Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-04-05
AT HOME OF ARCH TRAITOR
ROGERS AND Us DANCE WiTH
GILDED ROYALTY
The General Visits Home Of Jeff. Davis,
President of the Southern cOnfed.
srAcy. in Mississippi

FRIEND MUNsoN: In company with
our neighbors, Hazens. nassed a de-
lightful season in New Orleans and saw
the carnival, the great scenic parade of
which New Orleans is Justly proud.
Much labor and large expenditure of
money is necessary to produce an an
uual pageant, the like nowhere seen on
this continent, or elsewhere. aside from
the royal procession where kings and
queens are crowned We were favored
with tickets to the fleet that escorted
Rex up the river to be crowned Also
had tickets to the Rex ball, which re-
quired ''eustume di rigour, where we,
and Hazens, whirled and waltzed in the
great throug affair, men and pretty
women in beautiful costumes and bril-
liant jewels. We passed in review be-
fore his majesty, Rex, and most charm
ing queen, sitting on their gilded throne.
tlaraed with sparkling diamonds, the
queen wearing necklace of pearls, some
of which | recalled having seen in the
Prairie du Chen exhibit last summer.
What a change! From a lowly clam in
the Mississippi mud, to the swelling bo-
som of one of the fairest of carnival
queensl When Hazen beheld the queen
in her royal robes of velvet, ermine and
lace, her diadems and pearls, had to
restrain him from approaching the
throne and soliciting her company in a
waltz. He was captivated Hazen had
never danced with royalty, and while
this was but play his ambition was to
waltz with queen.
Are now resting on the gulf coast,
lovely beyond expression, a winter eli
mate that has been daily ten degrees
above normal, and below the average
rainfall. While resting in the shadow
of an oak planted by the higher law,
centurion End centuries ago, looked out
on the gulf, the quiet, deep water, em-
ble.h of time, of eternity, of the soul
and of God; ships with Tapping canvas
in calm, firm when filed: all nature,
earth, sea and sky in the greatest har-
mOny. see the peaceful water, some
times ripping, at times shimmering
with the suns rays aslant; and at night
time cleaning with the moon overhead.
and am profoundly impressed with the
loveliness Of the view. We do not see
the sun when it comes up out of the
east too early. but we witness the great
red globe that has completed a days
journey, sinking slowly in the water,
down, down in the great west till only
disc. Then the light of day no longer
casts shadow; it is night We look
into clear sky, a beautiful blue hea-
ven, the third-quarter moon ~iiY ering
the cleaning water with H. escent
hues, while the evening star, so bright
and lovely, leads the moon in its course
to the western horizon, where our Pa
cific coast friends may see them pass
still farther oceanward. The hooking
bird flies from tree TO tree, whistling,
chirping. singine, knocking and making
merry all the while.
We see the small boy, when the tide
is out, gathering soft-shell crabs which
the receding tide has left. We sit on a
pier, piece of beef tied to line with
sinker. is dropped into the water where
crabs are plentiful They seize it, are
brought TO the surface and lifted with
a net, placed alive in boiling water,
cooked; mixed with crumbs, eggs and
butter are delicious, not second even to
frog legs. Crabs are of the lobster
tribe, smaller, equally as delicious.
They are combative and the male crabs
often have fierce scraps Their best
hold is to seize the clam, pull it from
the body, when victory is won and the
yanquished retires from the arena. Sci
entists say the crab and lobster are the
only animals that, having lost leg,
grow a new one. In the spring the
crab backs out of its she'll a new one
quickly grows and with it the crabs
armOr Of battle, claws Men with row
and sail boats are active before the
season closes. dredging oysters and
netting shrimps, while many are fish
ing. The crabs are now depositing
their eggs, each female being capable
of laying fifty thousand. The shrimps
have returned from their annual pill
grimage TO their .pository Of billions
Of eggs, the fish, TOO, have been up to
fresh water aud spawned. Each tribe
is governed by its own law. The oys-
ter is in reefs forty miles long. miles
wide and many feet deep The oyster
must have liberty 10 open the valve, or
die. Therefore, only those on top are
alive. The agricultural department at
Washington has q scientist on the oys-
ter reef here, surveying the water and
instructipg how 10 plant beds, keep
alive and grow large oysters.
West on the coast, a short trolley
ride, is "Beauvoir, beautiful home,
the last home of the late President Da-
Wis, now a home for Mississippi sol
diers After the fall Of the confedera-
cy and two years confinement in pri-
son, by writ of habeas corpus the
late president was brought before the
bar in Richmond and tried for treason.
The presiding Judge was Chief Justice
Chase and before him the prisoner was
brought to plead, on a charge of trea-
son The Judge and prisoner had been
colleagues in the United States senate,
members Of the same committee, while
the foreman John Minor Bolts, had
been a member Of congress and sat on
Joint committees with the prisoner ard
Judge. what plead you, guilty or not
guilty?' The soldier statesman and
prisoner, an interpreter Of the cOnsti-
tuition, weak as he was from confine-
meut, answered firmly, Not guilty.
! was clearly within my constitutional
rights. ~ A jury trial would have been
a farce. Horace Greedy had come to be
present at the trial and TO help the
prisoner. The trial was stopped, Cree
" signed the bonds and the great man,
whose confederacy fell went free and
was never called to answer the indict-
ment. The stars ard stripes again
noated over its own and protected the
late president as it did all others.
Homeless and mOneyless, Davis, with
great dignity, returned to his devastat-
ed state in poverty and was made pres
dent of an insurance company, dis
tasteful 10 his dignity as a statesman.
cause. "BeauYoir" Was presented to
him by an admiring friend. and here,
an ideal place, he brought his family
. L / Al