Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-17
MRS. DAVIS VS.. MILES,
DETAILS OF THE FORMERS CHARGES
AGAINST THE LATTER.
An Interesting side-Light Thrown Upon
the Imprisonment of the Ccnfederats
President Mt Fortress Monroe.

Davis insisted that the treatment OF her
husband while prisoner at Fortress Mon
roe under General Nelson A. Miles was un-
necessarily brutal. To this charge General
Miles, who has recently acquired so much
prominence in quelling the Indian dis
turbance, made general but vigorous de
NAL. In the second part OF Mrs. Davis's
memoirs. Just received, however; the
charge is repeated and explicit details are
given which throw an interesting sioe-
light upon that occurrence. AT tnat Time
patients at Fortress Monroe were IN charge
of Military Surgeon Craven, and Mrs. Davis
quotes freely from his diary, written IN
1865. Following are extracts
May "a, lS65.--Calling upon the Pm
soner-the first time had ever seen MIN
closely-he presented very miserable ana
affecting aspect Stretched upon his pal
let and very much emaciated. Mr. Davis
appeared mere fascine Of raw and tremu-
lous nerves, his eyes restless and feyered.
his head continually shifting from SIDE 10
side for cool spot on the pillow, and MS
case clearly one in which intense cerebral
excitement was the first thing needing at
tention. He was extremely respondent,
his pulse full and at ninety, tongue thick;
ly coated, extremities cold, and his head
troubled with long established neuralgia
disorder. Complained OF his thin camp
mattress. and pillow stuffed with hair,
adding that he was so emaciated that his
skin chafed easily against the Stats, and as
these complaints were well founded L or
dered an additional hospital mattress.
THE sHAcKLEs.
That afternoon OF an interview sought
with Major-General Miles my opinion was
4 4, N (f0fp-
Prisoner Davis required the removal OF his
shackles until such time as his health
should be established on some firmer basis.
Exercise he absolutely needed, and also
some alienation of his abnormal nervous
excitement. No drugs could aid q dIges-
ton naturally weak and so impaired with
out exercise: nor could anything IN the
Pharmacopoeia quiet nerves sooverwrougnt
and shattered while the continual friction
of the letters was counterpoising Whatever
medicines could be given. :.
You believe it, then, q medical neces-
sity ?" queried General Miles;
az do, most earnestly" said /.
But It was some time after that before
the shackles were taken of. The diary
contiDues
June s.-Was distracted. night and day,
By the unceasing tread Of the two senti.
nels in his room, and the murmur or CAB
BILE Of the guards in the outside cell. He
said his casemate was well formed for 0
torture-room of the Inquisition. Its arch
ed roof made il perfect whispering gal
lery, in which all sounds were lumbled
and repeated. The torment OF his head
was so dreadful he feared he must lose his
mind. Already his memory, vision, and
hearing were impaired. He had but the
remains of one eye left, and the glarine
whitewashed walls were rapidly. destroy
ing this. He pointed TO crevice in the
wall where his bed had been, explaining
that he had changed to the other side &c
avoid its mephitic vapors.
CHANGES OF LINEN.
June iO.-General Miles has taken charge
Of his clothing, and seemed to think {
change of linen twice week enough. II
| might be 80 in Massachusetts. But now
even this wretched allowance was denied
The General might know nothing Of tht
matter; but il so, some member OF his stat
was negligent. II was pitiful thev could
not send his trunks to his cell, but mus
| insist on doing out his clothes as though
he were a convict in some penitentiary.
Ionly noticed that Mr.. Davis was arrayeC
| in the same garb he had worn when enter
ing the cell-indeed, General Miles had
possession of all his other wardrobe.
July l1.-Found prisoner very despond'
| ing, the failure Of his sight troubling hin
and his nights almost without sleep. His
present treatment was killing him by
| inches and he wished shorter work could
| be made of his torment. He had hoped
| long since for trial which should DO pub
| lie and therefore with some semblance o.
fairness, but hope deferred was making hi
heart sick.
| DEEP PRosTRATIoS.
July 3O.-Found Mr.. Davis in o very criti
| cal state; his nervous debility extreme
his mind more respondent than ever here
tofore, his appetite gone, complexion llyid
and pulse denoting deep prostration OF al
physical energies. Was much alarmed
and realized with painful anxiety, the re
sponsibilities of my position. If he ,wer'
TO die in prison and without trial, sublec
to such seventies as had been inflicted OF
his attenuated frame, the world would
form unjust conclusions, but conclusions
with enough color TO pass them into MS
tory.
Let me here remark that, despite a Ger
tain exterior cynicism of manner, no pa
tient has ever crossed my path who, suffer
ing so much himself, appeared to feel Sc
warmly and tenderly for others. Sickness
as a general rule. is sadly selfish.
There is much more of DR.. Craven's diary
to the same effect. He was continually
protesting against the treatment OF his pa
tient, and finally got into trouble because
be bought clothing for Mrs. Davis and paiC
for it out of his own pocket.
APUPPY WITH EPAULETTEs.
Mrs. Davis's first meeting with General
Miles is thus described in the memoirs:
The next day General Miles and som'
other officers came on board and sum
moned Mrs. Clay and me. He was quite
young. about, / should think, twenty five
and seemed TO have newly acquired his ele
waited position. He was not respectful, but
| thought it was his ignorance OF polite
usage. He declined to tell me anything Of
nv husband or about our own destination
and said Davis" had announced Mr.. Lin
coins assassination the day before u nap
pened and he guessed he knew all about
Here is description of the prison and
the Stacking scene given IN ertenso IRON
the same source:
As the most conclusive evidence OF Gene
raj Mlles's anlmus, and OF the method'
adopted towards Mr.. Davis when N
| reached the fort, statement OF events II
relation 10 putting letters upon him a
Fortress Monroe is given below, derived
| from q statement Of the officer OF the day
and verified Oy the prisoner anu u WHITES
Captain J. Titlow, of the Third Pennsylva
mia artillery:
"When jefferson Davis was brought Z
Fortress Monroe he was confined IN Tn
gun-room of a casemate, the embrasure %
which was closed with heavy iron'grating
| and the two doors which communicate
with the gunner's room were closed b.
| heavy double shutters, fastened with cross
| bars aud padlocks. The side openings ha
| been closed with fresh masonry, tho plaster
| ing of which wassoft to the touch; the resTo
the four walls Of solid masonry, the top be
| ing an arch to support the earth OF the par
apet Two sentinels, with muskets loade'
| and bayonets fixed, pacedto and fro acros
this small prison. Two other sentinels AM
q commissioned officer occupied the gun
ner's-room, the doors and windows OF whlel
were strongly secured. The officer OF ID
day had the key of the outer door, an
| sentinels were posted on the pavement
Without mechanical aid. even ]
uninterrupted, no one man could have re
moved the grating from the embrasure, !
that had been done and he could have swan
across the ditch and climbed up the reyet
ment ON the other side, which is doubtful
he would there have encountered the sen
tinels on the glacis.
cowARDIcE AND nSFAMY.
=.