The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, June 08, 1886, Image 1
lfe7QL' 2 ABBEVILLE, S. C., TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 1886. NO. 40.
yv ?
\ B&'thof the Confederacy.
[Washington Letter in N. Y. World.]
f - <4No, air. was not with Mr. Davis a
Montgomery this week to hear him pro
/ nounce what you are pleased to call tin
funeral oration of the Confederacy.
W?S there with him twenty-fivo yean
ago and hoard him make a speecl
?; n?uoh more cheerful. It was his inau
gural as President?the baptismal ser
vice you might call it?of the Confed
t eracy. 1 was ono of the mashal's aid!
Oj^that occasion, and represented South
'C Carolina.''
The speaker, chatting with a group o
5 his friends in the parlor of the Xationa
iv, Hotel, was Col. Ilenry D. Capers, o
Georgia. He has been hero for severa
?? m^tb^cf.ni^Ui^erect figure and gallan
bearing are much renTT!W^ed. He wai
private secretary of the firstVCxnaCgderati
secretary of the treasury, and his^V^
p. . miniscences of ihe babyhood cf the
short-lived government nre an interosting
<*. . volume. The bitterest Nortliener cannot
begrudge the pathfos fh the spectaclc
I of Jefferson Davis, a solitary old man,
ttfv grey and feeble, standing up to speak in
the memorial service of the rebellion,
upon the -steps of the very Capitol
where he first stood forth its chief, in
.the prime of his manly strength and the
first flush of its hopes, on the 18th February,
1861. How many he must miss
of the high-hearted, hot-blooded South
: chivalry who stood proudly around
r.hftn that day !
The 18th of February, 1861, was a
beautiful Southern daj\ says Col. Cafe
pers. The sun beamed down on the
nptal occasion like a happy father, and
a soft southwest wind was lifting the
leaves of the magnolia that twined with
: / the laurel in many a large festoon about
jt^e Corinthian columns of the capitol,
: An immense Concourse of the people
^y^jpithered to the inauguration, but so
^ solemn were the ceremonies and so#?ar|g,;./nest
were the people, that Ool. Capers,
ftx .fritting on horseback in the outskirts ol
i\', the throng, heard distinctly every word
the eloquent opening prayer of Dr
Manly. The venerable divine and Vice5^-president-elect
Stephens rode in the
carriage with Mr. Davis, and Howell
$;*Qobb, president of t}ie convention, ad$! mi
n ate red the oath of office. Mr. Davif
/Bpoke his inaugural quietly, but distinct^'
Jy, and upon taking the oath raised his
toward heaven and reported the
' concluding words, wSo help ine God.'' ir
* a tone so strong and clear that thej
could be heard by every ono present
There was a reception that night and t
^ brilliant ball. C. G. -Memminger, ol
South Carolina, was appointed secretary
r, of treasury, and on the 20th Col. Caper?
?. whom he selected as his private secre
jg tary opened their office in the Commer'
cial building/ The accomodations were
*; limited, but convenient. There' was n
i banking office on the ground floor. The
; * State, treasury, war, navy and law departments
of tho new Government set'tied
down in the twelve rooms on the
- second story, none of them very large
Young Capers took possession "of then
office, swept out tho cobwebs and dusi
himself, got in a few articles of furnl
tune, tacked a card on the door, hireei
An offico boy and waited two whol<
days before anybody came to do busi
pT. ness.
^ Then came a tall, soldierly-lookinf
Pf: man with an eager step and the unmistakable
air of business. He wanted t<
^vftee the secretary at once upon an impor
? tant matter. He handed the young pri
' vato secretary an official note and hur
riniUv BfiiH
? UI ain Capt. Deas, sir, late of th<
"United States army. I have been in
$1etructcd by President Davisj whose not<
Wi I hand you, to provide rations ant
p blankets for one hundred m?n who hav?
^ reported to hiin for duty in the army.
|^?want the money, air, to carry out the or
/'! der of tho President."
