Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME 1.
•4- LADIES’ COLUMN, -f
/'FA'.
‘Tis but a little distance
Between the cradle ami (he grace.
A llitle thing called courage,
Bet*eon the hero frtd the slave.
One fear- 1 without that pomo to die,
That tells the world hi* fall.
Inc other-- tho’ he knows not why
Fjars to die at all.
Yet wo all must make the passage,
I rom ihe cradle to the grave.
The hero with his empty pomp.
And the un pretending slave.
But when the joumoy’H over,
\nd Nature’s debt is paid.
Who shall say, between the graves,
In which tho hero's laid?
The life of one may lie filled up
With cruelty and wrong.
Yet have Ids praises sounded
In pose, and song;
While religion’s nobler work
M. ly crown the other’s year?,
Whose only monument in ty be
A grateful people’s tears.
— [./. J . Wall ae,in Xe u York Mirror.
THE TABLE,
[We give our la ly friends this week
Mrs. Toiiiicnt’s ideas about arranging a
table.—Ed.]
It Is uncivilized, and
worse—it is ot our meals
and never return thanks to the Great
Giver. You may be silent, and yet feel
tlwuikful, but speak it in words and let
your children behold youc reverence. A
child of live years oan he taught it, and it'
necessary should take the place of absent
father and mother. A touching tale Is
tol 1 of a little girl who, In days of pros
nority, was taught to say,“l than!; Thee,
\ oru, lor pty good dinner.” lie verses
came and bad grew worse, and worse
merged into utter destitution. One day
she had a dry crust of corn bread and a
glassot water, and with bowed head and
clasped hands,' and a deep reverential
frgilqg slje said; “{ tfVfilK T‘ice, I<ord,
for my good dinner,” Tlie table linen
should be faultlessly neat and free from
stains. A pure white cloth is prettiest
for dinner and supper, a cojqrpc) Qnp i
not Inappropriate lor breakfast. It is lux
ury to have a woolen or felt cover under
the tablecloth, lie sure that you have
everything on the table that will be
needed during the meal. It is annoying
to every one present to ho obliged to leave
the table in search of some forgotten
article,
Do not uso small plates for dinner, or
dinner plates for supper. In the first
instance they will be crowded; in tho
neat the supper which is generally a
m<Ntlof*)e*S Variety, will leave 4 very
unseeable margin on the plate. The
goblets should be highly polished and tho
napkins either put in them loosely nr laid
on the plate. Jio not cross the knives and
forks, hut lay them side by side. Slice
the butter evenly and always place a but
ter knife on the dish. If individual plates
are used do ut have th butter looking
ragged but snjootli it nicely with a knife
dipped in hot water and have tho impress
of small an 1 dainty sign on top. Always
have-your cruets filled. The pepper, salt
mustard, vinegar, and catsup will do but
little good II not in resell. Nearly
tfvorv one, and especially a guest, will do
without rather than ask for them.
Natural flowers add much to the appear
ance of a table, and often divert atten
tion from a very short bill of fare. A
pitcher ol clear, cold water is jrxlisjaupju
jWej have your water in a glass pitcher,
‘t here is a popular prejudice against
drinking Water from a china cup, and it
extends to the pitcher also. Bread should
he sliced evenly, and all rough edges de
tached. Nothing looks worse than a
clqyeqjy bread plate, tf the first course
consists of soup, bring it to the table in a
covered tureen with a large soup ladle,
ho not till the plates to full. When
this is partaken of, remove the plates and
tureen, and bring the coffee, vegetables,
and meats as quickly as possible. Never,
except for your own family, with whose
tastes you are acquainted, trust yourself
to add the sugar and cream to coffee.
Every one can do it best for himself.
Your coilce may be pjear, strong and
well flavored, and for the lack of one
m ira spoonful ot sugar or on account of
too much cream, it is partaken of spar
ingly—-just enough to save your feelings.
When you are ready for dessert remove
everything except the pitcher of water;
brush ofl the crumbs, and if there is a
fruit piece place it directly in the center.
The host generally slices the cake and
the host serves the plates. Finger bowls
should be provided, and they are made
ornamental by placing a fragrant leaf on
top of the water. Coffee, instead of
being served at the beginning of dinner,
is often served at the last. Use ‘‘after
dinner’’ eoflee cups and beaten or
oraeker biscuit.
It Depends. •
“Who owns this store, anyhow?” he
a kel of a St. Louis clothier with whom
he had had a dispute about a coat.
“Vhell, I vhas oivner to-day.”
“And who was yesterday;”
“My vhife.”
