The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-10-12
An Incredible Story.
ROMANCE OF THE
WAR.

Jefferson Davis's Negro Slave
And Private Secretary-Taught
to Read and Write and Put in
Charge Of Cotton Plantations,
&c.
The following sensational and alto
gether incredible story is going the
rounds of the press and is here pub
lished for what it is worth. We do not
know the author as he appears to have
too much regard for his name to at
tach it to such "fake :"
Jefferson Davis was once lieuten-
ant in the Sixth United States Infantry.
In 1892 the first regiment of United
States dragons was organized. Mr..
Davis was always a fine horseman,
and preferred the mounted service, so
he was transferred from the infantry
to the cavalry. He was soon made
adjutant of the regiment, and there
served until he left the army.
1t must have been about 1877 when
Jefferson Davis went home to Missis-
slppi on leave to visit his brother
Joseph. While at Vicksburg one day
he heard there was to be sale of
negroes. Though he had lived in a
slave holding country all his youth,
he had never seen sale of this sort,
SO he said to his brother joseph, "Let
us 60 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 pure African,
with not taint of white blood in him.
But his face was uncommonly intelli-
gent. Mr.. Davis was struck with the
lads appearance. 81 would like to
buy that boy" he said to his brother,
" but | don't know for how much he
will sell. I'm afraid l cant afford it,"
The bidding began, and before his
brother knew what was going on,
Joseph Davis bought the boy and
presented 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 African
race. He taught him to read and then
to write, and within year after his
purchase the lad read very we'll and
wrote a very fair, round hand. By
this time Mr.. Davis had lett the army
and gone to Mississippi to live. Ii
soon became rumored in the neighbor-
hood that Jeff Davis "was teaching
his niger 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 replied,
81 have boy about IA ygars old. He
is pure African. l have taught him
to read, and he writes very fair
hand. l need somebody for secre-
tary, and l 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 allowed
the use Of gun, and this boy soon
became fair shot.
COULD BE TRUSTED.
The boy soon became an admirable
secretary. He could be trusted to dc
anything. He had not that negro
tendency 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:
matters.
At this time Mr.. Davis had charge
of the Hurricanes estate, which con
sisted of three plantations of 5000
acres each, about twenty miles below
Vicksburg. They consisted of the
Hurricanes" the Palmira," anc
g Briarfeld." His brothers health wa:
not good, and the responsibility fol
the management of the property rested
entirely upon Mr.. Davis. In after
years Mr.. Davis often said that he die
not know what he would have done
without the efficient and intelligen
aid of Ben Montgomery at this time
1t is no easy matter to manage al
estate making 5000 bales Of cotton
There were stores to be bought, letter
to be written, bills of lading to bs
signed, and goods to be receipted for
The captains of the great Mississippi
river boats looked rather queerly a
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 whel
this negro handed to the clerk of tn
boat an open letter saying that tn
bearer, Ben Montgomery, was author
lied to receipt for any goods or sig1
any bill of lading with the name G
Jefferson Davis.
There was one unusually un-A African
feature about Ben Montgomery. H
was remarkably quick at figures
DGlOIS uC OSiOuSSo W NAI. Law
eighteen months he had worked throug
the old-time Davis arithmetic, tn
standard then in the common school
OF the South. Mathematics is the bet
noir of the African race. 1t is thei
stumbling block. But Montgomer
grew superior to all this, and MI
Davis soon found that the boy coul
work out in his head an arithmetica
sum of no mean proportions.
When he was about nineteen year
old there came an opportunity to te:
his greneral trustiness and honesty.
was necessary for some one to 60
Cincinnati about the machinery for
new and immense steam engine an
cotton gin. There was no telegrap
line in those days, of course. Th
mails were slow and uncertain. !
special messenger would probably hav
the work done more speedily than an