The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-20
SIDNEY HERBERT'S LETTER.
INQUIRIES FOR ADDITIONAL FACTS
ABOUT SAM DAVIS.

cles-An Error in Regard to Jeffer-
sons MOnument-The Monument to
BE Erected to the Memory of Gen.
William Henry TaIbOt-The Simp-
son I'm the Name of Gen. Grant.
Other Matters of General Interest.
Pine Crest Villa, Maitland, Fla, July
20.-One or two readers of the Morn
ing News in Savannah have asked me
for more. information about Sam Davis,
the famous Confederate spy, hung by
the Union forces in Tennessee. have
not been able to attend to these inqui-
ries, but the Confederate Veteran
Monthly of Nashville, Tenn, for June,
contains a fine picture of the proposed
monument to his memory on the Capt.
tol grounds in that city. A list of con-
tributors shows that much the biggest
individual contribution to the monu-
ment found came from H. B. Endicott,
of Boston, Mass, and was for twol
hundred dollars. Gen. Granville NJ
Dodge, U. S. ", who is put down as
Gen. D. NJ. Dodge, was
one of the executioners of
Davis, yet he so admired the honest,
brave character of the young hero that
he gave ten dollars to the fund; and
subscriptions of that size are not num-
erous on the list. There are ten one
dollar subscriptions from Middle Geor-
gia and one for 50 from Macon, but
from Savannah S. is credited to Mr.. I.
N. Theus and the same amount from
the Confederate Veterans Association
Georgia should have made a better
showing than this.
The special Morning News telegram
from Tallahassee, of the death of Mrs.
u. b. McGinniss, states that "a daugh-
ter is the wife of Gen. W. H. Vessels
of the United States Army" This is
| an error in several respects, as no "W.
H. Vessels" was ever in the army
BIT. Brig. Gen. Henry w. Vessels, u
5. A. has been dead several years, and
this lady, the daughter-may be his
widow, but not his wife" Perhaps.
| however, she may be the wife of Col
| Henry w. Vessels, Jr., of the Third
| U. >. Cavalry. On Roe'S Hotel
register at West Point, May 80, 1888,
find the name of IL. Caldwell, Char
| lotte, n. c." 1t is an innocent look
ing name, but think that fellow made
| three attempts to graduate from West
! Point Military Academy very re-
| markable thing. He entered at that
time as IN. de Lafayette Caldwell"
but in 1871 be appears again as plain
Lafayette Caldwell" and failing Sec
ond time returns under the same name
in 1912, when three times out" ended
| his unfortunate career as a Cadet.
| Clermont Best, of New York, went
| to the Academy in 1S41 and failed, but
| he came back the next year as Cler-
mont Livingston Best and held his grip
| till he graduated.
The new pension bill that lets in
| ex-Confederate deserters, of a certain
| class, will create something of a stir
in the National G. A. r. encanpment
| to be held in Washington on Oct. 6.
| For twenty years past these Confed-
erate-Union soldiers have been ap-
| plying for membership in the Grand
Army of the Republic, but have all
ways been refused. The strongest and
| most eloquent appeals have been made
| on the floor of successive encamp-
| ments, but to no avail. The next APP
| peal will come backed by this new
legislation that makes them equal pen
| sioners with the ever-loyal Union vet
Grams. But the Union deserter clause
of this bill is far worse. John Brown
| enlisted and got a thousand dollars
/
| ter Smith and got $500 bounty; again
| DESERVING, he re-enlisted as Henry
Jones, and got $1,000. Then he de-
| serted again and re-enlisted without
any bounty, near the close of the war,
under his real name, got an honorable
discharge and now walks up and takes
| a pension.
Judge James B. Sener of the Univer-
citU n VIRGINIA n TrnGpntinO the Soc
rotary of State, at Washington, d. c.,
q fac-simile of the Declaration of In
dependence, fell into an error in regard
to Jefferson's monument After stat
ing that the author of this famous doc
ument desired only a simple obelisk to
be placed over his grave with brief
Inscription written by himself, Judge
Sener added: THE stone over his re-
mains has been erected with that sim
pie inscription at Monticello, where it
stands to-day in sight of the great
University which he founded and loved
SO we'll" Now, that is very nice and
eloquent, but the hard, cold fact runs
up against it, regret to say-that
the stone" referred to is not at Mon
ticello, but Stands to-day" in the far
off state of Missouri. Before its remov-
al 1 was ashamed to see that relic
hunters who has preached the brick
wall of the enclosure, had Clipped off
every corner of the monument.
think the government later on erected
a new monument, perhaps duplicate
of the old one, which was given to Mis-
souri,, and that is the one Judge Sencr
should have referred to in a manner
that would not have misled the public
as to the original "stone."
The Good Samaritan" of Savannah
sends me Southern Gazette contain
ing picture and sketch of Prof. d. c.
Suggs, superintendent of the colored
State Agricultural College near that
city, that I may learn from 1t that
one Negro boy of fine education had
the good sense to decline an appoint
ment as cadet at West Point when
10 years old. Considering the honors
and successes that have come to him
as an accomplished educator, his ac-
ton back in his native state of North
Carolina, years ago, was a very wise
one. 1t is true that Lieut.. Henry o.
Flipper, the Georgia colored cadet,
graduated without trouble and made
an excellent record at first in the army;
but he 'let his foot Slip and was dis
missed dishonorably. No later sue
cesses as a mining engineer, ETC., can
wipe out that dark blot. He was the
only one of his race to go through
West Point and into the army in a
creditable manner, or without trouble
AS to the Naval Academy, it is a fixed
rule-unwritten and unspoken-never
to allow a colored boy to pass a sue
coSSfuI examination. Hinder the high