Putnam patriot., 1919-06-27
Spent Part of Last Summer In Pom
fret


Of Judge Charles o, Thompson of
Pomfret, spent part Of Last summer
with his brother and called on old
citizens Of Putnam, with whom he
was acquainted in his younger days.
In a recent issue Of the Sarasota
(Fioridaj) Times, appears an article
reprinted from paper in Ohio. The
editor gathered the story while spend
ing the winter in the Florida city in
an interview with DR.. Thompson, and
it will doubtless be read with interest
by many citizens in this section, and
is therefore here given entire:
REV. Ebenezer Thompson is one Of
the oldest men living in Sarasota,
Florida. as we'll as a man of varied
experiences, and II. K Hubbard, of
this paper, having formed his &C
quaintance, sends home some inter
esting matter concerning him.
Mr.. Thompson is a native Of Con
necticut, graduate of Brown Uni
versity, a great grandson of General
Israel Putnam and a past chief officer
of all subordinate Masonic bodies and
Past Grand Prelate of the Knights
Templars. He has been resident of
the South for 30 years. He was at
one time chaplain of the jeff Davis
Artillery. He has olso several let
tiers, written by Israel Putnam, Jr.,
TO his brother-in-law, General Lemuel
Grosvenor, regarding the early set.
Element Of Southeastern Ohio. There
were few pensions in those days, but
the old soldiers, and particularly the
officers, could take up all the land
they wanted in the Buckeye state.
'In an interview this aged minister
gave out the following:
In 1889. being called to the rec
torship of the church in Biloxi, Miss,
| found that the family of Mr.. Jeffer
son Davis was among my parishion-
ers. We soon called at their seashore
home. Beauvoir We we're graciously
received, but Mrs Davis said that her
husband seldom came down stairs till
lunch time, so we were ready to de-
part but were urged to stay to lunch.
In the meantime | went out on the
high veranda overlooking the extern
sive lawn to see that my small son
did not get into mischief. After see
ing him in the distance with the gar
dener. both on their stomachs, with
heads together. watching an army OF
ants winding their way across the
| field, | returned and reported, when
Mrs Davis, looking out, exclaimed !:
.Why, bless your soul, that is not my
| gardener, that is Mr. Davis And
sure enough, the one and the other
80 had already made fast friends.
They returned leisurely, but the
Younger, boylike, had loosened his
shoe strings, and the elder, on his
knees, was tying them up. We stayed
to lunch, and | well remember the
gracious way in which Mr.. Davis Of
fered his arm to my wife to escort
her out. In his old age he was kindly
and gentle, courtly in his bearing, as
was BETTING well-bred Southern
gentleman. My impression is that he
was mellowed and softened by adver-
sity for certainly no one on this con
tinent ever rose to such height, for
the time a world character, the first
and only president of the Confedera-
cy, and then he came down to the
quiet life of planter, enjoying Sc
rene old age, devout and childlike,
with no trace of that imperious man
ner which history often ascribes to
him. As his pastor was asked to
open the service at his funeral, in
which others took part.
lone of the latest guests at Beau
voir during the life of Davis was
James Redpath, famous as the found
err of the Redpath Literary Bureau
and author of Life of John Brown F"