The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1919-05-16
STORY OF DAUGHTER
OF GENERAL TAYLOR
Eloped With jefferson Davis
Place Of Marriage
Mystery.

American romances--and one about
which no two accounts ever seem tC
agree-was that of Jefferson Davi;
and Sarah Knox Taylor, daughter OF
Zachary Taylor. They eloped and
were married against the bitter oppo-
sition of old Rough and Ready, that
much is certain, but where they were
married always has been an uncertain
point.
Today, if one goes to the ruins of
old TT. Crawford. near Prairie du
Chem. Wis, folks will point out the
spot where young Lieutenant Davis
courted pretty Sarah Taylor and they
will relate that the pair were married
not far from the fort At the Taylor
homestead near Louisville those who
assert they know the story of the ro-
nance can show the little spring be
side whose ripping waters the young
people walked and talked in their
counting days. And the story is told
that the two were married at the old
Taylor home.
Down at FIT Gibson near the Okla
homa-Arkansas line, can be encoun-
tered still another story of the elop-
ment and the window down which
Sarah Taylor is said to have descend
ed into the arms of her waiting lover
is pointed to as irrefutable argument
in favor of the FIT. Gibson version.
Stin smother tale heard in the south
west is that the elOpment occurred
flCm TT Smith. ARR where Colo Il
Taylor and Lieutenant Davis also
..rc stationed 1t ore tina 7nl that
the couple were married there
a fifth story is that The two went
secretly to St. Louis on river steam
er. after clipping from Fl Crawford,
and were married at the home of Col
and Mrs. William Christy, friends 70
the Taylor family. The old Christy
mansion was long ago one of the
landmarks of st. Louis.
Davis. then a young West Point
graduate, and Miss Taylor met when
Colonel Taylor and Davis were both
assigned to the small force that was
engaged in protecting the long north
west frontier. Taylor and Davis were
conspicuous in subduing Black Hawk
and in putting down the several In
dian uprisings that occurred in the
early SOS. II was in 1898 that the
between Davis and Sarah
Taylor sprang up. Davis was then
% years old, a tall, slender man, with
a rather lean hansome face and large
gray-blue eyes He was as straight
as an Indian. and he had all the grac-
es of the southern gentleman COM
bined with the military bearing OF the
Young West Pointer.
Sarah Knox Taylor is described as
a yo.y comely girl, several years Da-
viss junior. She was greatly in love
with the young officer, but when the
subject of marriage was discussed
with her father the old colonel furi-
ously refused his consent.
The exact reason why Taylor did
not look with favor upon Davis's suit
never has been divulged. BY some it
was said to be due to the fact that he |
lid not wish his daughter to marry an
army officer; others have suggested |
that it was because of difference in |
opinion beaween Taylor and his SUI
coordinate arising out of a cOurtmar-
tial, upon which both sat. Old Rough
and Ready was a man of strong likes
and dislikes. He never fOrgave an
enemy and an antagOnism once ac-
Wired was never eradicted from his
mind, lie sternly forbade his daugh-
er to have anything to do with Davis.
II is likely that Colonel Taylor was
for Davis being sent to
FIT. Gibson, then remote post little
favored by army men. Davis did not
find it at all cOngenial and resigned
from the army in 1885.
II was in 1885 that history records
the marriage of Davis and Miss Tay-
Tor. But history is vague on the
matter of where the marriage oc-
Cured Certain it is that Col, Tay-
lor's sister aided the young pair, de-
spite the inevitable anger OF her
brother The Kentucky version is
that they were married at the home
of the sister, who was then residing
on the Taylor homestead,
The young bride died a few months
after the marriage. Both she and her
husband fell i'll at the same time and
neither could be informed of the 9TH
er's condition. IL is said that Mrs.
Davis died without her fathers for
giveness.
Taylor, too, never quite forgave
jefferson Davis, though his enmity
toward the future president of the
confederacy was ameliorated some
what by the latter's gallantry at the
.