U 7 E 340 .C57 R5 Copy 1 I : IT lL-L 1 ii By III 1 1 DR. FRANKLIN L. RILEY | | 1 1 . . — I 1 I 1 i i T\\ 1 1 J Col. J. F. II. Claiborne LIFE OF COL. J. F. H. CLAIBORNE. By Kr.wki.ix L. Rii.kv. 1 Col. William Claiborne, an ancestor of the subject of this sketch, came from the manor of Claiborne, or Cleborne, West- moreland, England. He settled in Virginia in the reign of Charles I., and was prominently connected with the history of the colony under that sovereign, as well as under Cromwell and Charles II. His spirited struggle for Kent Island won for him the title of "The evil genius of Maryland." William Claiborne, of Richmond, Va., the grandfather of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne, was married to Miss Mary Leigh, an aunt of Hon. Benjamin Watkins Leigh, United States Senator from Vir- ginia. Four sons were born of this union, — Gen. Ferdinand Leigh Claiborne, 2 father of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne; Gov. William Charles Cole Claiborne; 3 Dr. Thomas A. Claiborne; and the Hon. N. H. Claiborne, who was for twenty years a member of Congress from Virginia. 4 Gen. F. L. Claiborne was connected with the army of the United States during the greater part of his life, and died in 1815 from a wound received in the service. His wife was a daughter of Col. Anthony Hutchins, a British officer, who in 1771 obtained from the Crown a large tract of land near Natchez, Miss., in what was then West Florida. The eldest son by this marriage was born near Natchez, April 24, 1807. He was named after a German officer, Baron John 'A biographical sketch of the author of this paper will be found in God- speed's Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi, and in Who's Who in America for 1 001- 1902 and 1902-3.— Editor. - A sketch of Gen. Claiborne's life will be found in Claiborne's (J. F. II.) Mississippi as a Province, Territory and State, p. 333. ct seq. 3 A sketch of Gov. Claiborne will be found in Ibid, p. 250. et seq. An account of his career as Governor of Mississippi will be found in Ibid., ch. XXII., and of his connection with Louisiana history in Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, Vol. III., pp. 247-250. 4 Campbell's History of Virginia contains numerous references to the Claiborne family. (217) 2 i8 Mississippi Historical Society. Francis Hamtramck, 5 who had served as colonel of the First regi- ment of United States infantry, Wayne's legion, in which the father had been captain and adjutant. A few years after the death of Gen. Claiborne his eldest son was sent to relatives in Virginia to be educated. Four years later he began the study of law in the office of his cousin, Hon. Benjamin Watkins Leigh, of Richmond. Having suffered shortly afterwards from a slight hemorrhage, he decided to return to the warmer climate of his childhood home. He resumed his studies in the office of Griffith & Quitman, of Natchez, but becoming alarmed at the condition of his health, he again gave up his work and went to Cuba, for the double purpose of regaining his physical vigor and of studying the Spanish lan- guage. His health rapidly improved, and six months later he was back in Virginia studying law in the school of Gen. Alexander Smythe, at Wytheville. In less than a year thereafter he com- pleted his course and was admitted to the bar. On account of his delicate constitution he abandoned his inten- tion of settling in Liberty, Bedford county, Va., and returned to Natchez. When he reached that place he found the country greatly excited over the second presidential contest between Adams and Jackson. The young lawyer, being an ardent Demo- crat, was drawn into the contest in behalf of Gen. Jackson. In compliance with a request of the Democratic executive committee he took temporary control of a paper which was then published in Natchez by the venerable Andrew Marschalk. Mr. Claiborne's valuable services as a writer and speaker soon attracted wide- spread attention, and having once entered upon a political career he found it difficult to extricate himself therefrom. Yielding to the solicitations of his friends, he became a Democratic candidate for the Legislature from Adams county before he had reached his 2 ist year. He was elected for three successive terms, "each time by an increasing majority." In 1833 ms friends insisted upon his becoming a candidate for Speaker of the lower House of the Legislature, but he declined an election, which it is thought would have been well nigh unanimous, and used his influence in behalf of his relative, Col. Joseph Dunbar, of Jefferson county, who was elected without a dissenting vote. In December, 1830, Mr. Clai- ~° A brief sketch of Baron Hamtramck will be found in Lossing's Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution, p. 53. Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne.— Riley. 219 borne delivered a speech which was probably the most eloquent and pretentious effort made by him during his services as a mem- ber of the Legislature. It was in defense of a bill for the relief of Jefferson College, and was devoted for the most part to a dis- cussion of "the expediency of adopting a .system of domestic edu- cation, and its absolute necessity in a free government." Although this speech was rather ornate, it showed a depth of knowledge and a brilliancy of imagination seldom excelled by a young man of twenty-three years. The following extract therefrom will show the style of Mr. Claiborne's early oratorical efforts as well as the spirit of the speaker : "Where then, Sir, let me again inquire, where are you to educate your sons? Will you send them to the cities and colleges of the eastern States * * * * \Vill you drag them from their native soil, to grow up sickly exotics in a northern hot-house? Send them to the North and you change their habits; you tear away all those strong associations of child- hoodT those feelings and affections, that vegetate only under the parental roof. You give a new tendency to character, perhaps a worse destiny to your child ***** Sir, I do not wish to alarm parental sensi- bilities: but in nine cases out of ten the dissipated circle of students at the eastern colleges, the 'Knights of the Round Table' and the gentlemen of the 'fancy' are made up of the sons of southern planters, who have been compelled, by the parsimonious policy of their own State to send t, abroad and from a mistaken affection, furnish them with an allowance of five hundred to a thousand dollars per annum. Sobriety and industry are not to be expected in a youth of eighteen, suddenly removed from the solitude of a country residence and from the elbow chair of a father or mother to the company of a hundred volatile young men. who teach him that tutors are tyrants and disobedience a virtue. Prompted by that in- nate dread of control, which prevails in every breast, the temptation be c.o^es tco strong and he scon musters under the standard of rebellion. There is tco, Mr. Speaker, in all colleges, a species of vampire, thai at- tach themselves to t! hern youth— not like the fabulous monster, feeding on human blood, but equally voracious in opening tin- vein, and arteries of the purse. It comes in the garb ol friendship— studies the dis- position of its subject and whether his propensities lead him to the gam- bling table or to more serious meditate n • the closet, still does this vampire cling to its deluded victim, until it g es the last cenl r by some well turned trick at cards or under the more fascinating .name ot benevolence! Thus, sir, is it with the southern youth : 1 urned adrift from the quiet haven into the tempestuous seas, richly freighted, hut with no steersman at the helm, is it strange that they should founder along the the breakers?"" In December, 1828, Mr. Claiborne was married to Miss Martha Dunbar, of Dunharton, near Natchez. They had three children — "A copy of this pamphlet will be found in the Claiborne Historical Col- lection. 220 Mississippi Historical Society. Annie, now Mrs. Clarence Pell, of New York ; Willis Herbert, 7 who died from the effects of wounds received in the War between the States, and Martha, now Mrs. Henry Garrett, of Natchez. About 1833 Mr. Claiborne purchased and removed to what is known as the "Standley Prairie," near the present line of Holmes and Carroll counties. A year or two later he settled in Madison county. Almost immediately thereafter (1835) he was nominated by acclamation as a candidate for Congress by the first Demo- cratic convention that was ever held in the State, of which conven- tion he was not a member. In the canvass which followed, Mr. Claiborne spoke in every county of the State and in every precinct in some of the counties. He was elected by a large majority, but his colleague on the Democratic ticket, Col. B. W. Edwards, was defeated by Gen. David Dickson, an independent candidate. Mr. Claiborne was not only the youngest member of the lower House of Congress when he entered that body, but "the only mem- ber from the west of the mountan" at that time who was a native born citizen of that region. He prudently "held himself in the background" during the greater part of his first year in Con- gress, making his first speech late in the session. Although he was in ill health during this entire session, he was a daily attend- ant on the House, and discharged his duties with commendable promptness and thoroughness. It was through his exertions that the House was induced "in the expiring moments'' of