The San Francisco call., 1905-02-10
SCORES
GENERAL MILES
Mrs. Hays, Daughter of jeff
Davis, Calls Treatment of
Father Brutal and Cruel
GIVES FULL DETAILS
She Stamps the Officer as
a Liar and Says He Is a
Disgrace to His State

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo, Feb.
s.-Mrs. j. Hays. daughter of Jefferson
Davis. to-day gave the following in
terview to a Gazette representative
with reference to the statement made
by General Nelson H. Miles.
| was surprised 10 receive marked edition
of the Richmond -(Va.) Times Dispatch of
Friday. February 3. with an article by Lieu
tenant General Nelson A. Miles. headed
Miles Says Davis Tried to Escape"
The article is tissue of falsehoods from
beginning to end. General Miles is right in
saying Jefferson Davis did not surrender when
Richmond was captured 1t would be a poor
leader of his people who would do so as long
as even the gnost of escape remained; as long
as there were men left with spirits as daunt-
less as his own, willing to fight for their
cause and their rights
When Mr.. DAVIS was captured and left with
but one man to guard him he did make an
attempt to escape. and but for an unfortunate
accident he would probably have succeeded
General Miles, however with his usual eva
effort was made. and leaves it be supposed
1t was made in his cell at Fortress Monroe
instead of in the woods of Georgia. Imme-
diately after his Incarceration Mr.. Davis was
ill enough to make it necessary 10 have DR..
John Craven in attendance and was guarded
day and night so vigilantly that even a
younger, stronger and healthier man would
have found 1t impossible to escape
Mr.. Davis was brought by General Miles to
Fortress Monroe on the. 22d of May. Mr..
Davis requested to General Miles, not be-
lieving the United States Government had or
dered shackles put upon prisoner of state.
Captain Titlow advised him submit with
patience. as he. being a soldier was bound to
execute orders. Mr. Davis then answered |:
These are not orders for soldier They are
order for a Jailer for a hangman, which no
soldier wearing sword should accept L tell
You the world will ring with this disgrace
when the war is over. The South is con-
quered, and 1t is for the of America as
well as for my own honor and life that 1
plead against this degradation Kill me
rather than inflict on me and on my people
this insult worse than death There must be
some mistake. General Miles telegraph.
NO such outrage as you threaten me with is
Captain Titlow, feeling he was powerless to
do anything but obey the orders General Miles
gave him. saving they were orders he had re-
celved from Washington. told the blacksmith
to do his duty. Captain Titlow called in a
sergeant and a file of soldiers and the SER
geant attempted to seize Mr.. Davis. when Mr..
Davis resisted him and so great was the
agony of shame he endured. il lent him an
extraordinary strength so that only after he
men could the blacksmith put on the shackles
General Miles refused to have the shack ies
removed In spite of the fact that he was al
lowed by Assistant Secretary of War Charles
A. Dana to use his discretion as General Miles
himself states in his article Mr. Davis would
have certainly died under the tortures General
Miles. inflicted upon him in denying him the
necessary quiet his extreme nervous exhaus-
tion demanded well as from the starvation
General Miles ordered had not Dr. Craven in
sisted or General Miles allowing him to send
specially prepared food from his own table
am sure the testimony / offer proves Cen
eral Miles unmanly. brutal cruel-all that an
American soldier should not be, and a disgrace
to his state.
BOSTON, Feb. 9.-In a statement
concerning the recent discussion of the
Imprisonment of Jefferson Davis at
Fcrtress Monroe in 1865-66, General
NELSON A. Miles says:
The matter has been agtated at different
periods during the last forty years but never
before has it been discussed in the halls of
Congress- AS far as my official action is con-
cerned II was directed by the highest au-
thority; it received the, approval and has
never been questioned by my superiors the
Government I have no apology to offer of
any kind to any person. The charges that the
acts of the highest officials of the Govern
ment or myself were prompted for the purpose
of humiliating Mr. Davis the people who
associated and sympathized with him is as
puerie as it is utterly untrue. 1t is to be re-
grettcd that the high officials. President John
son Secretaries Stanton and Dana, Judge Ad-
coate General Holt and Major General Halleck.
are not living in order that they might answer
the vicious vituperation by which their names
are now assailed. Still / am that they
acted in good faith and. they believed. for
the hest interests of the country upon the in
formation then in their possession and the
condition of the country at that time.