The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-10-11
STORY OF BEN MONTGOMERY.
Jefferson Davis Private Secretary and
Slave.
From New York Times.

Jefferson Davis was once Lieuten.
ant in the 9Th United States Infantry.
In 1882 the 1st Regiment of United
States Dragons was organized. 2lr:
Davis was always fine horseman, and
preferred the mounted service, so he
was transferred from the infantry to
the cavalry. He was soon made adj
jutant of the regiment, and there
served until he left the army.
It must have been about 1887 when
Jefferson Davis went home to Missis-
sippi on leave to visit his brother 10.
seph. While at Vicksburg one day he
heard there was to be sale Of ne
groes. Though he had lived in
slave-holding country all his youth he
had never seen sale Of this sort, SC
he said to his brother Joseph "Let
US 90 and see it. The sale went on.
About fifty hands had been sold, when
a lad, perhaps. IL years old, was put
on the block. He was a pure African,
with not taint of white blood in him.
But his face was unconlmonly intelli-
gent. Mr.. Davis was struck with the
lads appearance. II would like to
buy that boy" he said to his brother,
"but don't know for how much he
will sell. I'm afraid | can't afford it.
The bidding began, and, before his
brother knew what was going on, Jo-
seph Davis bought the boy and pre-
sented him to his brother, saying !:
"Let me give you your first slave"
The lad was unusually intelligent
and Mr.. Davis saw that there were in
him capacities not usual to the Afri:
can race. He taught him to read and
then to write, and within a year after
his purchase the lad read very we'll
and wrote a very fair, round hand.
By this time Mr.. Davis had left the
army and gone to Mississippi to live.
It soon became rumored in the neigh,
borhood that JEFF. Davis "was teach
ing his nigger to read and write. "
This innovation did not please the
older planters, and several gentlemen
took occasion to demonstrate with him
about it. eyes, it is true. he re-
piled. IT have boy about IA years
old. He is a pure African. [ have
taught him to read, and he writes a
very fair hand. I need somebody tor
secretary, and I propose to teach this
boy to be Of a higher service to me
than to brush my clothes or to black
my boots This ended the protests,
and Mr.. Davis was allowed to pursue
the education Of his negro unmolested.
A few slaves at that time were allow
ed the use Of a gun, and this boy soon
became fair shot.
There seemed to be some doubt as
to what his name was. His mother
was not quite sure as to his paternity,
but she said she '"lowed he was old
Ben Montgomery's son. So he
was called Ben Montgomery. The
boy soon became an admirable secre-
tary. He could be trusted to do any
thing. He had not that negro tenden,
cy to talk of what went on in "the big
house." that most negro servants had.
He was as silent as death concerning
all Marse JEFF S matters.
At this time Mr.. Davis had charge
of the Hurricanes estate, which con.
sisted of three plantations OF 1900
acres each, about twenty miles below
Vicksburg: They consisted Of the
"Hurricanes," the "Palmyra," and
"BriarGeld." His brothers health
was not good, and the responsibility
for the management Of the property
rested entirely upon Mr.. Davis. In
after years Mr.. Davis often said that
he did not know what he would have
done without the efficient and intelli
gent aid Of Ben Montgomery at this
time. It is no easy matter to manage
an estate making 5000 bales Of cotton
There were stores to be bought, letters
to be written, bills Of lading to be
signed, and goods receipted for. The
captains of the great Mississippi
River boats looked rather queerly at
first when they saw coal black negro
come down to the river to receive. the
stores of the aristocratic Davis estate
They were still more astonished when
this negro handed to the clerk of the
boat an open letter saying that the
bearer, Ben Montgomery, was author
lied to receipt for any goods or sigr
any bill Of lading with the name o1
Jefferson Davis.
There was one unusually Un-Afri-
can feature about Ben Montgomery
He was remarkably quick at figures
Before he belonged to Mr.. Davis
eighteen months he had worked
through the old-time Davis arithme
tic, the standard then in the common
schools of the South. Mathematics il
the bette noir of the African race. Il
is their stumbling block. But Mont.
gomery grew superior to all this, anc
Mr.. Davis soon found that the boy
could work out in head an arithmetica
sum of no mean proportions. :.
When he was about 19 years old
there came an opportunity to test his
general trustiness and honesty. Il
was necessary for some one to go tt
Cincinnati about the machinery for q
new and immense steam engine ant
cotton gin. There was no telegraphit
line in those days, Of course. The
mails were slow and uncertain. A
special messenger would probably have
the work done more speedily than any
letter writing. 1t was determined tt
trust Montgomery to execute this
business, simply because there was
nobody else to go. He was furnished
with the necessary letters and the per
nit of slave to travel and put aboarc
the Creole Belle, a fine packet running
from New Orleans to Cincinnati
Just before he started Mr.. Davis gave
him $4,000. 1t must be confessed hi
did this with little trepidation. The
boy was young, had never travelled BY
himself much, and then, above all he
was going into free State.
"Ben,h said Mr.. Davis, "I an
trusting you with a good deal Of mon
ey. | have told you to whom you arr
to deliver it. Be sure and take a re
ceipt, and don t forget what terrible
loss this money would be to me if yol
should happen to lose it. u
"Good-bye, Marse jeff, said the
negro. the tears coming to his eyes