Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-17
ANDY JOHNSON.
Maj. Ben Truman's Remin-
iscences.
New Facts About the Trial Of
Mrs. Surratt.
Incidents in the Life of Lincoln's
Successor.
How He Pardoned David M. Key-The
Beautiful Mrs. Carter-The
Evils of Prest-
Dental Zee.

"David M. Key, postmaster-general
under Mr.. Hayes" said Maj. Ben @.
Truman to reporter for the Chicago
Tribune grew up in Greenville with
Andrew johnson. and the two men were
personal and political friends for thirty
years. Key assailed secession until the
assault on Sumter, after which he
joined the southern army as lieutenant
colonel OF the Forty-third Tennessee
infantry. Alter the surrender Key
found himself an ex confederate general
in the piney woods of North Carolina,
self exiled from his Tennessee home. In
a short time johnson became president t.,
and was still declaring that traitors
should be punished and treason be made
odious. While these raging utterances
had no seemingly mellifluous cadences
whatever at the time, and their only
sounds reached the ears of the wanderer
in their harshest way, Key bethought
himself of the possible sunshine of
Johnson's old-time friendship, and
hope that it was not wholly obscured
prompted him to write the president
letter. So he wrote to his old
friend, asking for no pardon and max
ing no apology for what he had done,
but depicting his misery and stating his
determination to abide Loyalty by the
consequences of the war. His letter
concluded about as follows: If am to
be hanged for treason prefer that the
ceremony shonld take place in Tennessee
rather than in North Carolina, so l shall
return to my native state at once and
will no longer attempt to evade the Of
ficers OF the law In few days General
Key received reply from President
Johnson which inclosed a full pardon
and a request that he do his best to
bring about that preservation of the
union for which 80 much prec GUS blood
had been spillel. How faithfully Key
has carried out that request is empha-
sized by the fact that Mr.. Hayes selected
him for postmaster-general and subse-
quently gave him an exalted judicial po-
sition in tennessee for life.
GAVE HER A PASS TO LEAVE.
IA few months after we arrived in
Nashville Johnson sent half dozen
millionaire-rebelst to northern prisons or
through the lines into the south. Among
these was Washington Barrows, one of
the richest and most prominent men in
Tennessee. Mrs. Barrows was the
biggest woman outside of museum
had ever seen. 1t was probably month
after her husband had been sent to
prison that this woman called on john
son for pass. He turned, almost
rudely, from Mrs. Barrows and said to
me: Make out a pass for the woman
to leave Nashville over the Grannywhite
pike. 'And return added Mrs. Bar
rows. we don't want you to
return' said Johnson. Then she got
mad and exclaimed: 'Andrew-Joh
SON do-you - -what-I-ough
to do? ought to take you across my
knee and give you the best spanking
you ever had III YOUR life And john
son closed her up as follows: Mrs.
Barrows, it would take the whole fed
eral army to spank you.' After the
woman had retired Johnson said to me
III old Wash Barrows had any sense or
gratitude ned address me a letter of
thanks for sending him to northern
prison. In all my relations with John
son this ls the only case tnat | know of
in which he spoke disrespectfully of or
to woman.
Zone of the famous beauties of Mid
rich widow named Carter, who resided
at Franklin. Mrs. Carter had two
beautiful daughters aged about IL and
18. but neither was as beautiful as the
mother. A week seldom passed that
Mrs. Carter did not wish pass between
Franklin and Nashville, or some other
little favor. One day she came to me
and said that she wanted permit to
carry home six barrels OF salt. While l
knew her to be an honorable and all
round trustworthy woman, I bore in
mind that she was a rebel, and that
salt, ice and quinine were necessaries
among those she loved best. So made
her request known to johnson, who
said:
"'Give Mrs. Carter the permit for the
six barrels. Six barrels of salt wouldn't
be OF much service to the bogus confed-
eracy, you know; besides, Mrs. Garter
is lovely woman In about month
afterward the woman again called, and
wanted to take out twelve barrels of
salt. She owned nearly 100 slaves, and
was sailing down good deal of pork
and beef; and there were other needs
which the bewitching rebel elaborated
upon. l again consulted Johnson and
he said: Mrs. Carter Is lovely woman,
but she can only have a permit for six
barrels You might tell her, without
offending her, that she won't have to
feed her niggers long, quickly in
formed Mrs. Carter that Governor
johnson did not feel authorized to grant
her permit for bat for six barrels.
Then make me out two PERMITS she
archly said, each for six barrels Mrs.
Carter was beautiful woman"
WHAT MIGHT HAVE REEN.
Major Truman continued: johnson
once said to me: The longer live the
more am convinced the most of US
would be great gamers if we could have
our lives to live over again. We could
benefit by our losses. make more friends
and fewer enemies, amend our manners,
curb those lnclinations the unnecessary
qualification Of which invite exaggerated
calnmniations, and, on the whole, be
better and wiser men. Now, have been
true to the Union and to my friends,
and have been generally temperate in
all things. But lost my prestige with