Evening journal., 1912-03-15
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
An Incident Of Jefferson
DaViS'S Flight From
Richmond
By Holland.
BY Holland.

1T is, of course, matter of wide
ly known history that Jefferson Davis,
while attending church in Richmond
on the morning Of Sunday, April 2,
1865, was summoned from the services
and told that Petersburg had fallen
and that the capture of the Confeder-
ate capital was inevitable in the
course of a few hours. But have
never seen in print" continued George
f. Parker, the biographer and inti-
mate friend Of Grover Cleveland, amy
account of a pathetic incident con-
nected with Mr.. Davis flight from
Richmond that occurred shortly after
he and what remained of his cabinet
had put the Confederate capital be-
hind them.
"In order that he might be prepared
for any emergency Mr.. Davis had al
ready sent Mrs. Davis and their
daughter, Winnie, afterward widely
known and greatly beloved, with per-
sonal attendants from Richmond. The
family went as far south as a village
I'm North Carolina. | think near
Greensboro, where they awaited the
coming of Mr.. Davis. He, with an es-
cort and accompanied. by his Secre-
tary Of War. John c. Breckenridge, his
Secretary of State, judah p Benja-
min, and his Postmaster General, John
A. Reagon, whom / afterward had the
privilege of knowing, left Richmond
by train and went to Danville, North
Carolina. There Mr. Davis heard Of
the surrender of General Leo and the
Army of Virginia to General Grant.
From Greensboro Mr. Davis, with
his family and Secretary of State
Benjamin and Postmaster General
Reagan went on farther south travel
ing by an ambulance. OF course, the
whole party was overwhelmed with a
sense of great sorrow and the uncer-
tainty of the future. There was full
realization on the part of Mr.. Benja-
min that the end had come, but Mr.
Davis had not yet given up all hope
that the struggle for independence
might be continued somewhere in the
southwest, possibly in Texas.
For some time after leaving
Greensboro the little party rode on in
perfect silence; no one could bring
himself to put in words the thoughts
/ that surged into the mind. And it was
not time for light talk. At last Mr..
BENJAMIN opened a small satchel, in
which he had packed few articles
| just before leaving Richmond, and
took from It two volumes Of Tenny-
sons poems One of them was
'Enoch Arden which had been pub
lished the year previous, and the other
Maud
L reviewed these two volumes of
Tennyson only a few days before we
| left Richmond Mr. Benjamin explain
cd. They were sent to me from Eng
land. although the friend who sent
them was in grave doubt whether or
not they would ever reach me; for
tunately they did. ! was rejoiced to
get them, for. you know, | am an ad-
mirer Of Tennyson, and ! have never
read these two poems But / had no
more than time enough to glance at
them before leaving Richmond.
Mrs. Davis at once became much
Interested. She had already been made
familiar with the literary attainments
which distinguished Mr.. Benjamin
possibly above all members of Mr.
Davis political family.
"'Shall | read from these poems?
Mr.. BENJAMIN asked; adding as he
opened one OF the volumes, The print
is good and we are riding slowly
Mrs Davis urged Mr. Benjamin to
read His voice had a beautiful melo-
die quality, and it was "A voice which
when he was a member of the United
States Senate, always charmed his
/ fellow Senators, as did his speeches
| because of their literary quality MT
BENJAMIN began to read, and Mrs
Davis and her daughter were instant
| ly absorbed A few moments later Mr
! Davis himself. catching the cadence
and rhythm Of the poem, also became
! interested and at last became so alb
sorbed I'm it that he seemed TO have
forgotten the sorrows which were
weighing heavily upon him. And sc
Mr.. Benjamin read on and on until
darkness at last hid the page. And II
was Tennyson and the exquisite
beauty of his poem, and the voice anc
the elocution Of Judah p. Benjamin
] which made possible some alleviatior
Of the distress which Mr. Davis ano
his family went through.
Mr. Benjamin afterward became
separated from the party, but he left
with Mrs Davis one of the volumes
Of Tennysons poems"
(Copyright. 1912, by Il. j. Edwards
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tnll oi
oTho TauChfer That Killed a Grcai