The Portland daily press., 1897-07-03
THE SOUTHERN HERO. SAM DAVIS.
Remarkable Bust by Zolnay. 1t Attracts
NJ UGH Attention at the Tennessee EXPOSE
tion-Story of Dayis's Death.

tion-story of Dayis's Death.
| (From the Louisville Courier Journal. }
! The bust of Sam Davis, the confederate
hero who met death on the scaHold at
Pulaski Tenn, to save the life OF COM
rade, is one of the best pieces OF sculpture
in the Nashville Parthenon. 1t is the
work of George Julian Zolnay, IS heroic
in size, noble in conception and absolutely
true to the original. Joshua Brown, now
of New York city, who belonged to the
I'd Kentucky cavalry of the Confederate
army and was fellow scout with Sam
uel Davis, tells the thrilling and awful
story of his fate in an article in the Vet
cram:
D Gen. Bragg had sent us, few men who
knew the country, into middle Tennessee
to get all the information possible con-
corning the movements OF the Federal
army; to find out if it was moving from
Nashville and Corinth. to re-enforce Chat
tanooga. We were to report to Col. Shaw
or Capt. Coleman, who commanded Cole
mans scouts We were to go south to
Decatur, and send our reports by cour-
Ter line to Gen. Bragg at Missionary
Ridge. When we received our orders we
were told that the duty was very danger
Gus, and that they did not expect but few
of us to return that we would probably
be captured or killed, and we were eau
toned against exposing ourselves unnec-
essarily.
After we had been in Tennessee about
10 days, we watched the 10th army corps,
commanded by Gen. Dodge, move up
from Corinth to Pulaski. We agreed that
we would leave for the South on Friday,
the 18th of November, 1868. A number
had been captured and several killed. We
were to start that night, each man for
himself; each of us had his own informa-
ton, tbut did not write it down or make
any memorandum of it, for fear of being
captured. had counted almost every
regiment, and all the artillery in the 10Th
corps, and found out that they were NOV
ing on Chattanooga. Late in the after
noon we started out, and ran into the 18th
Kansas cavalry known as the Kansas
Jayhawkers, and when we were told
that regiment had captured us we thought
our time had come. We were taken to
Pulaski, about Is miles away, and put
into jail, where several other prisoners
had been sent, and among whom was
Sam Davis. / talked with him over our
prospects of imprisonment and escape,
which were very gloomy. Davis said they
had searched him that day and found
some papers upon him, and that he had
been taken to Gen. Dodge's headquarters.
They also had found in his saddle seat
maps and descriptions of the Notifications
at Nashville and other points, and an
exact report of the federal army in Ten
nessee They found in his boot letter,
with other papers, which was intended
for Gen. Bragg.
Davis was taken to Gen. Dodge's head
quarters, and this is what took place be-
tween them, which Gen. Dodge told me
recently:
= II took him in my private Office said
Gen. Dodge, land | told him it was a
very serious charge brought against HIM
that he was spy, and from what found
upon his person he had accurate inforIna-
tion in regard to my army, and must
know where he obtained it,. told him
he was a young man, and did not seem to
realize the danger he was in. Upito that
time he said nothing, but then he replied
in the most respectful and dignif1ed man
ner:
" Gen. Dodge know the danger of
my situation. and / am willing to take
the consequences
81 asked him then to give me the name
of the person from whom he got the in
formation; that knew it must be some
one near headquarters who had given
him the plans of the federal army. He
replied:
e / know that will have to die, but
l will not tell where I got the informa-
ton, and there is no power on earth that
can make me tell. You are doing your
duty as a soldier, and l am doing mine.
If / have to die, do SO feeling that am
doing my duty to God and my country.
II pleaded with and urged him with all
the power | possessed to give me some
chance to save his life, for / discovered
that he was q most admirable young fell
low, with the highest character and strict
est integrity He then said: 1T is use
less to talk to me. do not intend to do
it. You can court-martial me, or do any
thing else you like, but l will not betray
the trust imposed in me-
He thanked me for the interest 1 had
taken in him, and sent him back to
prison. 1 Immediately called court
martial to try him."
The night before he was hanged he
wrote the following letter to his mother
and father:
Pulaski, Giles County, Tenn, Nov.
26, lS63-Dear Mother:-Oh how painful
it is to write you! have got TO die to-
morrow morning-to be hanged by the
federals. Mother, do not grieve for me.
/ must bid you goodby forevermore.
Mother. do not fear to die. Give my
love to all. Your son,
SAMUEL DAVIS.
'sMother, tell the children all to be
good / wish / could see YOU all once
more, but never will any more. Mother
and father, do not forget me- Think of
me when 1 am dead, but do not griev G
for me. 1t will not do any good. Father,
you can send after my remains if you
want to do SO. They will be at Pulaski.
Tenn. I will leave some things, too,
with the hotel keeper for you. Pulaski is
in Giles county, Tenn south Of Column
bia. S. D."
After his sentence he was put into
cell in the jail and we did not see any
thing of him until Thursday morning,
the day before the execution. We were
ordered to get ready as we were going to
beIremoved to the court house on the pub