?1'-/ Col. Capers assured the Captain tha
? ' he was both willing and anxious, thi
men should bo filled and covered, bu
lie added, shaking out a purse that con
tained something less than five dol
lam:
*/ / "I have been on considerable of i
V: frolic for the last two weeks in Mtfnt
MimiiviT anil mw ? ? - -i J t- " - ?
bvu>ulj, ?..? ??j uii?tivcu ?r?: ui uiis mu
I _ pretty low. This is all the mone;
X am able to vouch for as being in th
treatury department of the Confederal
0, States at thi^r time."
&.{?. Patiiotiam couldn't be allowed to r
tan fed, and uhblanketed, however, an
after-some delay the money wns raise
on the private credit of^Ir. Metnininger.
The soldiers thus equipped were a company
of Georgians, commanded by Cap*.
t George Washington Lee. They were
the first body of troops enlisted by the
^ Confederacy.
^ When their provisional Congress f ro,
vided for a ltfan of $15,000,000 "to meet
j the emergencies of Government," they
thereby provided another emergency.
The Government had no paper to print
their bonds, certificates and notes upon.
They managed to get the chief ingrex
dient of paper money credit very well,
but stuck fast a while for lack of what is
P usually comparatively valueless. The
j paper mills of the South made oniy the
ordinary newspaper and the common
j wrapping paper of the shops. The finer
t manufactories of the country lay north
of the line of separation. G. 13. Lamar,
president of tho Bank of the Republic,
in New York, acting as agent for the
^3VfifelVv^aie i~AS?rnnient, arranged to
have the work done by tlTe
Bank Note Company, but when the
bonds and notes were all handsomely
printed and ready to be shipped the
secret service officers of the National
Government swooped down and confiscated
the whole batch. The difficulty
of finding paper and engravers was not
solved until.tho removal of the Government
from Montgomery to Richmond.
( The Richmond paper mills were finally
able to furnish a sort of bank note pa^
per, but the first issue was printed by a
firm Of Q^erman engravers in Richmond
' on paper smuggled through, thi lines
from Baltimore. Tho proof-sheet, of
eight one-hundred dollar bills, was far
I from handsome, but they were in a hurrjr
and they approved it. It is now in tho
possession of Col. Capers, and bears
upon the back of it this incription, mado
at the time, in the hand-writing of See|
retary Memminger :
"When the money-changers become
familiar with the peculiar features of
these uncanny bills it will boas difficult
j. to pass a counterfeit as if they wtro cn^
graved on steel by an expert; maybe
more so." " * . '
Secretary Memminger seems to have
been both a wit and a philosopher.
| Unattractive as they were in appearance
and uncertain in the promise they
expressed, they passed at par in sevsral
sea ports of Dixie "for at least a month,"
as Col. Capers carefully puts it, "after
they were issued." Several large bills
of exchange were bought in London
f and Paris at par. But the financial
boom of the Confederacy didn't last
long. When it came to be August, '61,
P the Canal and Citizens' banks in New
Orleans were the only ones handling
Confederate moi.cj' at par. On the 9th
of August even they suspended specie
payments, notif3Ting tho Richmond authorities
of their intention two days in
advance by a private cipher dispatch.
Col. Capers has the original of this dispatch,
in pursuance of which the Government
made quite a saving speculation
for itself l>y buying up all foreign
exchange it could lay its handi ^>n in
^ New Orleans, Mobile, Savannah, Chart
Icston and Richmond during the two
days of grace.*
j Col.- Capers's recollection of those
early days of the* war are a continuous
story of makeshifts and expedients.
The young Government lived from
hand to mouth. One of the first naval
' officers to report for duty was Rapheal
Scmtnes. afterwards commander of the
> Alabama. He was on hand before
they had a deck for him to stand on and
worked for a short time in the treasury
department at Montgomery. A merchant
vessel was soon bought and Renames,
after inspecting her, returned to Montgomery
and announced to his fellowclerk,
Col. Capers :
"She is a good craft, sir. a good craft.
When I have strengthened hor timbers
and cut her down to fighting trim,.ray
word for it, she will do brave work,
^ Bir.'f
She was accordingly altered and arm.
ed and with Semmes nn her nnart?r.d?r>k
1 made good his prediction to the dire
cost of such as went down to the sea in
ships under the Stars and Stripes in
those days. The vessel waB the Sum.
a . .
ter.