“And who will be to-morrow?”
“Vhell, dot depends. You see, when
peesness vhas depressed I sells oudt to
ray vhife. If peesness vhas good she
sells back to me, und if times vhas so-so
uiy brudder Moses steps in for a few*
days.”
“Well, you’d better burn the durned
thing tip!”
“Softly, my front—softly. Pot was
d*r peesness of my brudder Abraham
Yhftn he holds a $3,000 mortgage on SSOO
worth ol stock!”
A correspondent, writes that it would
ivot sur prise New Yorkers greatly to read
In any morning's paper of Gen. Grant’s
death. Yet he is able to go out, and
walks daily down to Twenty-six street,
where Drs. Douglass and Parker treat
his throat. The affection has yielded to
the influence of eoacine, except one
hi ight red sp it at the root of his tongue.
It w is at first the size of a pin head, now
It Is larger than a pencil top and spread
ng rapidly.
THE CARTERSVILLE COURANT.
For Inc Cocraxt.
Reminisceaces of the Cherokees.
THE FOUR SCOTHMEN WHO BECAME
IMUI AN CHIEFS.
By HO i. J. W. IT. UNDERWOOD, of Rome,
Georgia.
CHAPTER I.
Copyrighted. All rights reserved.J
My information concerning the Chero
kees was gathered from the natives them
selves. 1 am individually acquainted
with many of the facts which will be
chronicled here; and I propose to inter
sperse these reminiscences, covering
more than forty years, with anecdotes,
incidents, etc., illustrative of the charac
ter, manners and habits of the Chero
kee tribe.
1 do not propose to confine my
self to the history of the ‘‘red man,”
but to relate many things which will be,
I hope, interesting to the suryiyors of
the great namy?, .judges, solicitors and
lawyers, who travelled and practiced law
through this Cherokee country, in days
gone by. Under the heading, ‘‘Chero
kees,” I include the population, both the
white and red people—the whole—as in
habitants of ijiu [‘phtuoKee Nation.”
In 1830, the Cherokee Indians occu
pied the territory north of the county of
Carroll, and northwest of the Chatta
hoochee river. wHlffr. tue chartered
limits of Georgia, extending to the mouth
of the phestatee, to the top of the Blue
Ridge, and the SJorth Carolina side, and
the adjacent portions of the States of
Alabama, North Carolina and Tennes
see —perhaps the most picturesque re
gion in America
This Country abounded in springs,
rivulets, brooks, creeks and small rivers.
Their waters, clear as crystal, mingled
their rippling music with myriads of
birds, singing their matin songs, amidst
the rising mountain peaks. The flyers
flowing between theae hills, abounded in
mountain trout, while quails, turkeys
and deer, were found plentifully scat
tered over these wooded heights. In
such surroundings as these the red pgan
made his beige. ju these grand old
woods he lived, and his spirit caught in
spiration from the glorious mountain
tops,
Qn the road that runs east from Mur
phy, the county site of Cherolflee county,
N. C., to Franklin, in Macon county, N*
C., from the tenth to the fifteenth mile
post, is located the most beautiful moun
tain valley that ever greeted the eyes of
man. Extending east and west, as level
as a floor, about live miles long by three
miles wide, with a small river running
through the centre, its entire length—as
lovely a spot as the valley of the Arne,
there dwelt these Indian trihes in sweet
serenity. The eagle who soared above,
the water that sparkled in the sunlight,
the birds that filled each tree, were not
happier or freer than the hearts of these
children ol the forest.
The landscapes Hie Indescribable. The
rail, fresh verdure was adorned with
the beautiful Cherokee rose and trumpet
flower, and my soul swells with rapture
at the recollection of this scene ot un
rivalled loveliness. To have seen it in
the spring-timp of the year, and in the
Spring-time of life, was worth a voyage
round the world. To the ‘‘thoughtful,
the young and the free, every thing
was blithe, jocund and jovial.” Hia
watha’s wooing could boast no fairer
spot, where ‘’silken meshes” entangled
the young braves and dusky maidens of a
tamous Indian tribe.
This romantic section is pact of West
ern North Carolina, adjacent to Eastern
Tennessee anti Kentucky.
During the revolutionary war, cer
tain inhabitants from North Carolina and
Western Virginia, moved to and settled
in this “Switzerland of America.”