this session (July 2, 1836), to pass a bill establishing what is now known as the Chickasaw School Fund. Gales & Seaton's Register of Debates in Congress con- tains the following suggestive comment upon this act : "This bill is peculiarly interesting to the people of Mississippi. It makes an appropriation out of the Treasury of an amount equal to 5 per cent, on the net proceeds of the sales of the Chickasaw lands, probably $30,000, and authorizes the State to locate other lands in half or quarter sections, or eighths, in lieu of the i6th sections neglected to be secured by the provisions of the treaty; and the land thus located is for the use 7 Shortly before he was twenty-one years of age. Willis II. Claiborne was elected without opposition to represent Hancock county in the lower I louse of the Legislature. At the outbreak of the War between the States, he resigned his seat in the Legislature and entered the Confederate army as a private soldier. While in the service in Virginia he was made captain and major successively. He was afterward transferred to Vicks- lnirg, where he remained until its fall. He then served in the army of Georgia until the close of the war. In his last campaign he received a wound which ultimately resulted in his death. Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne.— Riley. 221 of schools in the twelve counties recently organized in the Chickasaw cession. Alabama is alike interested, but in a smaller degree."" At the beginning of his second session, Col. Claiborne produced a profound impression upon the House by the eloquent and ef- fective way in which he announced the death of his colleague, the Hon. David Dickson. A contemporary account of this event, written by one of his political opponents." reads as follows: "He rose to discharge the painful office under evident and strong em- barrassment; but at last, controlling his feelings, he proceeded t<> offer a few unstudied and generous remarks on the character of the deceased, preparatory to offering the usual resolutions, but before he closed he had won every heart and elicited the sympathies and tears of the assembled multitude. Never did man effect more in so few words; never was a stronger feeling produced by the eloquence of the unpremeditated language of the heart. "Although nothing like effect was aimed at, the speech produced every- thing that could have been desired, and Mr. Claiborne was immediately ranked among the most eloquent orators of the House of Representatives." This short hut eloquent eulogy soon went "the rounds of the British press," and was warmly commended as "a specimen of refined and effective eloquence." The Journals of the House and the public press of the country give ample evidence of the character of Mr. Claiborne's services while a member of Congress. , \\'e are told that "he was placed on the Committee on Foreign Relations at a period when the northeastern boundary involved the question of war or peace.' - He was thus brought into intimate association with some of tin- greatest statesmen of that day. Although he was in feeble health during the greater part of his congressional career, his vigorous and eloquent speeches in "Defence of the Settlers on Public Land," 10 and on the "Doctrine of Contempts," 1 ' established his reputation as an orator and debater. The first of these speeches was made January 4, [837, in reply to the Hon. Clinton Allen, of Kentucky. Referring to it, the New York Evening Post, which was then edited by William Cul- len Bryant, says, in its issue of February _*. [837: "Gales and Seaton's Register of Debates in Congress, XII., 4612; also Congressional Globe, Vol. 111.. -i^.v-l- "The Washington Correspondent of the Pennsylvania Inquirer (the lead ing organ of tin- National Whig party), in a letter of Jan. _'.S, 1837, quoted from Lynch's Bench and Bar <-/' Miss., p. 526. '"See the Congressional Globe, Vol. [V . Appendix, pp. 87-9. " See [bid, pp. 2 ?) <> 8. • • : H^tnrical Society. Mississippi Historical 222 . ^ an aWe a dvocate, "The cause of J-* ^SUf ^1^-?^^ t ■ m t he Hon. Mr. C aibo™ : ol t rf the ^ order J and dependent, Possessing ^a tur orname nt to «»e £ deUvered upon rements, be bids fair to on the public doma^ Kentucky, ^Isoeech in defence of the sot mUO n of Mr. Aug. pfQ _ „ , soee ch wiU doubtless just.fy, quoted above: planter or asso- ■•Can the settler conie ^X^^^^VT^^^ dated capital? Can ^P^as^at ^^ by the decert ^ i «'• the lone Indian anu w c i iarn0 is track, ami tu dream of Sounder, as he thread gta dg^ corpse, drjms, tf •„g for fame ere he <««« ' oth er *«*»§" S ,£d blood, will soften wasted roof, and in the untroddei ^ ^ by the law 5 ^ cQm . iilisiiiiiil SffSS^SSd «S *e Messed -— < all , ^ or SXS^CjrtSSSffi*^ - - ius of the s ' been deformea uj Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne. — Riley. 