University of Virginia Library

19. XIX.

IN castin a retrospective glance backerd over the
pathway uv the past, I kin see many mistakes
wich I hev made. I hevn't alluz made the most uv
opportoonities — I hev doubtid when doubtin wuz
a crime, and I hev stood shivrin on the brink and
feared to lanch away, when on the tother side uv
the Jordan wuz pelf and profit. Our foresite isn't
alluz ez good ez our hind-site. The great error uv
my life wuz in not plungin headlong into the war
ez a Confedrit Major-General, distinguishin myself
for crooelty to Fedral prizners, and bein, at the
close uv the fratrisidle struggle, reseeved and embraced
ez a long-lost brother by the Northern people
(lettin em kill fattid calves for me), and uv
coorse bein the objeck uv sympathy ez a marter by
the Southern people. In this sitooashen a man hez

two strings to his bow. He brings to his support
the two extremes. He fetches together Horris
Greely from the one side, and General Boregard
from the t'other — they embrace, and standin onto
both their sholders, he hez wat may be called a soft
thing uv it.

I wuz led into these train uv reflections by the
experience I hev hed with our sainted cheef, Jefferson
Davis. I wuz sent hither by the President to
see that everythin wuz done for the comfort uv the
illustrious man that cood be done, on the occasion
uv his contemplatid trip to Richmond. Partikelerly
I wuz charged to see that everything calkelatid to
jar onto his sensitive feelins be removed — everythin
wich cood wound his sense uv hearin, seein,
or smellin.

The grate man had consentid to go. He hed
bin, he felt, illegally deprived uv liberty — unconstooshnelly
in fact — and ef he shood consult his
own feelings he wood remane; but to forgive wuz
divine. Viewin these perceedins in the lite uv an
apology, he wood go.

The day hed arrived. The steamer wuz at the
Fortress carefully prepared to receive its illustrious
burden. It hed been thoroughly cleaned and fumigated,
the cabins hed bin nooly furnisht, and speshel

alterashens made for the President and party. Ther
wuz Yoonited States officers and soljers aboard;
but out of respeck for the feelins uv their illustrious
“prizner,” ez he is technically called, they kept
theirselves carefully out of his site, that the color
uv their uniforms might not awaken onpleasant
refleckshens. So perfeck, indeed, wuz the arrangements,
that the railin uv the boat, which wuz originelly
bloo, wuz kivered with gray cloth, and the
eagle figger-head uv the craft wuz sawed off. This
wuz sejested by a eminent Conservative uv Noo
York, who hez a large Southern trade wich he
didn't prejoodis by his course doorin the war. The
ladies' cabin wuz originelly assigned to the party;
but a female passenger hed no more regard for the
comfort uv the marter than to die on the passage,
an they were deprived uv it. The Conservative
merchant insisted that the corpse be chucked overboard;
but Mr. Davis, with a magnanimity wich
wuz alluz characteristic uv him, refoozed. “No,”
said he, “let her rest there. I kin endoor the
inconvenience, severe as it is. It is but one more
attempt to break my sperit.”

All the way up there wuz the most tetchin deference
shown him. At every landin the people
were assembled to greet him, wich he acknowledged

with a condesenshen I never saw off the
stage. He conversed but little on the passage up.
Ez the boat was a sweepin majestically past pints
made historicle by the events uv the great struggle,
his eye wood brighten, ef they wuz sich pints ez a
Confedrit cood take pride in, and dim with teers ef
they wuz pints at wich ther had bin reverses.

The most considrit preparashens hed bin made for
his resepshen. Ther wuz no irons onto him: the
only guards in site wuz them wich wuz detailed to
keep the crowd from annoyin him, and a carriage
wuz in readiness, into wich we seated ourselves, and
wuz driven off at a dignified pace to that resort uv
the aristocracy uv Virginny — the Spottswood.
Here, more considerashen wuz shown. Mr. Davis
being averse to walkin up stairs, a suite uv rooms
hed bin prepared for him on the fust floor, and the
presence uv General Burton, uv the Federal army,
bein obnoxshus, he wuz assigned by the Ex-President
a room at the further end uv the corridor. His
nerves bein very sensitive, heavy mattin wuz laid
down in all the halls, and the servants uv the house
wuz especially directed to wear list slippers, and to
walk on their tip toes.

I wuz invited to his room, and wuz favored with a
few minutes' conversashen with the first of Amerikens.

Glancin out uv the winder, his fine, soft, gray
eyes restid on the roof uv Libby. “Lies! lies!” sed
he, angrily.

“Wat speshel lies hev yoo reference to?” askt I.

“Them wich wuz publisht in the scurrillous reports
uv the Committees uv a unconstooshnel Congris
regardin the treatment uv prizners in Libby.
They asserted that the officers died becoz they hed
but ten feet by two for sleepin, washin, cookin, and
eatin. They hed that space, and wat more wuz necessary?
Why give 'em room to cook when they
hedn't anythin to cook? Wherefore room to eat ef
they hedn't anythin to eat? No, its false. It wuzn't
the crowdin that perdoost the mortality.”

