The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-11-04
His Runaway Match with Gen.
 TayIor's Daughter
BOTH WERE IN THE ARMY
Reconciliation Came After Victorious Battle of Buena Nista-Youna Couple Eloped With Gen.
 Taylor Was Away.
From the New York Sun.

family were as 10th to speak as was he hlmself, was his runaway match with Sarah Taylor daughter of Gen. Zachary Taylor, afterward President of the United states. It occurred while General Taylor. then colonel in the United States army. and Lieutenant Davis were stationed at Fort Crawford. Prairie du Chien, Wis, Colonel Taylor being in command of the garrison.
 Lieutenant Davis was graduated from West Point in 1928, and was assigned to service in an infantry regiment then sta toned at Fort Crawford Prairie du Chien, one of the oldest settlements in the United States. was at that time in the territory of Michigan, but was aft erward incorporated in the new state of Wisconsin.
 Colonel Taylor, when he went to com mand at Fort Crawford had already earned for himself the nickname of Old Rough and Ready, for he had been en- gagged in frontier fighting almost from the time he joined the army after leaving West Point. Though noted throughout the country as a soldier, he was a man of domestic tastes, and was deeply at tached to his family Because of the fact that since his own marriage he had had no permanent abiding place. he was oppEed to the idea of his daughters mar ryinG army officers.
 Mrs. Taylor was also everse to the idea. Maryland woman by birth. she was also extremely domestic in her tastes, With no liking for display or social prominence and she wanted her daugh- ters when they married to have settled homes. Her idea of happiness was to be a southern matron at the head of a home, or which the master should be a planter or a statesman General Taylor, too, had a great adm- | ration for business men, and thought it great mistake for young men to enter | the ranly if they could follow business l or professional career. Therefore, when | young Lieutenant Davis came wooing | Miss Taylor he was given to understand | that her parents were unalterably opposed to army officers as husbands.
 Home Center of Social Life. The commandant's home was the cen ter of social life at Paririe du Chien and both of the daughters of the house were much admired. Sarah, the second daughter, was still in her teens when she fell in love with Lieutenant Davis. Her
 
 a Maryland gentleman named Wood.
 Lieutenant Davis and Miss Sarah Fay Tor became engaged, and, as tradition af- firms they made a runaway marriage. seizing the opportunity for so doing when Colonel Taylor was absent from the post on military duty.
 A man who afterward became widely known in Wisconsin, Daniel R. Burt, was pioneer of that state. and at the time that Colonel Taylor was the commandant at Fort Crawford lived on the nost road between Fort Crawford and Galena, about midway between the two places.
 He often spoke of the runaway match, for 1t was at his house that the couple passed the night after their departure from the fort. His story was as fol- lows:
 "I had just finished my chores one winter night and was returning to the house when I heard the sound of bells approaching from the direction of Foit Crawford I stopped, with my foot on the doorstep, and in a moment out of the woods came a rude sleigh drawn by one horse in which were seated a gen. tleman and lady.
 "They pulled up before the house, and the gentleman in quick sharp tones, asked if they could stay all night. The latchstring was always out and invited them to walk right in.
 
 while I took the horse, which showed signs of having been driven fast and far to the stables After seeing thac the ari- nal was we'll cared for, l retui oed to the house where Mrs. Burt la l made the travellers at home.
 Seemed to Be Gentleman.
 "A traveller at any time WIS Il godsend as but few people came out to the back. woods in those days and from the pear ing of this young traveller l took him to be gentleman and son came 10 the conclusion that he was an army officer. His companion was young end very pretty girl. Both seemei somewhat nervous and constrained.
 Contrary to usually custom they avoid ed conversation except to say they were relatives en route to Galena. To any and all questions the young officer replied briefly and in noncommlttal way.
 "The couple retired early, and were up and off soon after daylisit From a few remarks dropped in my bearing I ar rived at the conclus)l that if ;t was not an elopement it was something very like 1t. I knew theie were no army posts nearer than Tort Crawford. ard assumed that the pair came from there. "I afterward earned that my surnlse was correct, an1 that the ccoaple wefo Lieutenant Jeff Davis and Hiss Taylor. the daughter If old Rough and Ready. So far as I could learn afterward, Col onel Taylor was n5t sufficiently m- pressed with Davis to desire him as son-in-law, and refused his consent to the marriage of the young couple. The | elopement followed.
 | "The pair had expected to reach Galena | the same night. Knowing Colonel Fay | lor's energetic ways, it was no wonder | they were nervous over their delay at my house. They were not followed. pur- | suit having been turned in another d. | rection.'
 | The traditions of the army are that when Colonel Taylor returned from hls | trip and heard of the elopement he ex- pressed his appreciation in unmeasured terms. He persisted in regarding Lieu | tenant Davis as having done a dishon- orable thing, and his daughter as being entirely regardless of her filial obiga- tions.
 Evaded Inquiry. To all suggestions that the young peo- pie were in love with each other he would make the invariable reply that mo honor able man would thus defy the wishes of parents and no truly affectionate daugh- ter would be so regardless of her duty" It was not long before the whole army knew of the Fort Crawford elopement, and Lieutenant Davis asked for a trans- fer to another station. Shortly afterward he resigned from the army and returned to Mississippi to engage in cotton farm ing.
 Doubtless time would have softened the anger of the parents. and in the end reconciliation and forgiveness would have followed this, as 1t has many another runaway match. But. unexpectedly, few short months after her marriage the