Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-04-23
President OF Confederacy Made
no Resistance. ia.
DIS RE 5lrs Inflow STORY
fAr. p. a. Fuller, of Phoebus, Gives an
Entirely New Version of the Aistori-
cal Incident at Fort Monroe-rhe
blacksmith, Small Man.

Mr. Philip A Fuller, proprietor Of
Fullcr's Hotel, and we'll known build
er and contractor OF Phoebus, yester-
day gave ont IN interview in which he
says that il was his father, the late
Mr. Phi lip a. Fuller, who made the
shacliles and placed them upon the
wrists Of Jefferson Davis the president
of the Confcherncy, while the latter
was q prisoner ut Fort Monroe.
The interview Of the junior Mr.. Full
ler is important in that it gives an uc-
cnrate account OF the actions of Gen.
Gral Nelson A. Miles at that time and
denies the statement that Mr.. Davis
made n fight TO prevent the irons from
being placed on his arms
Mr.. Fuller stated that his father
came TO Fort Monroe in 1861 and was
assigned TO the task of repairing gun
carriages. the elder Mr. Fuller having
been an expert blacksmith. After re-,
naming ut Fort Monroe for sometime
The elder MIR. Fuller was promoted to
Il posttionz'in the quartermaster's of
flee AMI was working in that position
when Mr.. Davis was taken prisoner.
and brought to Fort Monroe.
One day General Miles sent for my
fnther." said Mr.. Fuller, land told him
that he wanted shackles made and
placed npon the wrists of jefferson
Davis. My father went to sec Mr..
Davis and told that gentleman of the
unpleasant duty that had been assign
I'd TO him.
Father was so pleasantly strucl,
with the heightened manners of Mr..
Davis he continued, that he (father)
Thought of refusing to obey the orders
of General Miles. My father told Mr..
Davis that he would not perform the
duty.
Mr.. Davis in reply said: Fuller you
must! do your duty, and If you do not
place the irons on ME some one else
will
Finally when the irons were ready
10 be placed upon Mr.. Davis wrists
father went to his quarters and again
told him of his GRAND. Mr.. Davis Of
feredino objections, hut simply stretch
cu ont his arms and submitted TO the
ordeal without any harsh words or
resistance.
The statement recently published
to The effect that Mr.. Davis put up n
light and knocked down big black
smith is without foundation, so far as
j know Ny father was very small
mni and therefore there could be moth
ing to the big blacksmith story. Mr.,
Davis didn't attempt to fight father
and often i have heard my father
speak in the, highest terms of the late
PRESIDENT of the, Confederacy.'
MIR. Fuller added that he has often
heard his father discuss the placing OF
the irons upon Mr.. Davis and that tho
elder MIR. Fuller was always of the
opinion that the irons were an unde.
served rebuke TO n heightened Chris.
tian gentleman.
When MIR. Fuller's father died he
was IS years old and Mr.. P. A. Fuller.
Ir., was then 10 years old. There are
SIX other children OF the deceased liv-
ing as follows: Nlessrs. William Full.
Ter, Harry Fuller. Samuel Fuller. Mrs.
Mastin Mrs. Shafer and Mrs. Stacy.
Capt. fitlow, whose recent magazine
article on the Stacking of Mr. Davis
created some surprise, was at one time
sheriff of Elizabeth City county. In
that article Capt. Titlow held that the
blacksmith assigned to the task of
nntling the irons on Mr., Davis wrists
was big. brawny man and that Mr.
Davis Knocked the blacksmith down
several times before the man could
siildne him sufficiently TO place The
irons on his arms.
Mr.. p. a! Fuller. Jr, is now one Of
Inc best known men on the lower end
oi the peninsula. and besides owning
the large hotel, has considerable other
property in Phocbus and Hampton. He
conducts a contracting business too.
in which he has been successful, Mr..
Fuller learned the blacksmith trade
under his father and is proud of his
knowledge. in that very important
branch OF industry: