The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1907-03-02

with one tree, but if the woods grew
together like a Banyan grave, /
would be buried under the top-root
of the whole; my parts should circu-
late from oak to oak; and my con-
sciousness should be diffused abroad
in all the fores and give the common
heart to that assembly of green
spires, so that it also might rejoice
in its own loveliness and dignity. |
think / feel thousand squirrels
leaping from bough to bough in my
vast mousoleum; and the birds and
the winds merrily coursine over its
uneven. leafy surface So Jefferson
Davis would love to be under the
oaks of Beau Vair.
The Guifport people left nothing
undone that could have been done.
They made this convention a bril-
liant success. They were ideal IN
their welcome to us, and in their
treatment of us while in their midst
The meetings of our convention was
held in splendidly large pavilion at
the head of the pier whose stretch
was more than a mile, running along
which the electric car carried us to
and from our meetings both in the
early morning and often as late as
midnight.
Ships of all nations were anchor
in the harbor. Gulfport's pride
These ships as we'll as the whole
CITY were gorgeously arrayed in holi-
dav garb. many of the ships. in addi-
ton 10 their own flags and penants,
were fivine our own red. white and
red. The convention of near 500
hundred Southern women, Daugh-
ters Of the Confederacy, when it was
called to order in that superbly dec
Grated pavilion. was a revelation, an
inspiration 1t (the pavillon) Was
fairly ablaze with the brilliancy.
Near the Mississippi division sat in
a body a number of our dear old SOL
diers, veterans from Beauvoir, wear
ing the gray, all around them and
above them were the South's regl-
mental and battle flags waving us
sweet welcome. The scene beggars
description 1t carried me back to
the days of long ago, back to oI and
Ok. We were once more IN the night
struggling for CIR Constitutional
rights. I '.could hear the bugle sound
ing the signal for the fight" As
looked out of the window | could
hear and see the Yankees coming,
and if they had dashed in upon us,
there were a sufficient number OF us
Daughters of the confederacy there
to have put up good fight, then,
too, there sat the veterans God bless
them) of our lost cause ready again
to strike for their country's sake,
their brave old hearts would have
given strength TO their aget weaken
ed arms.
A great deal of work along the
lines mapped out by the Daughters
of the Confederacy was accomplished
during the session of this convention.
The work that most appealed to me
was that which the Georgia Daugh-
ters are hoping to carry to compile
ton, namely the erection of monu-
ment to Captain Henry Wirz, who
we all know was put in command OF
the prison at Andersonville. Not
withstanding the fact that he was
paroled officer of the Confederate
army, having surrendered along with
Genl. Jas. E. Johnston, the balance
of his army to Sherman, he was ar
rested on the charge of cruelty to
prisoners, thought the whole country
was at peace 60 under civil govern
ment, he was by military court, or
panized to convict, sent to his death.
The night before he was hanged,
United States Government officials
offered him his life if he would make
up some story that would implicate
Jefferson Davis in this so-called
cruelty. Not wishing to be guilty
of perjury, the fearless Wirz declined
the offer of his life. He was SEN
fenced to death on the 4th of Novem-
Der, 1865 and on the 10th of Novem,
Der 1865, he was executed. We all
know from dispassionate study of
facts that Major Henry Wirz was. a
man of kindly heart, a physician by
profession. and he did all he could
for the prisoners consistant with his
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