The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-03

tHoA euOuSn loI TOUR companies, and 90
Jected particularly to percussion arms, as
not having been sufficiently tested for the
use OF troops in the field. Knowing that
the Mlssissippians would have no confidence
In the old fiint-lock muskets, insisted On
their being armed with the kind of rifle
then recently made at New Haven, Conn,
the Whitney rife. From having been first
used by the Mississlppians, those rifles
nave been always known as the Mississippi
rifles"
Col. Davis distinguished himself at Monte
rey, and in the battle of Buena Vista,
where 1900 Americans defeated 10000
Mexlcans. In recognition of his valor and
efficiency President Polk offered Col Davis
the appointment of Brigadier General of
volunteers The offer was declined on the
ground that the constitution provided for
such appointment by the states, and not by
the FEDERAL gov6rnm ant
1t is not necessary to relate the history Of
the Mexican war. Mrs. Davis prefaces her
account of the struggle with sketches of
prominent characters in the Senate in 1S45.
OF Calhoun, Webster, Benton, Cass and
others there are interesting anecdotes.
''One tall form, when seen became a
part of sight was that of Sam Houston.
He was considerably over the ordinary
hlght-six feet four inches at least. He had
noble figure aud handsome face, but he
had forgotten Polonius' advice, Costly thy
habit as thy purse can buy, but not ex-
pressed in fancy He raioiced in cata-
mount skin waistcoata it, was very long
WASTED, and his coat was left SYSTEMATICALLY
open to show it. Another waistcoat which
he alternated with the catauount was of
glowing scarlet cloth His manner was
very swelling and formal When he met a
lady he took step forward, then bowed
very low, and in deep voice said: Lady,
l salute you If the acquaintance CHANGED
to please him at the same or the next inter-
view he generally took out a small snake
skin pouch and took from it little wooden
heart the size Of Decent piece, and contain
ing ring, and presented it with: Lady,
let me give you my heart These hearts he
whitfield all day long in the Senate.
ASA UNITED STATES SENATOR.
The state of Mississippi recognized Col.
Davis services in Mexico by sending him to
the Senate to fill the vacancy made by the
death of Senator Jesse Speight. This Sena-
tor Speight was in his time without respect
for persons. Despite lis imperious DISPOSE
ton he was well liked. Mrs. Davis writes:
1.-TWO or three times he had called my
husband from home at quite late hour to
confer with him on some subject which
could have been postponed. At last, one
snowy morning, at o'clock, letter was
handed in at our door:
"'Come over. Speight.'
"To which Mr. Davis made answer:
"'Cant. Davis
1t was taken, however, in good humor
by the Senator, though my husband was
not in pacific mood when writing the
r ply"
Ia l848 an offer was made to jefferson
Davis which, it accepted, would have given
a different ending to his life than that
which the world now knows. Gen. Lopez
and another Cuban Robert E. Lee was
with them invited Mr.. Davis to take charge
of an expedition to liberate Cuba They
offered to deposit 100000 for his wife be-
fore departure, with another 100000 as
sured when successful or very fine coffee
plantation. Mr.. Davis refused the offer.
The offer was afterwards made to Maj.
Robert E. Lee, but he did not think it con-
sistent with his duty to the United States
government to accept it. LESS than two
months afterward,n writes Mrs Davis.
Gen. Lopez sat strapped in garrote chair
and was executed, with several Americans
of good social position who had been per-
suaded to join him."
The last passage-at-arms in the Senate
between Webster and Calhoun is vividly
described by Mrs. Davis, but it is too
lengthy to quote. The literary quality of
her work is in many passages surprisingly
high. Apropos of Webster she says of him
that he was fond of poetry, but had no
rhythm in his head and no verbal memory.
When Mr.. Davis delivered an eulogy on
John G. Calhoun, Webster shook the speaker
by the hand and said: THAT was a fine
speech you made, especially that COMPARE
son, Like a summer-dried fountain when
our need was the sorest.'" Mr..
Davis laughed and told him that was the
only part of it that was not mine; that was
Walter Scott's.n
AS A CABINET OFFICER.
Mr.. Davis entered President Pierce's cab
met in 1858 as Minister Of War The his
torical chapters are less tempting to the
reader than those devoted to social gossip.
Mrs. Davis is often sententious In her re-
marks, as in the following lines which con-
clude her estimate of Sidney Webster, pri~
vate secretary of the president: "As one
grows old and wiser than of yore, the
things that friends do not do are even more
occasions of grateful memory than the
deeds they perform; for that reason it is SO
hard to describe a thorough gentleman, so
many Of his virtues are those Of abstention. $"
She writes of President Pierce:
"Of Mr.. Pierce | cannot speak as reliably
as another who loved him less. All sympa-
thieS seemed united In him. No one was so
poor that in any honorable personality Mr..
Pierce could not. do him reverence. His
doorkeeper, once speaking of him, said: He
does not keep his manners for the fine folks
that come here, but he gives me the compli-
ments of the morning as grandly as he does
to Gen. Scott
In the course of the chapter on "Social
Relations" Mrs. Davis describes little cpl
sode at an entertainment given by Nine. de
Sartige to the Papal Legate. Her sister,
Mrs Rice, brought down her chubby baby
in its little frilled night dress and held it up
to Monseigneur the Legate for his blessing.
Mrs. Rice was handsome young creature.
and it was a lovely picture as she stood
against the pale blue velvet hangings and
presented her little baby to the great dig
nitary. The baby, her only child, grew to
manhood and was Thorndyke Rice.
The last glimpse the world had of Mr..
Rice was at the sale OF his belongings few
months ago in New York.
Mr.. Seward was anintimate friend of the
Davis family. Mr.. Days tells this arec-
dote: lone day he bega INTO talk on the not
infrequent topic among US of slavery.
Heartily liking him, ard taking a good
many liberties of expression with him,
said: Mr.. Seward, how can you make with
grave face those pite0Hso appeals for the
negro that you did inafthe Senate2 You
were too long a schoolnaster in Georgia to
believe the things you SAY He looked at
me quizzically and smilingiy answered: I
do not but those appeals, as you call them,
are potent to affect the rank and file OF the
north Mr.. Davis said, very much shocked
at Mr.. Stewards answer: But MIR. Sew
ard do Won never sneak from conviction