Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-11-28
MRS. DAVIS, LETTER
Created Profound Sensation In
Convention

meetings OF the United Daughters
of the Confederacy at Gulfport,
Miss, forget what happened at
these important sessions, for sim
teresting" is mild word to ap
ply to the procee dings, says the
Evening Journal OF Richmond.
On Friday there came an unex-
pected climax, which was the
sensation of the whole business-a
sensation which, though confined
to five minutes in point of dura-
ton, lie still spoken of with bated
breath and in mysterious whispers.
Reference is had to what is now
called the "post-mortem letter of
Mrs. Jefferson Davis" As moth.
ing about this much-discussed
communication hes appeared in
the public prints it may be well
to explain it's entire history.
Six years ago the widow Of the
Ccnfederacy's honored President
wrote to Judge A.M.C. Kimbrough
OF Mississippi, letter whose con-
tents, according to express stipu-
lations, were not to be divulged
until after the writer's death.
In this communication Mre.
Davis sought to vindicate herself
for the criticism of not having
buried the remains of President
Davis in Mississippi, and among
other things she also attempted
an explanation of the motives
which prompted her to live in the
North.
Somehow or other the existence
of the communication does not ap-
pear to have been known outside
the family of Judge Kimbrough
prior to Mrs. Davis death, but last
Friday it burst upon the Daugh-
tiers of the Confederacy like
bomb.
Nobody seems to have been pre-
pared for it, and after the strange
epistle had been read the "Daugh-
ters'' appeared at u loss what to
do. 1t was in this critical situa-
ton that Richmond lady--Mrs.
NV. Randolph-met. the exigencies
of the case by moving that the
communication be kept off the
minutes of the organization.
Without a word Of debate, the
suggestion was followed, and thus,
in five minutes time. the day was
saved ard tremendous tension was
abated.
1t goes without saying that the
communication was decidedly
yea, painfully unpleasant and
especially so did it sound to Missis'
sippi ears. Indeed, the letter so
shocked all those who heard it,
and it is not saying too much to
describe the Daughters as being
stunned for a few seconds.
AS coon as Mrs. Randolph had
saved the day by her ''savoir
faire," an effort was made to for
get the incident and apparently
this effort has been rewarded with
success, for the full text of the
communication has not yet been
published. Although the represen
tatives of several New Orleans
papers were in attendance on the
meetings, they touched but light
ly upon the sensation, and Others
who heard the reading of the let
ter are most reticent about 1t.
This much Is known, however
Although Mrs. Davis was parti-
cularly severe in her comments on
the attitude of the Mississippi peo-
pie toward herself and her hus-
band, and although she was spar
ing In her pleasant references to
other Southern States, she praised
Virginia in fervid rhetoric and
was particularly tender In heI
references to Richmond.
The particular portion CT the
letter of Mrs. Jefferson Davis that
has aroused the ire of patriotic
Mississippi was the reference to
the burial of her husband, Mrs.
Davis stating that though she pre-
ferred Beauvoir to care permanent
ly for the bones of the President
of the Confederacy, she feared and
felt that the grave at Beauvior
would not be inviolate, and that
she could not afford $4,000 year,
the expense necessary to guard the
tomb. Mrs. Davis, in her letter
to Judge Kimbrough, read before
the recent general convention OF
the United Daughters of the Con
federacy at Gulfport, Miss, stated
that Louisiana and Virginia were
anxious to have the remains Of
Preside mt Davis, and that Missis
sippi remained silent concerning
the matter until after the body
had been inferred at Richmond
and then Mississippi Confederate
organizations simply addressed heI
letter, deploring her action In
deciding upon Richmond. The
body of Mr.. Davis was kept IL
New Orleans O year, pending Q
decision as to its final resting
place.
Captain Richmond P. Hobsor
m ade this rather startling state
mant q few daye a0O: al believe