John and Valentine Sevier, John Tipton,
Joseph White, (the father of Hugh Law
son White,) John Williams, William
Clarke, tire Browns, Vaughns, Camp
bells, Walkers, McGhees, McGaughys,
Wylys and Sheibleys, were among the
bold pioneers, who, imbued with the
spirit of adventure and the energy ot
robust manhood, built their camp-tires
among these Alpine heights—afterwards
erecting homes and dwellings, and here
they reared their offspring, finding health
and happiness, comfort and plenty, while
the gay youngsters danced on the green
sward by the light of the silver moon.
The beautiful rivers flowing towards
the mighty Mississippi, may be traced to
the purest sources and fountains, rival
ling any on the habitable globe. The
air and climate is suited alike to the pur
suits of pleasure, th expansion of the
mind, and the enjoyment of perfect
health. Among such scenes and sur
roundings as here described, the spirit of
freedom and independence which has
ever characterized the sons and daugh
ters of the “highlands,” has grown and
flourished.
On the south side of this valley the
Tusquittah mountains rise one thousand
feet above the plain. On the north, the
Cheowee mountains rise as high. Mon
tahaia mountains make, the barrier on
the east, while tht? west is opened for the
exit of the beautiful mountain stream
before described.
The mountain magnolia, called by the
natives the cucumber tpee, grew upon
these slopes, intermingled with the lo
cust ami tulip trees, the birch and beech,
while the ivy, the laurel, the Rhododen
dron, aud many twining plants were
found, in seme places covering the
ground and veiling the tender blossoms
from the heat of the sun. In localities,
the space of 15 acres was often solidly cov
ered, the foliage so dense that a wolf or
wild-cat could bide itself inside of twen
CARTERSVILLE, GEORGIA, MARCH 5, 1885.
ty feet, the thickets were so closely
woven and matted with vines.
The valley towns of the Cherokees
were located in this vale of beauty—the
principal one of the Nation.
The Taylors’ the Welchs’ and Mor
ris’s, were their most distinguished peo
ple. Daniel Taylor was well-known and
highly respected by the whites. Some
of (heir descendants now live over the
Cheowee mountains, (on a snaallcreek of
that name,) called the North Carolina In
dians.
During the American revolution —the
Cherokee Indians were very troublesome.
Incited to acts or violence by the emissa
ries of the British government, they
made constant forays upon the exposed
frontiers, where the settlers were few
and therefore open to depredations and
raids.
John Sevier and Isaac Shelby organ
ized bands of bold, intrepid mountain
men, to be within easy call. These or
ganized frontiersmen were obliged to
chastise the Indians very often, and
sometimes severely* Danger and expe
rience taught these hardy mountain sol
diers how to draw their rifles on the
crafty red-skins, and man}’ of them fell
under the unerring aim of these expert
marksmen of the frontier.
In the early of the year 1776, four
young men, who were born, raised and
educated in the North of Scotland,
sailed from Glasgow tp fa*’ distant
America. names were Mclntosh,
I McLeuiore, Ross and Owen. Young,
courageous, filled with a spirit of con
quest, and thp ilesire for great achieve
ments, they found their way to these
grand old mountains and primeval for
ests of the Southern States.
They landed at Norfolk, Virginia.
They restpd awiiUp at a Scotch settle-
Culpepper county, Virginia, ;
among the Quines’ Thompson Stroth
ers, Hendersons, Slaughters, Saddlers
and Underwoods.
They started again and travelled §outh
and West together, until they reached
fhe Savannah river. There thev se p ; „
rated, Mclntosh, (the ancestor of
tho Creek Indian chief who
executed the treaty of Indian Springs in
1525,) wchi id the Creek Indian Nation,
and in. process of time married Yohola,
the daughter of Tastenuggee, a leading
chief of tlie Muscogees. In 1825, the
younger Mclntosh became the principal
chief of the Creek Nation. The treaty
uf Indian Springs, made and executed
with the United States Commissioners,
gave the whites a large and fertile tract
of country’, embracing many counties on
the western side of Middle Georgia.
Mclntosh resieded on the wrnst side of
Chattahoochee river, in what Is now the
county of Carroll, opposite to Coweta.
It is known this treaty made him ex
ceedingly unpopular with the Creeks.
During a night in November, 1825, his
house was surrounded by Creek warriors.
He was roused, forced out of his house,
to be most inhumanly butchered by his
foes. These blood-thirsty Indians came
over from Alabama. The brother of the
murdered chief, Chillie Mclntosh, es
caped a similar fate by jumping out of a
window, swimming the river, ancj seek
ing protection with the whites.
The Abbaeoochies, the tlie
Choeoloco’s and the were
fierce, cruel, vindictive and unrelenting.
Chillie Mclntosh still lives wf TFfe Creek
Nation, west of the Mississippi.
