The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1898-10-28

not ready" Then / said: "Had we
not better put them on toward even
ing?" He said eyes," and / could
send my orderly to the blacksmith
and have him meet me at the time
with the leg irons, and at the same
time he (Gen Miles, showed me a
part of letter he had from Secre-
tray Stanton, in which he said that
if he thought the safety of Davis
required it he could put irons on
Davis, or words to that effect. The
MATTER WAS LEFT OPTIONAL TO GEN.
MILES AS To WHETHER DAVIS
SHOULD BE PUT IN IRONS OR NOT.
Just before the shutdown relief
| sent my orderly out for the black
smith to meet me with the leg irons
at the casemate. Soon after / went
down | found the smith and his
helper there. then unlocked the
door and told the guard to let them
pass, smith and helper.
As entered the gun-room Davis
was sitting on the end Of his cot,
or hospital-bed, reading his Episco
pal prayer book, and as he looked
up / said" Mr.. Davis, L have dis
agreeable duty to execute" At the
same moment, seeing the blacksmith
with the irons, he said: "You do
not intend to put letters on me?''
l said: "Those are my orders" He
said; "ThOse are orders for slave,
and no man with a soul in him
would obey such orders" / then
said: "Those are my orders" Mr..
Davis said: ''I shall never sub
nit to such an indignity." He then
asked if Gen. Miles had given that
order. My answer was in the af-
firmative. He said he would like
to see Gen. Miles. replied that
Gen. Miles had just left the fort.
Davis then asked that the execu-
ton of the order be postponed, and
l should telegraph TO the president
in his name. l said: "Mr. Davis,
you are an old soldier and know
what orders are. 1t is needless to
say an officer is bound to execute
an order given him." Mr.. Davis
said it was obvious that there could
be no necessity for such an order to
make his Imprisonment secure. l
said: ''My duty is to execute this
order, and it is folly for you to re-
sist." Mr.. Davis answer was that
he was a soldier and knew how to
die, and pointing to a sentinel, said:
''Let your man shoot me at once. "
A few moments after that he
placed his foot on a stool; his quiet
manner led me to think he would
not resist. | then said: "Smith, do
your work" As the blacksmith
stopped 10 place the clasp of the
shackle around his ankle, Davis
struck him a violent blow that threw
him to the floor. He recovered, and
at once made for Davis with his wise
and hammer, and would have struck
him if l had not caught his arm as
be was in the act of striking. A
moment after that / saw Davis and
one of the sentinels struggling, both
having hold of the musket, Davis
Just below the bayonet. The next
moment the sentinel had wrenched
the musket from Davis hands. l
then ordered the sentinel to his
post and reprimanded him for leav-
ing. | now saw there would be
trouble, so l ordered the officer of
the guard to go out and get four of
the best men of the guard with out
side arms, and have them report to
me at once. A few minutes after
ward four stalwart soldiers made
their appearance. said: "Men, |
wish you to take Mr.. Davis, with
as little force as possible, aud place
him on that cot, and hold him there
until the smith is through with his
work"
As the men advanced Davis struck
the first or foremost man, but all
four instantly closed in on him and
showed him on the cot. Davis show
ed unnatural strength; it was all the
four men could do to hold him
while the blacksmith riveted the
clasp around his ankle, his helper
holding a sledge hammer. The
other clasp was locked on with a
brass lock, the same as in use on
freight cars. l ordered the men to
their quarters, and as they passed
out Davis lay perfectly motionless.
Just as was going out Davis raised
from his cot and threw his feet on
the floor, and with the c!anking of
the chains he gave way. will say
here that it was anything but a
pleasant sight to me TO see a man
like Jefferson Davis shedding tears,
but not one word had he to say.