223 stamped with the crude conceptions of feudal times ; fettered with re- strictions dug up from sepulchred centuries. Thus your criminal code in this age of philosophy is founded on the precepts of Draco. The dungeon and the scaffold do their work as they did a thousand years ago; and the Promethian light of science that we hold in our hands, serves hut to show the skeletons of the victims shut up for debt, who have perished amid the death damps of your jails and your prisons. The same current runs through your whole system of jurisprudence ********* "Mr. Speaker, this is the only Government that ever speculated in the soil. England, when she held domain here, was prodigal in her donations. Spain gave away her lands. Her sons were the pioneers of this new- world; nor storms, nor unknown seas, nor famine, nor shipwreck, could deter them. On they went, in the career of high adventure. Land and honors were the rewards she held out to them, and their whole history is a series of phenomena from the outset of her great navigator to the downfall of her great Montezuma — the most extraordinary triumph ever obtained by civilized valor over physical force. Texas has pursued the same policy, and its wisdom is evident. If her public domain had been fettered with the same legal restraints to settlement that exist here, not five hundred of the many thousands now there would have crossed the Sabine. But she has invited them by liberal donations ; and when that soil was invaded and the flag of despotism reeking over her beautiful prairies, look how bravely those emigrants have rushed to her defence. Oh, sir, you may rifle the leaves of history for deeds of fame; you may search among the fallen columns and mutilated tombs of Greece and Rome, immortal even in their dissolution, but you will never find a cause more sacred, that has been more nobly maintained than the cause of Texas. Land of the brave and free ! refuge of the unfortunate ! home of the poor! Soon may thy star shine in cloudless beauty from our own loved banner of living glory!" Mr. Claiborne's speech on the "Doctrine of Contempts" was made on February 10, 1837, in defence of Mr. Reuben Whitney, who having been summoned before a select committee of the House appointed to investigate the management of the deposit banks, had not only declined to answer "a question which he con- sidered disrespectful and improper," but while before the com- mittee threw his arm behind his back," as if to draw a weapon. The committee hastily adjourned, and on the day following one of the members moved "that Whitney be arrested and brought to the bar of the House." As this committee was "evidently seeking to implicate the administration in some illegitimate transaction," the case appealed strongly to Mr. Claiborne, who was a staunch sup- porter of the principles of the party in power. 12 He moved in be- half of Whitney to amend by adding "and that he be allowed counsel when brought to the bar, should he desire it." This amend- ment being accepted while Mr. Claiborne was addressing the House, he said "it removes from this proceeding its most ob- 11 Lynch's (James D.) Bench and Bar of Miss., page 519. 224 Mississippi Historical Society. noxious feature, but I doubt, if I do not deny, the propriety of dragging Whitney to this bar." He then made an eloquent and searching inquiry into the principles involved in the question un- der discussion, and thereby materially aided in defeating the ulti- mate purpose of the committee. Among other things he said : "Sir, your doctrine of contempts is a dangerous doctrine, that originated in times unfavorable to human liberty; in those old days of privilege and prerogative, when the rights of the Citizen, if understood, were not de- fined, and when parliamentary bodies were used by kings, as instruments of oppression and persecution. The power of Congress to punish for contempts, if such a power exists at all, is not expressly conferred, but is incidental, and arises ex necessitatis ret. Where is the clause in the Con- stitution making the grant and defining a contempt? Sir, it is a con- structive and incidental power. The powers and privileges of Congress are not like those of the British Parliament, unlimited, and omnipotent; on the contrary they are abridged and specific. Our courts of justice have the power to punish for contempts ; but it is not a constructive power, arising out of the mere act that established them, but was con- ferred by a statute, restraining in its character, in 1789. * * * * "Whence is this prerogative derived? If from the Constitution, point out the clause. If conferred by the Constitution, is