Ross, the ancestor of John the
great Cherokee chief, well-known to
many Georgians yet living, settled
among the Cherokees, (“Achalagues”)
and married the daughter ot Jim Coody,
who lived on Silver Creek, two miles
south of Rome. He was a quarteroon, a
powerful and leading chief. Lew is Ross,
was the first-born of this marriage. He
became an Indian trader, and at first set
tled himself where the city of Chatta
nooga is now located.
John Ross, another son, married and
settled one-fourth of a mile northwest of
the junction of the Etowah and Ooste
naula rivers. He wrote “Head of
Coosa” oi* his letters, before he dated
thfem. Often have I read the letters from
John Ross, written to my father. He
was only 30 years old when he became
the principal chief of the Cherokees, and
through all mutations of fortune he sus
tained his power with his people. John
Ross was a man of fine intelligence,
with considerable education. In stature,
six feet high, erect, with commanding
appearance and fine address.
During the time of the troubles of his
people, he spent many days at my fath
er's house. He appeared to centre his
mind and soul in the welfare of the
Cherokees. * 1/emember him well. His
hair was streaked with grey, but it had
been originally very dark. He had a
dark brown, brilliant eye. His com
plexion was a little florid. His second
wife was an elegant lady, highly accom
plished, raised and educated 3n Con
necticut. Much will be said of John
Ross in these papers as we go along.
Andrew* Ross, the youngest son, was
a jovial, thriftless fellow. He had dis
tinction as the brother of John Ross —
that and nothing more.
Lewis Ross, left Chattanooga and
moved to the spot where Charleston, on
the Hiwassee river, now stands. He
lived in affluence, and dying, left a large
estate. So much for two of the Scotch
men.
McLemore, another one of the four,
settled in what is.now* known as Me lie
more’s Cove, on the Chieamauga, in
Walker county, Georgia. This region is
unrivalled for fertility in Northwest
Georgia. He married there, and died,
leaving a numerous posterity, who are
now located in Arkansas. McLemore’s
old homestead and farm is now pointed
out to visitors in the cove.
The Indians in that part of the country
I had some peculiar names. A large con-
neetion went by the name of “Killers.”
There was “One Killer,” so on up to
“Eight Killer.” “Five Killer Ford” is
a notable crossing of the Cbieamauga.
We leave it to the reader to gather as well
as he can the original meaning of simh
names. It may be, they took one, two,
five or eght scalps, and for this prowess
in battle, received the name of “One
Killer,” and etc. It might he, they killed
so many bear or buffalo, from y’outh to
middle life. They had no name but
“Killer.”
McLetnore’s Cove is now settled by a
highly respectable and prosperous agri
cultural people, with fine churches and
schools, and bids fair in a few years to
present a very high type of Christian
civilization. The capabilities of the
section are very great. When brought
into complete cultivation, enlivened by
railroads, it will be a most delightful and
lonaantic spot for a home. Wheat, corn,
oats, ry’e and clover grow to a great per
fection here, srd the rich forest growt
in spring and summer presents such va
ried and entrancing landscapes as to fill
the eye with delight, and the heart with
gratitude to the living Cyod, who has
fashioned such scenes of beauty and
gladness /or our pleasure.
The fburth Scotchman was Owen. He
married, it is a sister of the
“Morning Star*” and built a cabin at
Crawfish spring—now the splendid resi
dence of Col. James Dee. Owen
died without offspring. He was killed in
battle, at the great bend in Chiekamauga
Creek, one mile north of the town of
Ringgold, Catoosa, county Georgia. In
this battle, Johu Sevier, before mch
tioned, commanded the whites, and
Owen the Ind|ani-=the Chiekamauga
tribes anu the “Red Sticks,” from Val
ley River,
Owen was as brave as Bruce, and com
manded the most warlike and skillful
tribes of the Cherokees. ffha contest '
was terrible, prom daylight Qn t(|e
2Qth day of u ’ ntil sun _
down, tb* battle raged. When the sun
went down behind Mission Ridge, Owen
fell, leading his exhausted warriors, and
expired. Panic-stricken at the sight, the
Indians inglociously fled, leaving their
brave leader on the bloody’ field. Owen!
was buried where he died. A rude stone,
now worn and broken, in a thicket of
bushes and briars, marks the spot. The
reader can find it about one mile north
of Ringgold, near Graddy’s mill. Owen
was a brave man—as intrepid as Wallace
or William of Lorraine.
