Show t t I Chats With Great I Men of Civil War WarI WarBy 1 1013 1 l II y f bl rf c W d- d I By Mr Mrs os G Gen Gez en P. P Pickett lC k e tt t I 4 T- T 1 f t JEFFERSON JEFF DAVIS from Boston I stopped o over r In cw cr W York ork once 11 wa way s X my rI O cN when hen the thc president ex-president x nt of or our confederacy and Mrs rs Davis Dals were there on business connected l ll w with lI his hits book booI an and I went rent to see them said ahl had ha I 1 come from from the south I should hould I Mr r Davis b from tram your our people But nut oven ovenIn ovenin be laden with loving messages 1 In abolition Boston you ou are arc held In high esteem as on one sincere sin sin- v cere honest and earnest Yes he lie l though we disagreed reed on ninny many Issues I be believe believe he- he lieve I held hel held the respect of my 1110 fellow fello senators from Massa- Massa I Put nut you rou were not riOt a secessionist In the lie beginning Mr 11 Davis ver yiu u In the ending he lie No 0 neither in III th the beginning nor I smiled But to io me Inc the sovereignty nl of oC the state was paramount para pnra- mount to the sovereignty of ot If the Union And nd nd I heM held In my seat In the Senate until Mississippi seceded and culled called upon mo mc moi I I Ito resigned 1 th the i 1 to follow tallow and defend Ju her r. r Then I sorrowfully and In which I could no longer represent represent represent I position In iii which m my state stat ha had placed me an Ie sent her and accepted the thc new work t to lo o which she Mho culled called me 1 was on In my way to Montgomery when hien I received recel much to my regret the die ho t toC president ent of or the Confederate States II message o that I hind had been blen elected provisional of oC America I J regretted It then and have re regretted i Is I. ever e since 0 For Fi I was ws n no I soldier at heart and though 1 I was secretary of ot war under President fierce j anu ana 11 left that office for or a seat scat In the Senate I was not a politician and had hind no desire de- de I sire sire- for Cor civic lc office ce It was m my hope hopen and n ambition to command tho the confederate 3 army an and lead It In defense of the rl right hl of my home m my people m my beloved I south nut But flut Mrs s. Davis saw aw In It the hand of ot God especially as is she did not like t Cobb of oC Georgia who wanted tile the presidency o of the confederacy But Buthe he lie could not flot have been elected because e he lie had antagonized the south h by ly supporting supporting sup sup- i I Ii porting Cla Clays Clay's g compromise measure of or 1850 Knowing the gentle nature of or Mr 11 Davis and his great desire In the thc he beginning beginning begin begin- ln- ln ning to prevent the war there came caine to my thought a a. subject which had been I much discussed e L by the tile southern people And I said ahl I There was a consultation of oC th the officers of or Picketts Pickett's etts ett's division In our t tent teat tenton teaton nl I on the Bermuda Hundred lines hues just after atter the conference at Fortress Monroe Monroe Monroe- And they ther perhaps considered red me 1111 it to blame for the failure to secure peace I he lie Interrupted sadly the tone that sorrow sorro had hall brought to him hint lingering like a I minor strain In the music o of hl his voice They cen censured urell mo rue for fOI not accepting an otter offer t. t to overthrow o the southern government IO not nut r realizing my n. n helplessness It U was said n t that at Mr Lincoln c ln submitted U m to hia cabinet 1 a message e e which la h he lie had ft prepared tor lor congress ana anu lor me IlC payment to 0 o mo limo south O of Ot tour four hun hundred re millions of dollars for her slaves to end the war but Jt the cabinet disapproved dis 1 approved and that w was vai the end of oC it ft I J But had the they approved e and the offer been heen ma made e It could have hae availed r nothing so far as 18 my mJ action wa concerned UlI Under er the tIme constitution o of the confederacy con con- I Ic c crae I J had ha no power to treat with the United States government on In any anyway an anyway I way except the tho one stated to m my commis commissioners We c wei were rl fighting for the time of or the tho states not for COl a centralized power vested In one man or one t little group roup of men However I may have hao longed longe for peace and for tOI the comfort of m my people I had no more power pow to net act In accor accordance c with tl that thit lt de desire desire de- de e- e sire without authority from the states than Im had the time humblest soldier in iii our jL t arm army t The worn feeble old III man broken by the tle weight of or the time sorrows which had hul fallen upon him bun brought to me mc In hl hIt his sa sail ad l face tace am ami pathetic voice the time rt th l ull f f nr-i nr n l I Il h rh 1 1 h. h f. f n. n ti tin t-hn memory of 9 LO whole un nations nation's lIons errors ellor Mr r. r Davis is I a asked aske kel h. h I Is this stor story i f r I true ULIC That Thit when you ou were being taken talen r to prison on one of or your sQl soldiers at th the tims if risk k of or hi his 11 life was wa as running along b by bytho r oj t the tho side I e of or your carriage to serve serc antI and I A do O you OU honor as long a time as 3 he h ij could o and one of lh the federal guard w j-j j 1 called out tauntingly Well ell reb rob jou on 1 Sec seo eo weve we've got your president at last f. f Yes replied the ra ragged heart broken i 41 outraged e confederate and the devils devil's Ir got root yours your and that you rou leaned UI out of ur j 1 the carriage c and saul said reprovingly Sh Shi 4 t t i. i my man lh h If It his I President Id t had lived hived t J yours would woul not now bc be where ere he lie Is is' Mr Mi Ir Davis Da looked steadily before him him i with a away far reminiscent expression u Ion sion In hits his eyes eJes as if IC a 1 scene k from Crom another life hIfe And nd lifting hl his II beautiful hands In that graceful gracious gra gra- ra- ra f. f dons cious wa way In which I have seen them I raised before a company compan of ot his own 1 suffering soldiers in war times h lit lie re replied replied re- re e plied These were t not precisely m my words t m my friend As 1 well as ns I can remember n now w I said saih Peace my good man peace if H his President ent were alive your our president would not be he where he Is tod today nor would his beloved southland be bein bein in u-I the time condition in which It will now surel surely bc he without the guidance of or that fearless humane humano gentle hand hane |