it not the duty of Congress, before resorting to it, to settle and define its boundaries, and to prescribe the penalties by law? But it is said to be a necessary incident of a legislative body, necessary to preserve its existence, and enable it to transact the public business. There may be some foundation for this deli- cate but dangerous claim to be inherent, undelegated grants, as regards actual contempts committed in the presence of this body and obstructing its operations. Such a claim may be allowed on the principle of necessity; but where is the necessity of the power in regard to constructive or im- plied contempts, and what is the limitation upon it? The moment we step beyond the doctrine of punishment for actual offences of this kind, we venture upon a terra incognita, whose boundaries have never been de- lineated; whose powers and extent have never been defined by any code, ancient or modern. Let us pause, and closely examine the tenures by which we claim, before we enter upon grounds so uncertain, so dangerous, so obnoxious to the spirit of our Government and people. It may be very convenient for this House to punish a citizen for an implied misdemeanor but the convenience of the doctrine does not grant the power. Show me, Sir, a case of absolute necessity to warrant the exercise of this power. What is the doctrine of constructive contempts? How far does it go? Where does it stop? * * * * * * * Can you convert this House into a judicial tribunal, which shall be judge, witness, accuser and prose- cutor, in its own case, and inflict any punishment it chooses? If so, where is the freedom of the citizen; where our boasted trial by jury; where that 'due process of law' that 'liberty' guaranteed by the Constitution? Carry out these undefined, discretionary doctrines, and it will demonstrate cither your unbounded power, or your utter impotency. Tell me not, Sir, of the precedents of the British Parliament. That is a body confessedly omnipotent. This is one of limited powers. Their claim to punish for offences of this nature is drawn from a system of recognized law. We are mere agents for the exercise of limited and specific grants; and I thank God that it is so. I rejoice that freedom of speech and the right of self-defense cannot be curtailed; that all your enactments in relation to these are void; that gentlemen cannot, if they would, have a legislative auto da fe, and burn every man for contempt who will not follow them, or applaud their acts." Life of Col. J. F. il. Claiborne. — RUey. 225 In the latter part of this speech he contrasted the offence of Mr. Whitney with those of Mr. John Quincy Adams, who, as a mem- ber of the House, was arousing much animosity by persistently keeping the slavery question before that body. On this subject Mr. Claiborne spoke as follows: "Mr. Speaker, I will not impeach the great body of the people of the North * * * But it will be her crime, if she does not resist and >:ille its denationalizing strain, until it swells into a tide of blood. It will be her crime if she sits tamely by while her sons heave in among us poisoned missiles and burning tiles. Sir, in times gone by this would not have been allowed. One common blood cemented the broad altar of liberty around which we worshiped. When the iron hurricane of war swept over this country, our fainting banner was borne aloft amid the din of battle and the dusky storm by united valor. And now. when the Confederacy is nought to be destroyed; when the incendiary is lighting his torch, and the vultures of society are looking on with felon eyes — oh, now ! May the sainted spirits of the dead, may the holy memories of the past, inspire the brave and patriotic, in every quarter of the North, to rally upon the ramparts of the Constitution. Sir, with my hand on this heart, 1 can freely say that, in defence of the Union, I would shed my blood. Bui there are rights and institutions dearer still, part of our inheritance, essential 10 our existence, indispensable to our peace; and 1 should be a traitor and a craven to shrink from their defence. ******* Mr. Speaker, if this House joins the abolitionists; if you thus permit their avowed organ upon this floor to menace us with a future interference with our domestic rights, 1 warn you of the catastrophe that is at hand. We will abandon your councils; we will seize our arms and tear down the banner of the Union that floats over our heads. On you be the crime — on your hands the blood. But by our common ancestry, by the recollections of the past and the hopes of the future, by the altars of our holy religion, by our hundred battlefields and the bones that rest upon them, I implore you to retrace your steps. Sir, we are on the verge of a frightful crisis Will you pause to punish an obscure citizen, while you allow the member from Massachusetts ( Mr. Adams) to banquet upon the excitement he has occasioned?" After the death of General Dickson, Col. Samuel J. Gholson was chosen to fill the vacancy in Congress, defeating Gen. John A. Quitman in a special election. At the adjournment of the 24th Congress it was the intention of Col. Claiborne and Col. Gholson to stand for reelection at the regular election in November. But President Van Burcn caller! an extra session of Congress to meet on the first Monday in September. 