Where in the realms of fancy or fic
tion can be found such a history’ as at
tended these four Scotchmen, who, in
spired by’ adventure, filled to the brim
with Scottish annals, that made their
native land the home ot poesy and song;
venturing to cross tho Atlantic in that
slow sailing era of our times, entering
an unbroken wilderness and capturing
the leadership of four powerful factions
of the most civilized Indian tribes, and
instilling into the natives some of their
own energy and enterprise, made of
them as warlike a ..race as ever drew a
bow or tomahawked an intruder?
[TO BE CONTINIi^S7j
FKOM FLOYD.
Rome, Ga., Feb. 23, 1885.
Editors Courant .* —We have seen
enough of The Courant to be assured
t hat it will be second to no weexly news*
paper in Georgia in point of ability of
its editorial columns, the high stand it
will Lake in all motel* state and national
political questions, and in discriminating
such news as will be wholesome family
reading.
A friend remarked tc ns the other day
that one article (Ireland), in the first is
sue, was worth the year’s subscription.
But, Messrs. Courant, your paper is in
complete. Here! Rome! the incompar
able city of the State, is not breathing
the yearnings of her soul into its col
umns; so to make it a well-rounded,
symmetrical paper, we write you from
Rome. Rome, the “attorney’l city,”
sleeps upon her seven hills, and so far
as trade goes she might hibernate for the
next month urrless the weather changes.
Business in all lines except groceries,
guano and coal, is very dull, notwith
standing our twenty whisky saloons
which w r e license to draw trade.
Farmers from all parts of the county
complain greatly of the damage to wheat
and oats from the continued freezes.
The acreage is short, too, on account of
the proti acted drought last fall and the
low price of wheat. The prospect for
wheat to be high next summer is good,
and from the number of idle men on our
streets one might conclude that we
would soon reap a large harvest in
town, but not of wheat.
The only advance we noticed last week
in our city was the Ilerdic line, placed
upon our streets by J. M. Harrison. Let
er roll, Jim, it don’t interfere with the
street.cars.
Rome has been well represented at the
New Orleans Exhibition. So far, about
eighty of our people have attended.
Hon. J. Lindsay Johnson’s claims
upon the incoming administration, it is
said, will be awarded by appointment to
the Berne Switzerland Consulate.
Dr. Chas. F. Deerus, New York, will
lecture for the benefit of the new Metho
dist church, March 16.
The skating rink is doing a tremendous
business now. Strange how* much easier
it is for some people to make characters
with their heels than their brains.
Postmaster for Twenty Years.
Esquire Rogt-rs has been postmaster at
tliis place for 21 years." During 20 years
of that time, notwithstanding he was
above 50 years of age, he walked into the
office every day, Sundays excepted, from
his farm, three and a quarter miles above
here, and home again at night. Consid
er what walking he did around the of
fice, and he has walked during those 20
years nothing le than 40,000 miles. —
i,aFayetie Messenger.
For 1 he Cocraxt.
REMINISCENCES
Of tho Civil Service of the Confederate
States.
BY HENRY D. CAPERS.
THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW.
A lew days after his inauguration,
President Davis called to his aid Mr. Ju
dah P. Benjamin, of Louisiana, as the
legal adviser of the newly formed gov
ernment. From the fact that I was the
first among the subaltern officers on
duty’, also from the formative state of the
departments, as a matter of courtesy as
well as a service from a sort of improvis
ed factotum, I received the orders of the
several department chiefs for their official
conveniences and vvou’.d point out the
wavs, as best I bad found them in Mont
gomery, where these could be obtained.
My chief, Mr. Memminger, had preceded
the other cabinet officers several days in
his installation, so that as each came to as
sume his duties, the office of the secre
tary’ of the treasury' was ready to greet
these gentlemen with. jn3t such recep
tions as the good taste of a cultured per
son would suggest.
First impressions tire with me, as I sup
pose with everyone, not easily’ overcome.
Let subsequent events or associations
be what they may, it is by no means easy
to efface these from the memory.
Sitting in my oiiiee, which adjoined
that of Mr. Memminger, and busy with
some one of the many details of bis
great labors, I was interrupted by’ tlie
entrance of the secretary, who was intro
duced to me Mr. Benjamin, who had just
made his appearance at the executive
building, and who Mr. Memminger de
sired me to serve in providing the equip
ment of his office-. Wo went into the
open space, or tourt, on tlie second floor,
and to * Voom on the South side, on the
uoor of which was a card marked, “At
torney General.” After entering this
room he at once asked me to be show n
the rooms to be used by’ the President,
which were immediately opposite. As
we returned I ventured to ask the secre
tary it he desired the room I had shown
him shelved for law books or it lie pre
ferred a book case. “It is not law books
we want now, my young friend,” was
his immediate reply, “tlie law of this
revolution has been fully established; we
are making an assertion of constitutional
rights in which 1 hope we will not need
arms to resist a law of might.” Upon
re-entering my office I repeated this an
swer of Mr. Benjamin in the hearing of
a young clerk from \ irginia who incor
porated it in a letter to a newspaper, an
imprudence which caused him to be dis
missed from the department with a sharp
reprimand from Mr. Memminger.
