The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-10-12

many people did not like this. They
said it looked as though Mr.. Davis did
not think the Confederacy was going
to succeed. But Ben obeyed his
orders regardless OF the talk, and had
the deeds of sale and the other papers
carefully recorded in the proper offices
in Warren county, Miss. The sequel
showed that Ben had acted most
shrewdly and wisely. He sold 600
bales of the cotton to an English
house that was able to get it down to
New Orleans unmolested and sent the
money to MIR. Davis in English sover-
eigns. When Vicksburg was captured,
July 3rd and 4th, 1868, there were 900
bales Of cotton on the place, and about
900 bushels of corn, with meal and
pork enough to feed the hands until
the coming fall.
Ben's sagacity was shown in what
followed. Vicksburg had not fallen a
week and the Star Spangled Banner
only waved two days above the little
fort close to Briarheld, when a special
agent OF the United States Treasury
came to take possession of the goods,
chattels, and movables on the planta-
ton preparatory to the formal confis-
cation of the property by the United
States. The agent came in great
state, escorted by troop of cavalry.
He was met by Montgomery at the
front gate. Of course, the agent knew
nothing whatever of the sale, and in a
very arrogant way said, when asked
by Montgomery what his business was,
that he had s' come to take possession
of all the movable goods and stores on
Jefferson Davis's plantation"
"MY PROPERTY"
"Mr. Davis owns no plantation in
this section of the country" mildly
answered Montgomery.
"The devil he doesn't, said the as
tonished office: &c then who does thi:
place belong to ?"
"These three plantations" answered
Montgomery calmly, "consisting o
the Hurricane, Palmyra, and Briar
field, are the property of one Benjamin
Montgomery, who has the honor to be
your most obedient servant"
"Oh, the devil" said the officer
e You don't suppose that I'll believe
such thing as this, do you?"
"Let me assure you that the story
that 1 have told you is true in every
respect" said Montgomery, and i
you will halt your detachment and
come into the house, will show yor
all the papers, and you can decide
upon their legality
The government agent for the
seizure of the cotton was, of course, {
lawyer, and when he locked over tht
deeds he saw that a correct lega
transfer had certainly been made
But he said in triumph:
"At the time this sale was made
you were slave. You could not hole
real estate in Mississippi
And then Montgomery played hi!
trump card. He handed the agent hi
free papers, made out and legally
verified four days before the title tc
the real estate was passed.
"Now," said Ben Montgomery
"this country is under the protection
OF the United States, is it not?"
Why, yes," said the officer, d" il
is"
"And l am entitled to any OF th'
rights and privileges of citizen Of th'
United States, am l not?"
"Yes, 1 suppose SO" was the reply
again.
"Then, " sir, under the Emancipa
ton Proclamation of President Lin
coin, and by virtue of these free paper
made before that proclamation wa
issued, l am a citizen of the United
States, with all the rights and privilege
that any citizen has. You are especiall,
enjoined by that proclamation to SCI
that l and all of my race are protected
in our legal rights, are you not?"
The officer began to see that he wa
cornered.
eyes, you are," he replied.
"Then request that you leave m
property untouched, otherwise l shal
call upon the President of the Unitet
States to know whether or not hi
proclamation is more than an empt
FORM"
The treasury agent and his escor
had to go back to Vicksburg very muc
crest fallen.
Montgomery followed up his ad
vantage by writing a letter to tn
commanding officer at Vicksburg
setting forth that he was free man q
color, that he was the legal owner {
certain plantations, which were speci
fed by name that an officer of tn
United States had called upon hir
and endeavored to deprive him of HI
property without due process of law
and he demanded of the commandin
officer his protection and that Of th
United States.
A GREAT STROKE.
OF course, this was too rich spo
to be relinquished by the treasur
agents without fight. They SCENE
determined to take it anyhow. Mont
gomery decided upon great stroke
He called upon the officer in comman'
at Vicksburg and asked that a lieuten
ant and guard be put in charge at tn
Hurricanes for ten days time, an
also for leave to travel on a govern
ment boat that was coming up t
Cincinnati. He was going to Wash
ington to see Mr.. Lincoln and lay tn
case before him personally. He hap
pened to know Judge Holt, who wa
then Judge Advocate General of tn
army. When he got to Wastingto
he at once went to see him, and aske
! m he taken To GEE the President