1837, and in order to provide for the representation of the State in the lower House, Gov. Lynch issued a proclamation for a special election in July. Tn this proclamation he stated that the representatives chosen by the special election would serve only until the regular congressional election in November, ft was argued, however, by the press and the people generally that the governor had no authority to limil Mississippi Historical Society .• „ t„ less than the constitutional the terms of the representees to less ^^ ^ ££ two years and we arc oUth « e a^ the persons elected under his » for the entire Congress, .hnission altogether ^^ esulted in the following vote : After a spirited contest «***£ Acee> 6i69 , Claiborne, 11,203; Gta son 9«» • uncomprom isingly opposed to As Claiborne and Gholson were u 1 ^^ wM chal th banking system, them right h> seaU ^ ^ first da £ kng ed by one of the leaders ° { < e ba P ^ ^ proc he extra session, on the ground tl at th e ^ ^ vmd . at ion issued by the governor of Mn*> «» ^ ^ re - This objection was overruled howev , ^ ^^ •erred to the Committee °" f £^ e members had bee" to, this committee reported that the ^ ^^ duly elected members of the 2 5 t Co ^ continued in the dis- tl seats. Messrs. <^j£gZ& the adjournment of charge of their dut.es in Wash n ^ November el <- Congress on October 16th. In the ^ Word wer e cau- tions were coming on and Messrs- nue m Con . ^^ing the State. «££***£ general election, Messr, gress would be agam challenged _ to Mlsslssippl to Claiborne and Gholson we,e mclltied ^ ,. ed L u e their ease before the people. 1 H e _ whQ , n _ ""a caucus of the Democrat, m mbe of ^ ^ sisted that they remam m jhe r seats ^ House th course was necessary m order to ca y same view was riSres outlined by the adrmm st at » n ^ expressed by the leading ™" ^^ hdd in November fully When, therefore, the regular elect' " ^^ tQ vo e , two-thirds of the Democratic ^ ^' repre sentatives in the on the ground that the SWeWUh osen^ ^ Hq , , 25 th Congress, as had already he prentis5> I3j6sl , November election the vote ^ ^ Word, 1 2,340; Claiborne, 6,258 • p renti ss and Word At the opening of the next *£f )awfu , ly elect d presented themselves, claiming itatttey tQ seats „ ,he to represent the State and - f e J ^.^ on Elec . House. The matter was ag mjeferrc : ^ ^ ^ was tions, which reaffirmed its torm Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne.— Riley. 227 under discussion in the House, Mr. Prentiss delivered his cele- brated speech which thrilled the House with his eloquence and gave him a national reputation as an orator. Under the magic influence of this great speech the House reversed its former act by which it declared that Claiborne and Gholson had been lawfully elected. It refused, however, to seat Prentiss and Word, and re- ferred the case back to the people of Mississippi. While these stirring events were taking place in the House, Claiborne and Gholson were forced to be absent on account of sickness. At the outset of the contest in Congress Mr. Claiborne was seized with a hemorrhage in the room of the Committee on Foreign Rela- tions, and for a period of two months lay prostrated and weak- ened from the loss of blood. Under the medical treatment of Dr. William G. Austin, later of New Orleans, he slowly recuperated and was finally able to return home. Acting upon the advice of Dr. Austin, Mr. Claiborne retired from public life and went to Cuba a second time for his health. At the request of his friends he permitted the use of his name in the political campaign which followed, but his former colleague, Mr. Gholson, declined to be a candidate. Prentiss and Word made their memorable canvass, speaking in every part of the State. The vote stood as follows: Prentiss, 12,722; Word, 12,007; Claiborne, 11,779; Davis, 10,346. There is little doubt that if Mr. Claiborne had been physically able to take an active part in this campaign he would have been reelected. The personal relations existing between Mr. Claiborne and Mr. Prentiss up to this time are best expressed in Mr. Claiborne's own language, which is as follows : "During all the excitement of the contested election, my