Only wunst wuz his buzzum wrung, and that the
Government cood not pervent. He wuz a standin
at the winder, gazin out upon Richmond, his mind
revertin to the time when it wuz the Capital uv his
Confedracy, when a procession passed with moosic,
and flags, and banners. With a shreek uv anguish
he buried his head in the curtins, and wept aloud.
I rusht to the winder. It wuz ez I feared. Filin
slowly by wuz a percession uv niggers who hed past
that way perposely. “Merciful Heaven!” sed he,
“hez it come to this?” and he wuz very reserved
and deprest the balence uv the day.

The next day the President wuz taken to the
Court. Ez he entered the room, and glanced
proudly over the awjence, it wood hev bin very
difficult to hev decided whether he wuz a goin to
try the Court or the Court him. But repressin
hisself he took his seat. Techin solissitood wuz
displayed in the Court Room for his comfort. A
crack in the winder-casin let in a draft uv cold air;
he shuddered, and a shudder run thro the entire
assemblage. The shudder uv the Conservative merchant
from Noo York wuz trooly artistic. Cotton
wuz called for, when the Conservative merchant's
wife tore off one uv her buzzums and stufft the
apertoor. Wuz ther ever more techin sacrifis?
The President wept ez he beheld it. On assertainin
the temperatoor wich best sootid his system,
a thermometer wuz brot, and the room wuz kept at
that precise degree.

There wuz sum triflin legal formalities gone
through with, and the President's counsel made a
motion that he be admitted to bail. There wuz a
stir in the Court. “Make it a million!” sed one,
“so that the craven North shel see how we kin
take keer uv them we love!” But Judge Underwood
fixed it at $100,000, and, brisk ez bees,
Schell, a Noo York Dimocrat, several Richmond

[ILLUSTRATION]

THREE CHEERS FOR JEFFERSON GREELEY. Page 163.

[Description: 633EAF. Illustration page. Illustration of a man sitting at a desk, writing on a large piece of paper. Many men are behind him, cheering and throwing their hats in the air.]

Dimocrats, and Horris Greely, stept forrerd and
signed it.

Never shel I forgit the shout that assendid ez
Horris wuz a signin his name.

“Three cheers for Jeff'son Greely and Horris
Davis — one and inseprable, now and forever!”
shoutid one enthoosiastic confedrit.

“Immortality is yoors!” sed another, seezin him
by the hand corjelly. “Jeff'son Davis is the big
dog uv the age, and yoo, my deer sir, are now the
tin kittle tied to his tale! Wat joy! Wat happinis!
When posterity speeks uv Him, they'll speek uv
Yoo!”

I coodent restrane myself no more. Bustin into
teers, I fell onto Greeley's buzzum, and we embraced.
Ez he hedn't his spekticles on, he sposed
it wuz Davis hisself, and he bustid into teers also,
and there wuz wun uv the most strikin tabloos ever
exhibited. I got away afore he diskivered his mistake.

Here wuz the endin uv our troubles — the consummashen
uv our hopes. Davis wuz free! The
pent-up emoshens uv the people found vent. Ez he
stept into the street the people crowded to the carriage
wich contained us, and rent the air with cheers.
We reacht the hotel, and after embracin his wife,

a season of religious exercises wuz held. The
clergyman who hed excloosive charge of Davis's
piety doorin the war wuz present, and he offered
prayer. He prayed fervently that the Lord wood
forgive the people of the North for the wrong they
hed done our sainted head; that he wood forgiv, ef
possible, the late head uv the Fedral Government
who hed opposed him and the glorious coz; and ef
Divine mercy could stretch so far, that he wood
forgive the Colonel uv Michigan cavalry wich hed
hunted down the Saint who wuz now in our midst,
and made uv him a captive. He prayed for forgiveness
for the reckless men of the North who
invaded Virginny; for the noosepaper condukters
who had aboozed him who is now with us, and
particklerly Horris Greely, who hed this day, in
some measure, atoned for his previous wickidness.
He prayed that the blessins uv Heven might rest,
first, upon the city uv Richmond, then upon the
balance uv Virginny, and afterward upon the rest
uv the Southern States; and he wound up with a
fervent appeal that the Ethiopians, wich coodent
change their skins, might see the error of their
ways, and return to their normal condishen.

After this the President received his friends.

I am not permitted to give more uv the President's

plans than this: He will remain in secloosion,
and will take no part watever in politics until after
his final acquittal in November. He don't feel at
liberty to take hold uv the Government, so long ez
ther is even a technikle charge agin him. Our
friends in the Northern States, who expected him
to take the stump in their behalf this fall, will be
disappintid. I return to-morrer to Kentucky.