The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-06-12
Among the Books

/ HI ~
Recollcctions OF Alexander II. stephens.
! His diary. kept when 4 prisoner at
Fort Warren. Boston Harbor, 1865;
edited with q Biographical Study, by
Myrta Lockett Avnry. Doubleday, Page
6 Co, Of Garden City, ~ Y. $3.50 net
In May of 1855 political prisoner
was incarcerated In one Of the lower
cells Of Fort Warren. situated on
Georges Island. In the harbor, some
( Eeven miles out from Boston. The
prisoner was Alexander H. stephens,
former President of the Confederate
! States. During his imprisonment he
+! was at first kept in solitary connne-
ment, with a sentry constantly pacing
UP and down the corridor outside OF
| MS cell. Concerning this experience,
Mr. Stephens. nxho had been the frail-
est of men from his infancy up, says:
This cold stone floor and damp at
| mosphere do not agree with me- I
am growing wenk-losins nesh-can't
| balance myself in walking. Some
times almost stagger"
| On July 2s Mr.. Stephens was re-
leased from close confinement and al
lowed the freedom OF the fort That
| he had greatly suffered may be seen
from the following expressions in his
diary: 8s
Lieutenant Newton soon came and
read me a duplicate order that Major
Allen had received, and immediately
took the lock off my door. No Ian
suage can express the relief tina.
sound gave me-the sound OF the
clanking iron as 1t fell upon nv ears.
or relief when the lid of his coffin was
lifted and he was saved from being
buried alive. The clanking of that
same iron. when was for the first
| time locked up in prison had pene-
trated to my very soul"
| The order which set Mr. Stephens
free and permitted him to return to his
home at crawfordville, Ga, reached
Fort Warren on October ~, 1868 He
was at home on October 81, having
eeen absent through Imprisonment just
twenty-four weeks. He was elected
| to Congress from Georgia. entered
again upon the activities of public
lie. and became Governor of Georgia
In 1852. He returned from the sesaui
cen tennial In savannah to the Execu-
| tive Mansion in Atlanta where he died
March 4. 1859. His grave is IN the
! grounds OF his old home, Liberty Hall.
Crawfordville, Ca, now owned by the
stephens Monumental Association. of
the State
Mrs. Myrta Lockett Avary, the editor
| Of the Stephens diary, is a Virginia
woman. known through her editorship
and authorship of previous Southern
books, She writes concerning the
prison journal that the original as
owned by \. W. Stephens. r. G. Ste
| phens and Mrs. r L Avary, of Atlanta
Ca, children of j. a. Stephens, the
| executor of his uncle's will. by the
terms Of which he acquired title to
the journal" Concerning 1t, Mrs. Avary
considers that. las the story of Mr..
StEnhenC'E q l.
appealing human interest In Its ex-
auisite embodiment of rare fraternal
love. IT is a drama classic AS a.
revelation. unguarded and intimate. of
himself and of his opinion of the grea
events IN which he was an actor. ana
OF public men who were his assoctat ties.
u Is a valuable political and historical
document. We are sure that we have
mere MI. Stephens's ideas as they ac-
tually were. OF Mr.. Davis, Mt. Lincoln.
The Confederacy, the war, and the ne
gro question"
Mr. Stephens mentions that his pris-
on journal bool; was bought by him
on May q, 1855, from A. j. Hall. post
suler at Fort Warren. He believes
that what ne Will write will be of in
terest TO him If his life Is to be snorad.
he knows 1t will be valued by his dear
and only brother. Hon. Linton Stephens
OF Sparta, Ga. He makes mention or
his first meeting with Jefferson DAVIS
since the night after the Hamilton
Roads conference, when thu two wera
oeing sent on their way North by boat
rom augusta to Savannah, May 10.
1855, in these words: Much as had
disagreed with him, and much ss
deplored the ruin which, think. The
acts OF Mr.. Davis helped to bring upon
the whole country, as well as on him
sell, could but deeply sympathfze
with him in his present condition. His
sanitation was not unfriendly. but III
was far from cordial" Mr.. stephens
aods, regarding his parting from Mr..
DaVis at Hampton Roads that: "On
my taking leave of Mr.. Davis. he
seemed more affected than had ever
seen him He said nothing but good
oy, and gave my hand a cordial
squeeze; his tone eyinced deep feeling
and emotion" -''
letter written by Mr. Stephens to
PRESIDENT Andrew Johnson, expressing
ms views on secession and State sove
relgnty, and giving the reasons W.,
he considered that he should onr,o
under tho provisions of President John
sons proclamation of amnesty and mar
don appears in full in the iourna1s
But In short. the journal is mainly in
teresting because II contains moi onl,
statement of the authors politlcn,
lueis, OUT because II is faHIevelation in
regard 10 most una ffected and charm
ing personality. He beguiles the To-
elousness Of prison days by writing
fancy sketches in which ne holds CON-
versa lions with people who enter HE
prison by windows OF the imagination
Ihese sketches, more than any otbn,
part OF the prison journal. give utter-
ance TO the prisoners Intimate opin-
Ions on questions of historian imnor-
tance. For instance. in reply to- an
imaginary query regarding the reasons
81 the United States government in
imprisoning him. he answers: per
maps they nave a definite idea They
may want to distress. worry Iyoa,. ~,
out and impoverish me under nj. 49, IA
OF imprisonment. or they may, 40 soon
as the Federal courts in the southern
states are again regularly established
transfef me for -trial can.ria4IA.. :.