Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-11-19
VIII ,Tske Months to Go Through
Confederate Leaders Hall.
TONS OF DOCUMENTS FILED away
They Were Not Arranged chronology
caly or Alphabetically When They
Were Deposited With Howard Me,
mcrlal Historical Society.

NEW ORLEANS, Nov. lS.-Evcn
should Mrs Margaret Jefferson Davis
Hayes consent. upon hc' arrival in
New Orleans. to ignore her mothers
dying request and open the personal
correspondence of President Jefferson
Davis merely to atty passing
whim of later generation, the task
would be accomplished only with
work OF the most laborlous character
and would consume probably eighteen
or twenty months. If General Grant,
Gene al Thomas or Admiral Fnrragnt
really offered their services to the Con.
federacy. that fact Will not be cstab
lished by these papers until search
ers have pored over miles and miles
of letters and documents. 70 rthe JEFF
ferson Davis papers were filed with
out regard 10 either chronological or
alphabetical order.
When tnc soyeral freight cars con
tanning the papers, letters, official
documents and books embracing the
official business OF the Confedcracy
wero sent by Mrs. Davis from Rcau
votr. Miss TO the Howard Memorial
Hail. ut the corner of Camp street
and Howard avenue. II was seen that
there was not room In the main build
ing OF the museum, and Col. j A.
Chnrlaron tile custodian. had the
Jefferson Davis Annex erected. The
annex IL fifteen feet vide and one
hundred feet long. |, Is provided with
iron-bOund cases, nrcprnof, ami equip.
ped with glass doors. The letters are
arranged In packages. tied with
coarsc cod or piocus OF linen On
each package Mrs. Davis. while ut
Benuvn.r, had written valuable Con.
federatc Letters" and there is no
other guide Tho letters were re.
ceiyed { om Boauvoir.
Several books. In manuscripts. give
In detail the government business,
Most Of this work was transcribed by
President Davis. but some = signed
Nv various clerks. There are thou.
sands of telcg ans. yellow with age
received direct from the Southern
Telegraph Co, and other sources.
bearing on the progress and details
OF the war the appointment and
promotion of occrs, and orders and
reports comforting to BATTLES and
campaigns.
These thrilling topics mako n fine
volume OF war history In themselves.
al of the kilograms are neccssaril
IN manuscript. purple Ink being usu-
a'lv used and have the names of tho
prominent characters or the Confcd-
erncv written below
Threc wears ngo the United States
government desired to copy from n
collection OF 1000 official papers of
the Confectionery IN slight fraction OF
the total mmbcr) IN order to com.
plete certain records of the war. The
Wnr Dem -tmcnt sent an officer to
Colonel Chalerou and requested the
necessary pcrmission. This was
granted, after Mrs, Davis had been
consulted, the stipulation being made
that the papers should he handled
ouly through Colonel William Pres
ton Johnson, then president of Tulane
University, and personal friend Of
Mrs, Davis, The army officer spent
moro than year getting comics OF
these 5000 documents These records
have been published and are ON filc
ut WASHINGTON In the letters. telo.
grams and other documents remain
ing, there ia no doubt a great deal OF
imDortant history. which sooner or
later will he published.
In the Jefferson Davis Annex thee
are between 1000 and 5000 photo