The Washington times., 1901-11-24
ONCE 4 SLAVE OF
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
"reminiscences Of the Mayor Of
a Mississippi Town.
LIFE ON THE PLANTATION.
The -Four Hundred Negroes Owned
by he President of the COnfeder-
acy Were Well Treated and Very
Happy Before the Civil War.

Among the interesting men who attend
ed the meeting OF the National Negro
Business League, recently held in Chicago,
was Isaiah T. Montgomery, who was a
slave of Jefferson Davis, and who now is
the mayor of the town of Mound Bayou,
Miss, flourishing negro town which he
has founded and built up since the war.
Mr.. Montgomery" says the Chicago
Post, tells. many entertaining stories
about the life on the Davis plantation,
one of the largest and most remarkable
OF the great cotton plantations in the en-
tire South His father was a foreman on
the place. and he himself was taken into
the big house at an early age to be made
house servant Because he showed un-
usual aptitude. he was taught to read and
write, and in time became sort OF office
boy for Joseph Davis, the older brother OF
Jefferson Davis, coming in this way to
have an intimate knowledge OF the house
hold and of many of the business and po-
Iitical matters in which his masters were
interested.
The Davis Plantation.
'The Davis plantation comprised many
thousand acres. lying in huge bend OF
the Mississippi River. There were two
plantation houses, named 'Briarfields' and
Hurricane, the last named SO because at
one time a hurricane had swept over the
place, doing great damage. The affairs of
the plantation were managed by the older
brother Mr.. Joe, while MIR. Jen spent
much OF his time away from home, occu-
fT,Aw o. havlJ
ton and elsewhere. Mr.. JEFF was a won
derful man. both as a SPEAKER and
writer. Mr.. Montgomery has said of him.
He could say more in one sentence than
most men could say in a page.
There were 400 slaves on the planta-
ton, divided into two squads called the
upper and the lower Each had its own
overseer, and there was great rivalry be-
tween the overseers and the men TO see
which division would come out ahead on
the crops. The management Of the place
was SO careful and kindly that Mr.. Mont
gomery. in speaking of II, says the peo-
pie on the place had only the faintest idea
of what slavery really was. The over
seers were not allowed to punish anyone
of their own accord. They made COM
nlaint to the owner OF the place, and then.
on certain days-usually Sundays
court was held. in which all the cases
which had come up were heard. 'Mr. Joe
was the judge and decided what should
be done in each case.
The Davis plantation had landing
of its own near the house. at which the
smaller river boats could tie up, but
the larger boats-including those which
carried the mails-stopped at landing
three miles down the river. II was one
of the duties of Montgomery as boy to
row down to this landing to get the mails
After the war had begun he used to stop
on his way back. and take the papers
out of the mail bag and read them so as
TO know what the latest war news was.
When Davis was Inaugurated.
ION the morning that Jefferson Davis
started to go to Montgomery. Ala, to be
inaugurated President OF the Confeder-
acy, Montgomery was one of the two men
who rowed him down TO take the steam
er. They we're late in getting away from
the house, and long before they were
near the landing heard the steamer
blow as they say in the South Know
ing that they could not reach the landing
in time, Mr.. Davis had them steer out
into midstream to meet the steamer as
she came along. The captain OF the boat
had been expecting Mr.. Davis that morn
ing and when he saw the small boat he
stopped the steamer and took him on
board.
when Mr. Montgomery was asked il
Mr.. Davis seemed impressed at this time
with the Importance OF the journey which
he was undertaking, he said: Nobody
could tell. Nobody ever could tell what
he was thinking OF by the expression on
his face That morning he was as pleas
ant and cheerful as could be, and appar-
nelly with nothing on his mind. He talked
with us about our being late, about the
boat. and all such things as that
''Mr. Montgomery speaks in the highest
terms of Mrs. Davis, and her life on the
plantation. If there ever was conse-
created Christian women he says, Mrs.
Davis Is one. When she was at the place
she would come out and spend hours talk
ing over plans for the people and plan
ming what would be best for them.
After the close of the war, and the
plantation had returned into the posses
sion of the Davis family, Montgomery
father was hired as foreman, and in
this way his son had valuable exper-
fence in learng to manage such place.
Later he decided that a colony OF colored
people would do well in a place by them
selves He secured control of large
tract of land in the YaZoo River valley,
and gradually built up negro community
there which is prosperous and happy
''The colored people now own several
thousand acres of land there, and many OF
them have comfortable homes. Mr.. Mont
gomery was appointed mayor of the town,
which they named Mound Mayou. There
are several stores and other business en-
terprises, and the place Is increasing in
size and prosperity constantly, and at the
same time 1t is furnishing an object les
son to other colored people Of what they
also can do il they will go about it in
the same practical. common-sense way.
The town has good school, at the head
of which is a graduate of Booker T. Wash
ingtons Institute at Tuskegee, Ala.