The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-10-18

acquaintance with Mr.. and Mrs. Davis,
of teh latter he sslis
ms. DAVIS vas cultlsat AMI
ssccoTnplished iads ana Senator payisl
|poss led rare intellectual and ociali
duallties with d high sense if dig
nifty and honor
I'm those peaceful, happy days few
dreamed Of the impending whirlwind
tlat would tear asitnder our political
f.,brtc, wrecking millions Of liy.s, for
times and homes. doubt whethe
:.Ir. Davis himself believed that any
struggle Of great dimensions was i'm.
nlinent. But one patriotic old sol
der was fully alive to the serious
condition of affairs. On certain
bright norningn General Scott, whp
had been an interested spectator of e
light artillery drill Of cadets. compli
mented me on its success and invited
ma to dine with him at the Cozzens
Hotel. Over our claret he said: We
are on the eve of the mightiest and
most bloody conflict that has evr con-
vulsed a nation. The South will soon
attempt to secede from this Union,
hut the North will never consent He
spoke impressively and as a military
leader who understood the temper and
makeup Of both sections. I am an
cid man, he continued, and may not
live to see it. If / should not you may
say: General Scott said it was com.
tng."' What ten appeared as the
pesslmlstlc forebodings Of the brave
cid man was the voice of prophet.
AshHt
Determination Of the South.
"Mrs. DAYS spoke very freely of the
determination of the South to estab.
.Iish separate government, with Mr..
Davis at its head. This was about the
lightning of 1861. Four years later,
" hen President and Mrs. Davis as
prisoners of war passed through South
Carolina on their way to Fort Mon
roe, Mrs. Davis sent me little color
cd boy named Jimmy Brooks, with
the following letter:
"My Dear Sir-I send to your spc'
cial care small boy in whose well
fare | take very warm interest. He
is free-born and was a waif in the
streets of Richmond, where he had
taken refuge from the III usage of a
free negro woman to whom his moth
err had left him on her death bed.
Upon examination found that he had
been severely whipped, and l took
him with the intention finally to bind
him out to someone who would take
care Of him, and for the time separ'
are him from her influence. Have
since kept him because we have be-
come attached to him. Circumstances
have now rendered it impossible for
me to do justice by him. therefore
send him to you, with confident as
surance that you will take an inter-
est in his welfare and give him lit
lie personal supervision. He is very
bright and brave, is years old and
Of good constitution. Very respect
fully yours, VARlNA DAVIS.
Jimmy was. indeed, very bright
little fellow and most loyal 10 his beu-
efactors, President and Mrs. Davis.
The night Of his arrival he was res
cued from almost mob of the SER
wants in the kitchen of the headquar-
ters. He had been singing for them,
and this was his song:
"Jer Davis. he rides on milk
white steed,
And Lincoln, he rides on a mule;
JEFF Davis is the president
Ana Lincoln is the fool
'iAs his auditors had been hang
ing Jeff Davis on sour apple tree
for some years past, poor Jimmy's
song of loyalty to his benefactors
was not appreciated. When the situa-
ton was explained to him he sang
his song no more, and, except to my
self, declined all interviews on the
subject of his life with the Davises.
lie never swerved from his devotion
| IN Thorn