BKMMRS WH1TTLBB FOR HIS PA>EB8. ,,
y But when she was ready to sail and
e her register made out. it was discovered
e at the last moment that the treasury department
of the Confederate States had
o no seal. There xwu<n't an engraver tc
d be found in Montgomorey, and Semmet
d was impatient to get his papers and b(
off. So ha ftnd Col. Cftperl, Aided by t
handy young army utifgeoft, and at th<
expense of two or three penknives
carved a rude seal upon a piece of box
wood, which met the immediate need
Semmes got His register, and the Sum
ter set sail under the Stars and Bars
There was quite a time over the adopt
ion of that flag. A considerable num
nor were in iavor 01 sucKing 10 tno oic
flag, with slight modifications, but Mr
Miles, of South Carolina, chairman o
the Congressional flag committee, argu
ed at length, in his report against this
sentimental idea, and added, by way o
a clincher, that Liberia and the Sand
wich Islands had flags very similar t<
ours, and the committee was not dis
posed, therefore if for no other reason
4ito kt-.ep, copy or imitate it. They havt
no inclination to borrow second-hanc
what has already been pilfered or ap
propriated by a free negro community
and a race of savages.
A ^ The very first Confederate flag tha
the 8uiT^v?r^^.^y ilol. Capers cestifies
was hoisted by JudgiTvClitherall a
Montgomery. He was in the cotrtftdenci
of the flag committee, and as soon a5
they told him the design selected he got
his lady friends together and had one
made. On the day the committee was
to report to Congress ho mounted the
roof of the Capitol, fixed his flag to the
halyards of the staff and waited.
The recommendation of the commit
tee was approved. He got his signal
from below, and in the twinkling of an
eye the new ensign of the South was
floating proudly in the caresses of the
gentle March wind. The news spread
quickly through the city, and when
Judge Clitherall shouted down from his
lofty perch, "Three cheers for the Confederate
flag" the crowd answered with
a mighty greeting that, it was thought
at the time, must have given ain earache
to tho bronze statue on the dome of the
far Northern Capitol.
The Nation's Bride.
Washington, June 2.?The White
House was entirely closed to visitors
to-day, and the usual afternoon reception
by.tho President was omitted. Inside
all was bustle and confusion in
preparation for the wedding. Several
express wagons unloaded numerous
packages of various sizes at the main
entrance, and they were at once remorcd
from sight. Some wero ad
dressed to the President, some to Miss
Folsoin, some to Col. aLmont and one
to "Mrs. Grjver Cleveland." The
roost of them were undoubtedly wedding
presents.
THE WKDDIKO OOKST3 ARRIIVNO.
President Cleveland was marriod tc
Miss Folsom at 7:25 this p. m. Aboul
half-past six o'clock the wedding guests
began arriving, their carriages rolling
up to the main door of the Mansiot
through the great iron gates on Pennsylvania
avenue. The first nrrival was
Secretary Lamar at 6:37. He wat
closely followed by Rev. Dr. Sunderland
and wife, and during the next few
minutes there came in quick successior
Postmaster-General Vilas and wife, anc
Wilson S. Bissol, Secretary and Mrs
Whitney, and Secretary Manning anc
nrifo PomnvSn? Knit* ^ *
iTivt Aiviiivf nig viicii if la^ia in till
State dining1 room all the guests pro
ceeded to the Blue room, where thej
were received by Miss ltose Cleve.
land.
MENDELSSOHN'S WEDDINO MARCH.
For a few moments the guests chat
ted gaily, but conversation quickly sus
pended at 7:15 p. m., when the select
ed orchestra from the Marine Banc
stationed in the corridor struck up th<
familiar strains of the Wedding Marct
from Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night')
Dream, and all eyes turned to the door
way to catch the first glimpse of th<
coming bride and groom. Startiuf
from tho western corridor on the uppei
story, the President came slowly dowi
tho western stair case with his brid<
leaning on his arm. They were unac
companied, even tho bride's mothe
waiting her with tho other guests.
BRIDE AND GROOM IK THE BLUE ROOM
Passing through the central corrido
the bride and groom entered the Blu<
room and took a position near its South
I ern?wal1, which wfcs completely hiddei
i from sight by a mass of nodding palm?
