Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1892-10-27
THE WINNIE DAVIS INCIDENT.
Gov. Northern Investigates Tom Wa:-
sons Charge Against MIR Cleveland,
Augusta Evening News.

calied-fOr attack upon Grover
Cleveland i'll charging that the ex>
President IT fused to let his wife
meet Miss Winnie Davis in Rich
mond at the unwilling of the Lee
monument.
Gov. Northern, of Georgia was
attracted by the editorial of this
paper on Watson and he had a.
personal interview with DR.. J..
William Jones', an eminent Bape
fist preacher, a brave Confederate
survivor, and a historian who is
we'll known as the author of the
history of Gen. Robert E. Lee and
also jeff. Davis volume, and who
is the best Informed man in Geor.
gia about tt is alleged snubbing of
the Daughter of.the Contederacy.
The Governor had DR.. Jones,
who lives in Atlanta and holds a
p ,sition of assistant corresponding
8 secretary OF the Home Mission
Board of the South Carolina Bap-
fist Church, reduce the interview
to writing, and Gov. Northern has
sent the manuscript to Major J. G..
G. Black. DIR. Jones' statement
to the Governor is as follows:
81 take pleasure in putting in
writing a statement which | made
in conversation with you concern
ing the alleged refusal of President
Cleveland TO allow his wife to
meet Miss Winnie Davis and to be
introduced to her himself. For
while l do not take any active part
in politics, save to try always to
discharge my duty as a citizen and
a Christian TO vote right, [ feel
that facts i'll my possession will
fully refute this SANDER upon Pres
ident Cleveland and that | should
not be silent concerning it.
"Mr. Cleveland himself and ex-
Governor Lee, Of Virginia, have
denied these statements very en-
phatically. l give you in more
detail exactly what occurred as il
came under my personal cogni-
Zance.
"In October and November, 1886
Miss Winnie Davis, the daughter
of the Confederacy,' was for six
weeks a guest at my house, in the
city of Richmond. She went from
my house to spend two weeks with
Mrs. Lee, at the Executive man.
sion. Several days afterwards
President Cleveland made bis
visit to Richmond on the occasion
of tho agricultural fair.It had been
arranged originally that Mre
Cleveland should accompany him
but at the last moment it was de-
cided that his official duties at
Washington would prevent him
from doing mere than to come
down to Richmond on the early
morning train, remain severa
hours, and return to Washington
tie anne evening. Mrs. CLEVELAND
was sick at the time, and when tho
President decided to make 81
hurried a "trip the family physician
advised that she should not be sub
jected to the fatigue of the trip o.
the excitement of the crowd. Fo1
this reason alone, as Mr.. Cleve-
land stated at tune. Mrs CLEVELAND
did not go to Richmond and die
not have an opportunity of meeting
Miss Davis.
$50 far as the statement tina
Mr.. Cleveland himself refused 4
ne introduced to the Daughter o.
the Confederacy,' the SANDER i.
abundantly refuted by these facts
Governor Lee stated to me at th,
time, and reiterates in his card
that when he met Cleveland at The
depot and escorted him to the Fai
Grounds, one of the first question:
he asked him after getting in thu
carriage was. Where is Miss Da
vis9' Being told by the Governo
that she was then at the Fai
, Grounde, the President replied
sWell, | want you to introduce M
to her at the very earliest oppor
tonity, as l want to pay my re
spects.' Arriving at the ground
President Cleveland was receive,
with defening applause ane give1
a grand ovation. After maxim,
the noble speech which h
made apon the occasion, tn
, vest crowd surged forward an
} shook him by the hand; and in tn
midst of it he turned to Governo
Lee and said: You have not ye
introduced me to Miss Davis Gov
ernor Lee replied: 'She is on tn
other side of the stand, but I vii
bring her and introduce her, No
6 said the President, Il will go t
her. They made their way througl
the crowd. Governor Lee intro
ducedssthe President of the Unite
States to thesD Daughter of the Con
! federacy,' and he gave her a re
spectful and very cordial greetin!
saying that be was delighted t
meet her.
"That evening Governor LIE
gave President Cleveland a gram
! reception at the Executive Man
: soin. I was present and CHANGED t
be talking with Miss Winnie whe
, the time came for the p,esidentis
!, party to go to their train and re
turn to Washington. Mr.. Cleve
: land came out of the room i
. which he was across the hall int