relations with Mr. Prentiss were perfectly friendly. He visited me while I was sick in Washington. My acquaintance with him commenced when he was a stranger — young, poor and diffident — teaching school in the family of my relative, Mrs. Wra. B. Shields, and afterwards here, in the family of my wife's mother. He occupied this very office. There stood his bed. This was the table on which he wrote. Here are the Greek and Latin authors that he read. Here is a leaf of Plato turned down by him. Here in this Greek tragedy, his pencil marks. In both families his extraordinary genius was recognized and he was treated with the respect due a Professor." Mr. Claiborne afterwards returned to Natchez, and in July, 1 841, became one of the editors of the Mississippi Free Trader, which was one of the most influential and widely circulated or- 228 Mississippi Historical Society. gans of the Democratic party in the State. This change of occu- pations was in full harmony with his tastes. In speaking of jour- nalism he said : "It demands the seclusion of (he closet, which I have always preferred lo the clash and clamor of the hustings and the bar. It best comports with the habits of a student, and my practice of considering both sides <•• question and the merits as well as demerits of a party; whereas, the law- yer and the professional politician examine but one side of a case, and exert all their energies in that behalf. The journalist has a grander mis- sion, and if conscientiously pursued, ii i^ the highest and noblest of all avocations." His sketches entitled "Trip Through the Piney Woods" and his first contributions to the history of Mississippi appeared in the Free Trader shortly after the beginning of his connection with it. In J 842 Mr. Claiborne was appointed president of the Board of Choctaw Commissioners, which was authorized to examine and adjudicate the claims of the Choctaw Indians under the 14th article of the treaty of Dancing Rabbit. The claims under this article involved the possession of many thousands of acres of the best land that had been ceded to the government by the treaty. The integrity of these claims depended upon the question as to whether or not the Indians had disposed of them within a period of five years after the treaty. It was found upon investigation that most of the claimants had violated this term of the treat}- , their sworn statements before the commission to the contrary notwithstanding, and that companies of speculators composed of men of all ranks had purchased claims for a very small considera- tion. Mr. S. S. Prentiss was employed by the company "on a contingent fee of $100,000," to protect its interest before the commission. While sitting at Hopahka the board gave judgment in favor of a number of claims which were sent to Washington At a subsequent meeting of the commissioners in Yazoo villa Gen. Reuben Grant, a prominent citizen of Noxubee county, made charges of fraud against the claims that had been passed upon at a former meeting. As a result, Col. Claiborne advised the depart- ment to suspend all claims until they could receive further inves- tigation. Another meeting of the commission was announced to be held at Hillsborough on the third Monday in November, 184:;. to review its adjudication, the Hon. T. J. Word being appointed to act in the meantime as an agent to collect evidence relative thereto. Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne. — Riley. 229 An article, containing further charges of fraud, which had been prepared at the request of Col. Claiborne, appeared in the Vicks- burg Sentinel of the 10th of November, and gave what was termed the plan of the speculators for effecting their purpose. This part of the communication reads as follows : "The Indians were to emigrate under the charge of John B. Forrester, (the United States paying $20 per head) who was to accompany them, and then receive the whple of their scrip, one half of which he was to re- tain and the other half to lay out for the Indians in goods, cattle, &c. To accomplish this plan, a crowd of speculators repaired to Washington, some going openly, others pretending that they were going to St. Louis only. Their object was to obtain from the War Department a confirmation of their suspended claims, thus forestalling the action of the board, and stifling the proposed investigation. They have been laboring for this scheme for weeks, and it is whispered, have received aid from a quarter from which such aid cannot come without gross corruption * * * * * * * Influential men, members of Congress, and others, have been engaged at enormous fees, to effect this nefarious design of transferring these questions of fraud from the tribunal established by Congress, to the