' tropical grasses and endless variety o
I choice flowers. The orystal chandelie
> poured a flood o'f mellow radiance oi
t the scene, and tho colors of massir
> banks of scarlet begonias and roy%
i jacqueminot roses, mingled with the
? olive and silver tints of the frescoed
, walls ftnu ceiling, gave a warm and
- glowing tone to the whole brilliant in.
terior. The delicate ivory shades of
- the bride's wedding gown found an ex.
quisite setting in the masses of crimson
- roses immediately beyond.
The President was in full evening
1 dress with turndown collar, white neck.
tie and white enameled studs. A hush
f fell on the assembly as Dr. Sunderland
- stepped forward to his place fronting
> the wedding couple with Rev. William
f Cleveland (tho President's brother) at
- his left hand. In a distinct tone of
> voice, and with deliberate, utterance,
the Doctor bi:gan the simple and beautif\
1 J J! '
, iui wuuumg service.
* CONGRATULATIONS OF ALT. PRESENT.
* At the conclusion of the ceremony
Mrs. Folsom, showing traces of deep
' emotion, was the first to tender her congratulations
to the newly married pair.
1 jshe was followed by Miss Cleveland,
' Rev. Mr. Cleveland and other relatives
1 and friends in turn. \Vhilo the congratu"
lotions were in progress the band,
Tbioilcr the leadership of Prof. Sousa,
perfornWid_ Bridal Chorus and
March frouT^^ohengrin, and to this
music the Presiderht and his wife led
the way into tho stately East Room.
The adornments of this noftilehall were
in keeping with its majestic pro^Sftftions,
and its ample space and brilliant illqmp**,
nation afforded opportunity for a fitting ;
display of the ladies' toilets. 1
THE DRESS OF THE BRIDE.
!
The bride wore an enchanting wedding
dress of ivory eatin, simply garn(
ished, high corsage, with India muslin
crossed in Grecian folds and carried in
PTnniaitp fnllo nf aininlimfrw
P?*>W? Vf VI 11IC
pctticoat. The oiange blossom garni,
ture commencing on the veiliaa superb
, coronet is continned thnHRHNit the
coHtume with artteiSc skill. TfejCsreil 6f
tulle, about,five yards in leng&, completely
en^Ioped her, falling to the
edge of the petticoat in front and ex
tending the length of her full. courtt
train. She carried no Bowers and
wore no jewelry except an engagement
ring with a sapphire and two diai
monds.
~ AT T1IB WKDDINO SUPPER
1 From the east room- the company
1 proceeded, after a season of promenad'
ing and conversation, to the family din'
ing room, where the weeding supper
1 was served.
1 The decorations, of the Executive
! Mansion were of an elaborate character
' and. in the language of one of the oldest
employes, "it never presented a handsomer
appearance." The various public
gardens in the city and many private
t conservatories here and in the other
I cities contributed their choicest plants
> and flowers to lend beauty and fragance
I to the RCBIlfi. Of COlirRft tho hllin rnnm
. where the ceremony was performed,
i occupied the principal attention of the
i decorators. Their work was certanly
. well done. It was transformed into a
l veritable bower of beauty
I THE BRII>Ali COUPLE STEALS AWAY.
I There was no formal order observed
in the supper room but the collation
I was served and the guests sat at small
, tables or slowly promenaded the room as
they discussed the menu and chatted
r over the event. Elegantly designed
souvenirs of satin boxes, containing
dainty slices of bridal cake, and each
one bearing a hand painted monogram,
'4C. F.,'* were received with great admiration.
While the orchestra .was plaj'???
#*r ;t- n~i??: ?j
1 **?jf vug vi ivr? aiap|iicob autuiibiuil^ <111(4
I the guests wore gathered about the
tables, the bride quietly slipped away
| to her room and changed her wedding
i for a heavy gray silk travelling dress.
She then returned to her company and
} was soon after joined by the President,
who had, in the meantime changed his
dress suit for a trarillfngj costume. This
| was about 8.30, and the President and
his bride safd a hasty "good bye" to
their friends and left the house through
the private exit from the red room into
the south ground. A close carriage
awaited them, and as they entered and
' the horses started off a shower of rice
r was thrown on the canriage and their
e friends waved them final "God-speed"
" from the rear porch. It was expected
1 that the President would try to slip
'? away unobserved, and in order to pref
vent this a number of newspaper men
m * ujiL ? - -
?. statationea wemseives near ine southn
west ontrance to the grounds with car0
riagcs convenient to follow the PresU
\\ dent in caeo he sho'uld make hisoxit by
:
.... .. .
that gate. This was reported to the
President, so he instructed his driver
to go out of tho grounds by another
and almost uuused route, nnd in that
wny he avoided the reporters altogeth- <
er.