During this first meeting and conver
sation with Mr. Benjamin I became im
pressed with his wonderful vitality, both
of mind and body, an impression which
subsequent obserations only deepened. He
was then in the full vigor of manhood,
with his remarkable intellect at the prime
of its power and in possession of a fund
of information such as but few acquire in
lifetime of patient toil. His physical
strength was a demonstrationt>f the phys
iological maxim, Sana Mens in Sana Cor-
pore. About live feet eight inches high,
with broad shoulders, a deep, round
chest, well knit body, a well-shaped
head, in which, like two carbon points,
were placed small jet black eyes, from
which the current of his genius would
play with an expression irresistibly
charming. Although an Israelite by
lineage he did not possess the marked
features of this strong race. While bis
complexion had the characteristic hue of
the East, the mould of his face was rath
er more Teutonic than Syrian. In ordi
nary conversation his voice was pitched
too high to be melodious if there had not
been in all he said the sparkle of a bright
mind and the eloquence of strong
thought admirably expressed. His voice
was not as shrill as that of Mr. Stephens,
nor was it the whine we sometimes hear,
but a distinct high note that would have
been monotonous in one less fluent and
graceful in diction.
A few days after the incident detailed
above, Mr. Benjamin introduced to me
his nephew aud private secretary, Mr.
Jules St. Martine, a young gentteman
with the polished manners and culture of
the Parisian schools, in which he had
been educated. This introduction
brought me in pleasant relations with
one near my own age, and in the inter
change of social courtesies enabled me at
times to enjoy the company of the great
counselor without the constraint natural
in one of my comparative youth. Wheth
er because of the small service I had ren
dered in ordering the appointments of
his office, or from the mutual regard
that St. Martine and I formed for each
other, it wa.s not long before I found, at
the proper time, that the department of
law was the most agreeable placed to me
about the executive building. Without
an exception, Mr, Benjamin was the
most entertaining person I have ever
met. His manners were perfectly easy
without being too familiar; genial, with
out a loss of personal dignity and cordial
without any degree of annoying persist
ance, Always in a good humor, -eady
for any emergency, wonderfully fluent
in language, quick at repartee, strong in
thought and perfect in diction, he would
become the centre of interest in an intel-
ligent eompanv anywhere in the civil
ized world. The ease with which he
could be approached and his indisposi
tion to even appear rude caused him no
little acquaintance and at times would
really retard the despatch of business in
his department. To provide against this,
when subsequently he became secretary
of war, a s eeial bureau was created and
interposed between the genial secretary,
and the outside world. This was denom
inated the “Bureau of War, 'and at its
head was placed the very opposite of Mr.
I Benjamin in every social trait, l>r. A.
T. Bledsoe, tlie distinguished philoso
pher of Virginia.
Of Mr Benjamin as a jurist I was not
prepared at that time to form a proper
opinion. There were, however, men of
mature judgments, and able southern
barristers, who placed him in the very
front rank of his profession, while his ca
reer in tlie Senate of the United States
had evidenced his accomplishments as a
constitutional lawyer. It was an appre
ciation of his ability’ that prompted Mr.
Davis to invite him to become the legal
adviser of the Confederate Executive,
and no outside pressure, such as lias too
often placed men of inferior capacity in
places of so much responsibility.
The remark made by Mr. Benjamin
“that the law of the question had been
established” was fully explained by sub
sequent events. The commencement of
hostilities between the sections, which
soon followed, closed the doors of the
temple of Reason, and left the written
and the unwritten law to moulder in the
dust or to be outraged by the vandalism
of passion. Beyond such direction as he
was called upon to give the action of the
government in conforming it to the con
stitution of the Confederacy and the gen
eral principles of international law, Mr.
Benjamin found but little to tax the pow
ers of his mind or to bring into requisi
tion the vast amount of legal Knowledge
he had acquired. The matters of detail
were disposed of by his efficient assistant,
Hon. Wade Keys, of Montgomery, Ala.,
himself an able lawyer, who had held a
distinguished position among the jurists
of his State.
