Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-09-21

" WW 9
MISS WINNIE DAVIS.
only one of the Davis children that JEFF
ferson Davis saw during the trying times
at the close of the war.
Narina Anne Jefferson Davis is her
full name, and she was born in the exec
utive mansion Of the Confederacy at
Richmond, Va, in June, 1864. A few
months after her birth her parents were
forced to flee, and even at that tender
age she showed herself a soldiers daugh-
ter. not even raising her infant voice in
protest as she was jolted along the rough
roads in an army ambulance for hundreds
of miles. Mrs. Davis and Winnie joined
the chief magistrate of the Confederacy
legged because of her age, while the older
children were in Canada with their
grandmother. Little Winnie played all
day long i'll the prison with seeming con-
tentnent and was never so happy as
when IN her fathers cell.
The next FIVE years of her life were
spent in England, and then she was
brought to Memphis. There she showed
a taste for literature even at the early
age of g and read good books under the
direction of her father. who was proud
Of her precocity. When it was found
that the climate did not agree with her
she was sent to Germany and France for
LIZ SNbNo lIJG4- L 1SI IN - liz
German language and then French. Mu-
sic and drawing were studied. and al
though she never followed either as a
profession. her proficiency was sufficient
to delight her friends with the singing of
q song TO her own accompaniment or the
gift of a painting. Her studious habits
Of her early youth We're retained. but al
though while at Narragansett Pier dur
ing the summers she devoted much time
to reading, she spared time for horseback
riding and cycling.
New Orleans was the scene of Miss
Davis social debut. She was queen of
the carnival and shared with her father
the honors of the occasion. 1t was when
she accompanied her father to Atlanta
after the carnival that she was baptized
as 1.-The Daughter of the Confederacy."
Gen. Gordon introduced her by that name
at a reception in her fathers honor. and
thus she has since been known through
out the South. She has scores of badges
presented her by regimental and brigade
organizations. and she attended all of the
reunions that she could.
Miss Davis did her first literary work
in New Orleans, writing a pamphlet for
the New Orleans WOmen's Press club.
which passed through three editions. She
then turned her attention to magazine
work, in which she was successful. Her
novel, 1.-THE Yelled Doctor was well re-
ceived, and she was at work upon an
other.
Her fathers death was a great blow.
so keen that her life was despaired of.
but she recovered, and since then she and
her mother have been inseparable. She
had winning ways that have gained her
much popularity. All who knew her
loved her. and she had hosts of friends.
Since the death of her father Miss Da-
Wis resided with her ~stepmother in the
North, which has alienated a good many
of their Southern friends and admirers.
They went South occasionally to attend
some ceremony or make a visit, but called
New York their permanent home. and
were made much of by the large Southern
colony there. Miss Winnie was never
noted for personal beauty, but was an
exceedingly attractive woman and was en-
lowed with great intellectual gifts. She
received much attention, had several adj
vantageous offers of marriage. and was
for several years engaged to 4 gentleman
III Rochester. Several reasons were given
for breaking the match at the time by
their friends, but they were only guessed
at.
Both Miss Davis and her stepmother
were trying to earn a living by literary
work and had been moderately successful.
The life of jefferson Davis. which they
Jointly prepared, was a failure financially
and otherwise. Friends insist that they
were robbed by the publishers, but what
ever the reason may have been they re-
c2lyed very little remuneration for their
labor, and were almost entirely dependent
upon what they received for contributions
to. the New York World. The wife Of Jo-
seph Pulitzer, and Worthington Davis,
who was Mr.. Pulitzer's confidential man
of business. were first cousins of the pres
ident of the Southern C~onfederacy, and
the families have been quite intimate.
Mrs. Jefferson Davis was complaining
in Washington last winter that the
Southern people had not shown their re-
spect for her late husband in a tangible
manner. She said that very few copies
Of his biography were purchased in the
South and hat the criticisms which ap-
peared in the newspapers OF that section
were So unjust and unkind as to preju-
dice its sale in the North. She said also
that she and her daughter were COM
PEELED to live in the North because it was
the only market they could find for their
literary compositions. They had both re-
peatedly offered articles to Southern
magazines and newspapers, but none had
ever been accepted with compensation.
This was a matter of surprise to her, ard
she believed it to be the result of nreju-
dice, because North I'm publications ac-
copied and paid libetally for everything