The San Francisco call., 1899-02-12
54ow 5fs Nzan4ged 5afzs Senera1s

He is a thorough Southern gentleman
of the old school.
Major White was an officer Of tho
Alabama State Guard at the outbreak
Of the war and under orders Of the
executive of the State took part with
his command in the capture Of Fort
Morgan, Mobile Bay, before Alabama
had formally seeded from the Union.
When it was reported to President Lin
coin that his brother-in-law had per-
formed this daring exploit against the
national authority, on being asked what
he would do about 1t he replied:
We'll, 1 suppose 1 shall have to hang
White-When we catch him."
Major White later performed many
distinguished military and civil servi-
ces for the Confederacy.
1t was while Mr.. White was attending
college at Lexington, KY, that he met
and fell in love with Matte Todd, the
sister Of Mrs. Lincoln. One summer
White went with brother Of Matte
Todd and another friend to pass his va
cation at the Todd mansion. The dis
tance was only twenty-eight miles, but
the train was four hours In making the
trip. To add to the discomfort of the
trip one Of the party was crowded on q
bench occupied by an awkward-IookinK
countryman, his wife and two children.
The children whined and cried nearly
all the way. On reaching the Frank
fort home they started to recount their
experiences on the train.
L was serenaded all the way by a
couple Of sQualling babies,' said one.
The father Of them was the ugliest
white man ever saw, and the children
were the crossest brats have seen"
There was an interruption, q turning
OF heads, and the gaunt, ugly passen-
ger, wife and children, came into the
room. In his arms was the boy who.
has since figured In this countryis an
nails as Robert T. Lincoln.
Lincoln enjoyed the joke. He was on
his way to Washington as Congress-
man from Illinois He was SO enter
Major White, that we soon forgot that
his features were not handsome"
After his marriage, Major White SET
tied at Selma, Ala, where he inherited
a thriving business and a large proper
ty from his father. AS q girl Matte
Todd became a great favorite of Lin
coin. At the time Of the Inauguration,
in company with her husband, she
stopped at the White House. Her visits
to Washington were frequent, and as
Lincoln did not wish the war to inter
rupt them he gave her q pass which
would admit her through the lines at
any point she chose. After crossing
the Virginia line on a return from q
visit an inspector followed Mrs. White
to a hotel where she stopped, and in
sisted on examining her baggage. The
officer was dismissed at the point OF her
pistol. On opening her trunk she was
amazed to find that friends In Balti-
more had slowed away there a splendid
sword and a suit Of uniform for General
Robert E. Lee.
At first Mrs. White thought 1t best to
return to Washington and explain the
whole matter to Lincoln, but her heart
was really in the cause Of the South,
and she felt that General Lee probably
needed the uniform. On her arrival at
Richmond she consulted President Da-
Wis, whom she knew as well as Lincoln,
and asked his opinion. He decided that
General Lee must have the presents,
and wrote with his own hand the de-
tails to Mr. Lincoln. The great man
at the White House often twitted Mrs
White about her contretemps.
Major White declares that 1t was not
the wish or intention Of the people OF
Alabama to secede from the Union. He
says that he believes If Lincoln's err
ing sister" programme had been adopted
there would have been no civil war, and
the emancipation Of the slaves would
have been brought about by gradual
and rational means. The old gentle
mans "reminiscences embrace many in
teresting phases Of the unwritten his
tory Of the war, but no man has q
stronger feeling for the Union and thA
Integrity of the government than he.
His voice trembled with emotion az
he told Of the destruction of his prop
erty during the war, and then he re-
verted to the history Of some Of the
men who grew to be popular leaders In
the war.
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