The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-09-14

fees, self-denials, the "bull-dog' tenacity
and perseverance of the people of the
south during the civil war have never
been half told, and are only known TO
those who were there and witnessed them.
Many laughable as well as sad incidents
occurred during the little family quarrel
between the north and south.
The carriage, the four horses and the
negro driver that conveyed Jeff Davis
from the hotel to the capitol in Mont
gomery, where he delivered his inaugural
address, Feb. Is, 1861, were all owned by
the writer and furnished for the occasion.
The carriage was an imitation of the
carriages then in use in London. IL was
called the English carriage In Montgom-
cry, and was kept at our stable exclu-
sYely for the wives and families of the
confederate officials. When they wanted
TO go for a drive the English carriage
must be furnished, as IL was made In
England and not by the Yankees When
the confederate government moved to
Richmond from Montgomery / presented
the carriage TO Mrs. Davis. and while
they lived in Richmond. from 1861 to 1865.
IL was known as the English carriage
When the confederate government broke
Up in Richmond. in April. 1865, the Eng
hsh carriage went with the Davis family
10 Dalton. n. c.
l purchased the carriage in Mobile just
as the war broke out in 1851, and il was
built in New Haven, Conn. and was
therefore a Yankee built carriage. Some
wag started the story that it was Just
imported from London, and l don't re-
member to have disputed the story.
left the south the fail OF 1864. arriving
in the north Jan. T. 1865. Having left
quite a bit of property in Montgomery
was anxious TO get protection papers from
the FEDERAL government for IL when the
city fell into the hands of the Union
army. Armed with credentials from Gov
ernOr Andrews of Massachusetts and
Governor Gilmore of New Hampshire,
together with letters from General Ben
Prentiss, whom, together with his staff.
had befriended when they were prisoners
or var IN the south In 1862, / proceeded
10 Washington for the purpose of getting
protection papers for my property in the
south. 1t was some time before / could
get an interview with President Lincoln.
A. last l succeeded. 1t was an interview
mat is engraved on my memory never to
be effaced. IL so happened that / was
the last one TO go in before the closing
hour. Mr.. Lincoln sat with his long legs
resting on the top of his desk; his feet
were encased in carpet slippers. As 1
entered he seemed gazing on something
a thousand miles away. For a moment
or two he never moved a muscle His
race l shall never forget. II was the
| saddest face ever saw. So haggard,
careWorn and discOnsOlatei
/ eesitated about disturbing him. AT
last, with his feet still resting on his
desk. he said: We'll. my friend what
I can / DO for you?"
Mr.. President" l replied. you look
/ so weary and careworn that ! hate TO
trouble you"
"oh. I'm all right" he said What is
l laid my papers before him. He com
menced 10 read them. He had read a few
/ lines of General Prentiss letter when he
/ nv hand. and said: 4 have seen you be-
| tore. sir. Where's your wife? l be-
I hcVe YOUR wife saved my life" And
/ quickly the cloud seemed to lift and his
/ cOuntenance brighten: his eyes snapped.
/ His thoughts seemed to fly back to the
DAYS of 1s5S Yes. and I've often tried
/ that rum cure that YOUR wife prescribed
/ for me. and Il has always helped me out.
1 Ben Prentiss has told me of your kind
ness to them while they we're prisoners
/ in the south You must come up and
I take tea with us tonight, for l want "a
/ talk with YOU about matters and thia9s
| In the south. for Ben Prentiss tells me
/ you are posted
I accepted the invitation to tea, and be-
/ fore We got through II was very late, and
quite cabinet meeting was held.
During the war the confederate gov
| eminent had a tax law which took one
/ tenth of all the cotton raised in the con-
/ federate states. Cotton was the only ar
/ ticle IN the south that was worth dol
/ lar. The confederate cotton was stored
/ in every nook and corner available In the
/ confederacy. In the eight warehouses
/ ia Montgomery was stored $4,000 bales
/ OF cotton: 2S.00a bales OF that cotton was
stored and claimed by the confederate
/ government
Before I left MONTGOMERY I had OBJ
/ tanned a list of all the claimants Tor thai
( cotton. II the cotton could be saved the
/ zSO00 bales claimed by the confederate
/ government would fall into the hands OF
/ the federal government and be cOnIls-
/ Gated bY it. Cotton was then selling loi
/ 30 cents a pound. Alabama cotton Is ~
/ pounds TO the bale The &.OD bales, IA
eoo00 pounds. at % cents a pound, W ,e,.io
/ gone into the treasury of this govern
i ment. | laid a plan before Mr. Lincoln
/ Tor saving all the cotton IN Montgomery
/ m was generally the case when the con-
1 federates evacuated place 10 burn al
me rnfton before they left. There was
/ cotton enough at that time IN the SOUTH
/ err states to pay 4 large portion OF the
/ war debt. -,
The papers were made out appointing
/ me treasury agent al Montgomery tc
snperintend the shipment Of the cotton
/ I started fer Montgomery. reaching MO
! nile March 10 At that time Montgomery
! was occupied by the confederates, with
/ General Berefort in command. le.'
Mobile overland on horseback ana over.
/ took General A. J. Smiths command az
l Selma on his way to capture Montzom-
erv. | pushed on and entered M9iitsoiI-
/ cry ahead Of the Union army Inc con
| federate general had decided 10 evaeuatt
/ without a fight. Together with some
/ claimants of the cotton we cahed on
| General Rerefort to try 10 induce him tc
leave the cotton in the warehouses IN
| tact. He hesitated for some the We OF
| fered him 100000 in confederate money
/ or $4,000 in gFeenbacks 10 leave the cot
/ ton. hut he was as stubborn as muic
We Couldn't bulge him an tncn- At ].
O'Clock that night the eight cotton ware
houses were set on fire. and lS0.oeo bales
OF cotton went uD in smoke. with not