His carriage was driven direct to the 1
Baltimore & Ohio llailroad station, ]
where a special train was in waiting i
to take the President and his bride to ]
Deer Park. They were escorted through i
the station and irto the car provided i
lor inem wmioiu attracting attention i
and at 9 p. m. the train started oT to its
destination. i
The President and his bride were *
wholly unaccompanied on this journey, i
They will probably remain at Dpcr
Park about a week, during: which time
they will occupy a small cottage atached
to the hotel, which has not yet'opened
for the season. - i
OUTSIDE THIS WHITE HOUSE.
Other weddings have occurred at the
White House, eight in all, but never be
fore to-day has the highest dignitary in
the land bowed his head within its historic
walls to receive the blessing of the
church on his union in the holy bonds
of matrimony. From the very dawn of
the wedding day the city seemed alive
to the approaching c\<fnt. Little knots
of idlers talked it over on sidewalks in
front of the hotels. Sedate matrons
gossiped as they passed alon^ the streets
and bevies of laughing girls chatted and
sp?*culatod about the coming momentous
ceremfH^y. If there be truth in the
anchient iulSyjo, a happy bride will reign
in the White nfc^use. for though the day
opened a gray andSftUfJirless sky, with
shadows resting on the eaTWv^yet as
it grew older the "elements seemecf"^i>
relent, and little by little the sun forced *
his rays through the unwilling clouds
until his broad beams fell in generous
abundance on the soft green sward of
the trim park encompassing the White
House, bringing out in high relief the '
simple yet stately, white columns of the 1
time-honorod home of Presidents, crystalizing
in prismatic hues the sparkling
spray of the fountains and cresting
with gold the foliage of the grand old
trees. \
Just as the wedding ceremony began,
a Presidential salute was fired by a battery
of artillery near the river, and the
chime bells of the Metropolitan M. E.
Church pealed forth the Mendelsshon
wedding march, and the bells in the
other churches joined in the happy
salute.
Contrary to expectation, the President
wore white gloves at his wedding.
The gentlemen present at the wedding
were not fortunate enough to receive
a salute from the bride, who confined
her kisses to the ladies. Otherwise
the ceremony was orthodox in
form. The Executive Mansion will bo
open to-morrow, and photographers
have already received permission to
perpetuate pictorially the eleborate decorations
of the interior.
The arrangements of the day's event
wero under the control and personal
management of Col. Lamont, and they
worked so smoothly and satisfactorily as
to earn for him universal commendation
and compliment. 1 *
Victoria's message?foreign comment.
London, June 2.?The Queen has
sent the following cable to President .
Cleveland :
"Pray accept my sincere congratulations
on your marriage, and my be?i
wishes for your happiness.
[Singned] Victoria."
London, June 3.?The Daily Telegraph,
this morning, commenting on
President Cleveland's marriage, says it
waft a graceful act on the part of Mr.
Cleveland to show that the President of
the United States does not dcrograte
from his olalted position by making his
wedding of the plainest simplest charac
lur.
At a recent dinner party the subject
of eternal life and future punishment
came up for a lengthy discussion, in
which Mark T Tain, who was present,
took no part. A lady near him turned
suddenly towards him, and exclaimed:
"Why do you -not say anything ? I
want your opinion." Tw*in replied
gravely : "Madame, you must excuse
me; I am silent of necessity ; I have
friends in both places."
A child often get* more .real mental
culture from browsing at will inits fathers
library ttan it gets from all its acbool
lessons .?April Atlantic.
IP I
The Ex-Confederate Generals.