Upon the withdrawal of Gen. Walker
from the cabinet of Mr. Davis, Isis place
was at once filled by the appointment of
Mr. Benjamin, who brought to the ar
duous duties ol this responsible position
his lucid mind and wonderful capacity
for labor. Much complaint had been
made of tlie want of system and despatch
of business in this department of the pub
lic service, which had grown into such
magnitude by the exigencies of the war
as really to have absorbed, in connection
with the treasury, most of tlie active
functions of the government. Here, as
in the law department, Mr. Benjamin re
flected his systematic habits, and won,
even from the critical West Pointers, the
applause justly due to his indefatigable
energies. My r own duties,as well as those
properly belonging to others in responsi
ble positions, prevented my meeting the
secretary as often at Richmond as I had
while we were in Montgomery, but there
were now and then opportunities offered
in social life which I gladly embraced to
share with friends the charm of his com
pany.
It was shortly after Mr. Benjamin be
came Secretary of War that I resigned
my position as chief clerk and disbursing
officer of the treasury department ana
enteied the army. Notices of the hand
some souvenir presented to me by those
with whom 1 had been so pleasantly as
sociated, appearing in the Richmond pa
pers, I received among others the follow
ing note from Mr. Benjamin, which 1
incorporated in these memoirs as a record
of his kindly spirit, which expressed
itself in some way to all who were
brought in official or social relations with
him :
Richmond, Ya., Feb, 23,1*62.
Dear Sin:—l am pleased to see in the news
papers of this morning the recognition of your
services, made in so handsome a manner, hy
your associates in the treasury. Permit me to
unite my own well wishes with those of youi
other friends, and to hope that the out-door life
of a soldier may fully restore you to health.
With sin. ere regards, very truly yours,
J. P. Benjamin.
With my commission as an officer in
the army I received orders requiring me
to report for duty to Geu. Magruder, at
Yorktown. On reporting, a few days
thereafter, I found that my considerate
friend had preceded my arrival with a
note to the general, which made my way
into the Court of Prince John as easy to
me as I could have desired.
In referring to these matters of person
al attention my object is not to preserve
the mere fact of a pleasant social relation
with the eminent subject of this sketch
so much a3 it is to refute the unfounded
statements which have been made public
by the cynical spirit of his Richmond
critic. Mr Benjamin wa3 not “a selfish
Jew, who made his own agrandizement
the leading purpose of his life.” On the
contrary he was utterly unselfish, gener
ous even to an avowed enemy and kind
in the impulses of his nature, especially
to those in inferior stations. It is only
very small people who are constantly'
looking up to the great but never regard
ing those who by any accident of circum
stances may be their inferiors. Nor was
Mr. Benjamin “a pork eating Jew with
out a principle, who could not aspire
beyond the service of a master,” as a dis
tinguished Georgian has expressed in his
vigorous opinion. Jew he undoubtedly
was by lineage and in faith, one who had
a reason for his faith. I have never lis
tened to a more eloquent tribute than I
have heard from him when discoursing
on the characters of David, the hero, the
ruler and the man, or the devoted pa
triotism of Queen Esther; a Jew, withal
who honored the traditions as well as the
records of his strong race. Judged by
the standard of certain Christian socie
ties his social life may not have reflected
the sanctity of professed puritan ethics,
but if there were these expressions of a
genial nature in hours of relaxation, no
one ever heard him blaspheme the name
j of his Jehovah or knew him guilty of a
j dishonorable act. In allying himself
with the cause of the Confederacy Mr.
I Benjamin was actuated b>' higher con
! siderations than time service of a “mas
ter.” The attachments of his life-long
associations had given birth to a genuine
love for the land and the people of the
cypress and the vine. It was this moral
force, sanctioned by the convictions that
NUMBER 5.
the cause was just that prompted him to
resign his seat in the United States Sen
ate and devoted the energies of his mind
to the service ot the Confederacy. The
earnestness of his service from the be
ginning to the bitter end, his maul}' ut
terances and logical state papers clearly
exhibit the sincerity of his convictions
and are alone sutlicient to negative the
assertion that ho was moved by
mercenary considerations. During the
year 18S0 my attention was called to a
severe stricture on his professions ot pa
triotic devotion to the Confederate cause,
which appeared in one of our prominent
journals. I sent this article to Mr. Ben
jamin, expecting, if lie replied to my let
ter, some expression which would recall
the sentiments ot patriotism I had often
heard expressed by him in the days gone
by. The following answer did not dis
appoint me:
Thk Temple, London, March, 12, isso.
