 years