[Cincinuatti Enquirer.J
Gen. Marcus J. Wright, an ex-Confederate
officer, who has charge of the publication
of the rebellion records under
the auspiees of the war department,
gives the following as to the whereabouts
and occupations of the more
prominent Generals of the Confedarate
army. Of the six full Generals appointed
by the Confederate Congress only /
two survive?Joseph E. Johnson, now
United States commissioner of railroads
and (i. T. Beauregard, adjutant-general
of Louisana and manager of the Louisiana
Lottery drawings. Of the twenty
lieutenant generals appointed to the
provisional army several are living. E.
Kirby Smith is professor of mathematics
in the University of the South, Tennessee,
which is an Episcopal institution.
James Longstreet is keeping ft hotel
clown in Georgia, after serving m term
there as United States marshal under
President Hayes. D. H. Hill of North
Carolina, was till recently president of
the Agricultural School of the State of
Arkansas and now earns a living chiefly
by magazine writing. Itiohard Taylor,
son of President Taylor, is engnged in
building a canal near New Orleans.
Stephen D. Lee is a fanner .and president
of the State Agricultural College
of Mississippi. Jubal A. Earley practices
law at Lynchbnrg, although his
chief support is derived from his connection
with the Louisana Lottery Company.
Of the major generals, A. P. Stewart
is now president of the University of
Mississippi at Oxford, where Secretary
Latnar was a professor at the time of his
auction to to the United States Senate.
Wade^flAftlV^JLon is in the Senate. Joseph
VVheelor is in "CoH^sress. He is very
wealthy and one of the large&t .planters in
Alabama. Jno B. Gordon is a mniVonaiie
railroad man and figured conspicuously^ ^
at the Montgomery celebration. Gen, ;
Loring, of Florida, was engineering in \
Egypt until a few years ago, when ho f
came to Now York to work at the same
profession. B. F. Cheatham was recently
appointed postmaster at Nashville,
Tenn., b3r President Cleveland. Sam
Jones, of Virginia, is in the judge advocate
general's office. Lafayotto McLaws
is postmaster at Savannah, Ga.
L. B. Buckner lives in Louisville, Ky.,
where he owns a great deal of real estate,
the revenue of which supports him.
L. B. French earns a scanty subsistence
by engineering in Georgia. C. L. Stephenson
is in Fredericksburg, Va, John >
?1. Forney, brother of Congressman
man Forney, is in an insane asylum at
Sclma, 'Ala. Abney H. Maury is in
Washington, ugont for a New York life
insurance coinpan}'. John G. Walker is
also in in the insurance business here,
Isaac R. Trimble lives in retirement ju
Baltimore on a fortune derived from the
Trimblb whiskey. Gen. Heth is employed
by the Government to do engineering
on some Southern rivers. Cadmus
Wilcox was formerly employed
about the Senate Chambor, but is now
in retirement, writing a history of tho
Mexican war.. FiUhugh Leo is Governor
of - Virginia. Extra Billy Smith
practices law at Warrenton Va. Charles
W. Field, once doorkceeper of the
House ia superintendent of the Hot
Springs Reservation. Wm. B. Bate is
Governor of Tennessee. Ww H. F; Lee is
a Fairfax County farmer. C. J. Polignaa
who came over from France to espouse
the Confederate cause, is back in Paris.
.""" f . , " *
busied with immense railroad operations.
9. F. Fagan was marshal of Arkansas
under Grant. He is now at Littlo Rock
William Mahone is in the Senate aa is
E. C. WalthalLof Mississippi, JobnS. . v
Marmaduke is Governor of Missouri and V:;
an aspirant for Senator Cockrell's seat., y
Pierce M. B. Young has gone to Russia
as United States consul general at St.
Petersburg. M. C. Butler is a Senator v
of the United States. Thomas L. Russell,
after making a fortune as attorney
for the Northern Pacific Railroad, has
settled down at his old home, Char
lottcsvillo, Va. G, W. Cutis Lee is
president of Washington and Lee Unversity
at Lexington, Va.
Alabastine, a natural Material for fin
iahing walls, ceilings, rough plaster,
now smoo.h sand finish, a soiled hard
fiuish, painted Walls, wood ceilings, wall
paper, brick, rough boards, canvas, etc.
Superior to and cheaper ihatt jtalsomine. A
Ready for use by adding hottoater. Cun
be mixed by any one. Any houao
pepper can appiy u wnnout the aid er
skilleji labor. For sale only at T. C
Perrin'p Drag Store.