The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-25

Grant Admiral Farragut and other IA
nous characters were present at the
presentation ceremonies.
People who think 1 take pleasure in
picking up careless and laundering
writer's of so-called biography and his
tory, are very much mistaken. 1t is
not pleasant task, and yet it is one
that somebody ought to have the cour-
age to perform in the interest of
journalism that should be impartial
and reliable. Think of a correspondent
from the swell society circles of Dark
Harbor, at IsleSboro. Me, writing that
one of it's distinguished sum-
mer residents there lis Mrs
Harriet Lane Johnston, niece
Of ex-President Buchanan and
mistress of the White House after the
death of Mrs. Buchanan" 1 thought
it was universally known that Mr..
Buchanan was not only bachelor, but
was called "Old Granny Buchanan. In
1859, when / used to visit the insane
asylum on Blackwell's Island, New
York City, there was a fussy little old
woman who called herself Mrs. Pres
ident Buchanan. We used to humor
her and address her as such. and give
her gay ribbons and trinkets to adorn
herself. She was aSharmless good old
soul and this fancy gave her great
pleasure. Perhaps the writer at Dark
Harbor may have heard of that Mrs.
President Buchanan"
George 3. Goodwin writes from Port
land, Me, to the Sunny South about
Mrs. Davis and her illness there. She
has been quite feeble, and Mrs. j. A.
Hayes, her daughter, came to her, with
her husband, from far off Colorado In
speaking of former visits of Jefferson
Davis and wife to Portland. years ago,
AIR. Goodwin falls into an error. He
says Mr.. d. went to Augusta, the cap
ital of Maine, and there delivered a
public address, the first and only one
ever made by him in New England"
Now, ] was in Portland, myself, and
heard Mr.. Davis deliVere his first"
speech in Maine from the front porch
of Gen. George F. Shepley's residence.
We were all good young Democrats in
Maine then. and United States Senator
James w. Bradbury of Augusta. whom
Mr.. Davis visited, was one of my ear
lest distinguished friends, being next
to Hannibal Hamlin. who died a Re-
publican. Mr.. b., however, lived to
be over 60. hale and hearty, and died
as he had lived all his life, an honest
Democrat and pure and noble gem
tleman.
1 have a letter from my old and
highly esteemed friend, Col w. L. CAL
houn, president OF the board of trustees
of the Confederate Soldiers Home of
Georgia, in which he says the charges
and complaints to which / referred are
not well-founded When the Home was
opened wrote in praise Of Col. G. and
Capt Zip" Harrison, the secretary,
and Mrs. Thomas, the matron, and Of
the Home generally, stating that the
inmates were Giving in clover" and
that "all over" Later on the Augusta
Chronicle-at the home of Maj. Gary,
who pushed the bill through the Legis-
lature TO open the neutrality-suspicious.
ed under double column scare heads"
charges and complaints such as | sim
ply referred TO in a mild manner and
only after they had not been denied by
Maj. Gary or any one interested. /
closed my brief item with the state
ment that no soldiers home. of any
kind escapes friction, false charges and
complaints. Unworthy veterans get
into all such institutions. Col. Calhoun
is NOBLE hearted veteran, but the Au-
gusta Chronicle. and not my pencil
needs his correction.
Mr.. r. II. Hawkins of Alachua, Fla,
writes me as follows: Your letters in
the Savannah Weekly News are very
TO me. especially those re-
garding our Civil War. / was quite
small and cannot remember much, ex-
cept how we used to hide out whenever
the Yankees were reported as coming
. VIII you please give me infor-
nation of the last battle fought in
Florida My father was in a Confed
crate cavalry company, under Capt.
Jones. ! think they were CHARTERED at