The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-19
WINNIE DAVIS IS DEAD
DAUGHTER OF CoNFEDERACY Ex-
PIREs AT NARRAGANsETT PIER.
Weeks of Suffering OF MaIariaI Gas
tritis, with Her Mother Constant
ly at the Bedside.

NARRAGANSETT PIER, r. T., Sept. IS.
Miss Winnie Davis, daughter of Mrs. JEFF
ferson Davis, died at noon to-day at the
Rockingham Hotel, to which place she came
as a guest in the early part of the Piers
social season. She had been ill for several
weeks and a fortnight ago her ailment was
diagnosed as malarial gastritis. At times
her condition became very serious, so that
consultations of physicians were deemed
necessary, but frequent rallies gave renewed
hope that she would ultimately recover.
During the past week especially was her
condition considered favorable and it was
thought that her removal from the hotel
would be possible in a few days, as the
hotel had closed for the season. leaving the
patient and attendants practically alone in
the house. Last night, however. a relapse
was noticed, and throughout the night Miss
Davis lost strength perceptibly. This morn
ing the physicians said that the end was
not far off. and at noon death came to end
the suffering which at times had been in
tense Mrs. Davis had watched unremitting-
ly at her daughters bedside, ana she is now
bowed with sorrow.
The physicians of Mrs Davis report she
is holding UP with great calmness in her af-
fiction and no fears are at present enter
tanned of her health yielding to the strain.
Miss Winnie Davis 1.-THE Daughter of the
Confederacy," was the only child of Jeffer-
son Davis. She had been in delicate health
for year or more and gradually failing
all summer. Miss Winifred was the child
of Jefferson Davis's old age and was born
at Richmond during the civil war: Since
his death she had resided with her
mother in the Norm, which alienated
good many of their Southern friends and
admirers. They went South occasionally to
nV 70 L q iCif h1If
called New York their permanent home,
and were made much of by the large South
ern colony there. Miss Winnie was never
noted for personal beauty, but was an ex-
ceedingly attractive woman, endowed with
great intellectual gifts. She received much
attention. had several advantageous offers
of marriage and was for several years en-
gagged to a gentleman in 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 mother were
bent on earning living by literary work
and have been moderately successful. The
life of Jefferson Davis. which they jointly
prepared, was failure financially and
otherwise. Friends insist that they were
robbed by the publishers, but whatever the
reason may have been they received 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 Joseph Pulitzer and
Worthington Davis, who was Mr.. Pulitzer's
confidential man of business, were first
cousins of the president of the Southern
Confectionery, and the families have been
quite intimate.
Mrs. Jefferson Davis was complaining in
Washington last winter that the Southern
people had not shown their respect for her
late husband in a tangible manner. She said
that very few copies of his biography
purchased in the South and that the criti-
clsms which appeared in the newspapers of
that section were so unjust and unkind as
to prejudice 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-
zines and newspapers. but none had ever
been accepted with compensation. This was
matter of surprise to her, and she be-
leved 1t to be the result of prejudice, be-
cause Northern publications accepted and
paid literally for everything they had writ
ten.