11. L>. Capers, Esq.:—My Dear Sir—l am in
receipt this morning of your letter, with its en
closure, and desire to tliauk you for your kindly
expressions. I recall, with much pleasure, the
associations of my official life at Montgomery
and in Richmond, remembering well the geutlo
man who pays me so pleasant a visit this morn
ing. Laborious professional duties so much oc
cupy my time that I rarely read more than the
telegrams in our newspapers and but seldom
see those from the United States. lam not,
however, indifferent to the opinions of those of
our Southern people who were true to the cause
they expressed and have not, in their misfor
tunes, deserted their principles. While I have
a contempt for those who, for any considera
tion, untruthfully represent either the cause or
the men who were honestly engaged in it. I
heartily appreciate any effort to preserve the
facts for a future historian. In all probability
my residence for the residue of life will be in
England, yet, in the most loyal of hearts, I will
ever cherish the deepest affection for the laud
in which the vigor of my manhood w as nourish
ed, and for the gallant people who so often hon
ored me with their copfldenco. It is needless to
t ay to you that the article you send me is vicious
ly false. Its venomous spirit can do me no
harm and provokes my pity for the meanuess
of the author, while it merits only contempt.
History cannot be written to suit the oapic.es of
individuals. In the years to come, when preju
dices have been buried beneath the wreck of our
revolution, those who have been faithful in the
discharge of duty will llud their plaee in a re
cord upon whose pages will be written no sin
gle line, by the hand of a passionate scribbler.
Again, thanking you for your kind letter and
with assurances of sincere regards, I am re
spectfully yours, J. P. Benjamin.
FROM FOLK.
Ckdartown, Feb. 23, 1885.
Editors Courant: —Polk Superior Court,
after having a two week’s session, ad
journed last Friday evening till the 2d
Monday in June, when we will have an
adjourned term of one week. Judge
Branham disposes of business rapidly
and pleasantly. There were only fifteen
true bills found by one grand jury,
which is a very good argument of prohi
bition, when we remember that while
whisky was sold in Polk, there were an
average near one hundred per term ot
eourt.
While on the subject of prohibition
and temperance, we desire to call atten
tion to an extract that I clipped from a
paper two or three weeks ago. It is this:
“That George Washington usually drank
five glasses of wine at dessert,” and the
writer goes on to say he “never heard of
liis being drunk. He was not opposed
to the moderate use of liquor, and when
he was first elected to the House of Bur
gesses of Virginia, among the items of
his election expenses, were a hogshead
and a barrel ot whisky, thirty-five gal
lons of wine and forty-three gallons of
beer.”
Such a statement as the above have a
tendency to injure George’s character
both as to sobriety and his honesty in
politics, and what we wish to say is,
that we have known George nearly ever
since we have known anyone, and wo
never heard of his drinking so much
wine before, and we do not believe he
he used so much whisky and wine and
beer in treating his constituents, and
drinking and spreeing around with them
for the purpose of getting an
office. George was not that kind of a
man, and no one can come in at this late
day aud publish such things on him
without meeting an emphatic denial from
us. We have always been a friend to
George, and now, that he is dead, no
one shall attack his good name with im
punity. _ G.
Little Robert Williams, described by
the New York Tribune as a six-year-old
flaxen-haired boy, is delivering temper
ance lectures in that city. That journal
adds: “Last evening he took the plat
form meekly and at once surprised the
audience with the manner in which ho
delivered an oration on the evils of in
temperance. The composition abounded
in big words and long phrases, yet the
precocious little fellow did not falter or
hesitate once. He not only assumed the
voice, but also the gestures of a Lilipu
tian Brutus, nor did occasional laughter
at his comical earnestness embarass him
in the least.”
James Gordon Bennett’s yacht Xamou
na has been provided with one of the
dense air machines, which is able to pro
duce one thousand pounds of ice per day.
Yet it is so compact that It occupies a
space only seven feet long, four wide and
four high. The cold air above what is
needed for making ice is used for cooling
two refrigerator rooms, one of which
holds the bulk of supplies in the hold
and the other contains the temporary
stock of provisions on the lower deck.
The machine is worked with 9team from
the main boiler and has the advantage of
being easily handled and taking up little
room.
They say that Mr. William H. Vander
bilt’s fortune has, by unfortunate in
vestments, dwindled down to one-half
what it was in 1881, and that noyv he is
worth barely .$100,000,000.
Toe Cocraxt allows liberal commis
sions to all its agents. Write for terms
aud begin work at once.