Department at Washington, where facts have been represented by inter- ested persons only, and witnesses cannot have a hearing * * * * And after all this, these speculators covertly go to Washington — employ members of Congress, and seek to induce the Department to overrule the objections of the Board, and pass claims to an enormous amount! This is really monstrous ! The Hopahka claims alone, thus sought to be passed, over the recommendations of the Board, and in the teeth of the solemn protest of Col. Claiborne, amount to some 350,000 acres, as we learn * * ************* * * "'We cannot believe that the Department could be so deceived. It surely will not stifle the investigation it itself recommended. It will hardly cut off Gen. Grant from a hearing, and thus facilitate the most stupendous fraud upon the Government and robbery of the Indians, that has ever been devised. It will take three millions of acres to satisfy these claims. There is not so much unsold land left in the country ceded by the Choctaws. The deficit is to be made up with scrip payable to the Indians and receivable at the land offices as gold and silver. Now will it be credited, that these speculators have, by fraud and deception, obtained from the Indians abso- lute deeds of conveyance for the whole of their lands, and powers of at- torney to receive their scrip, having given their bonds to pay over one-half of it to the Indians when the claim was closed ! Incredible as this may seem, it is nevertheless so. And all this for what? Simply for undertaking to attend the claim before the Commissioners, an attention, altogether su- perfluous, and which the Commissioners are sent to attend to themselves ; an attention, if necessary at all, certainly not worthy of the enormous fee exacted of the poor Indians — one-half their lands or scrip absolutely, and the control and management of the other * * * * * Report says that every acre of land yet patented to these Hopahka Indians, is held by one Forrester, who has not paid a dollar. It is said he heid 30,000 acres ******Tf the agencies at work at Washington succeed, Forrester will realize half a million at once out of nothing." When the Commissioners met at Hillsborough, November 20th, 1843, Mr. Prentiss appeared as counsel for certain claims and raised the preliminary question as to Col. Claiborne's competency 230 Mississippi Historical Society. to act, contending that in consequence of the article in the Sentinel he had prejudged the case. On the day following Mr. Claiborne presented a protest against the proceedings of the former day in which he denied the right of anyone to question his competency or of his colleagues to decide such a question. Among other things he said that until his rights and powers should be adjudged by a competent tribunal he would exercise his authority and discharge his duties, "not only as a Commissioner and counsel for the Government, but a citizen of the State and as a Reporter for the Press, for it is my intention, over my own signature, to report the proceedings under this investigation, that all the aid and moral in- fluence of Public Opinion may be brought to bear to sustain the rights and interests of Government." He closed this protest by denying the right of any agent or attorney to challenge or dispute his competency or to file or enter any paper, protest or proceeding of any kind, affecting his competency or official conduct on the records of the commission. He then left the room where the board was in session. There was much excitement among the speculators and their friends, who were collected in great num- bers. Threats of violence and curses were freely uttered against Mr. Claiborne and he received notice from a number of friends, informing him of plots that had been made to assassinate him and warning him that he would appear in the streets at the peril of his life. On the morning of November 24th he resumed his place among the Commissioners, taking with him "an elaborate legal argument on the question of fraud to submit to the board." This paper was not presented, however, as it had been determined be- fore that time that there should be no investigation. The board was, therefore, adjourned "until the authorities at Washington could be heard from." Challenges to fight duels were then received by Col. Claiborne from Mr. Forrester and Mr. Prentiss. In his reply to the chal- lenge from the latter gentleman, Mr. Claiborne wrote among other things : "But whether you choose to be regarded as attorney or speculator, 1 deny the slightest accountability to you, or any one else, for any step I may choose to take to protect the public interest, in the legitimate dischar^. of my duties. And, in resisting a combination so formidable, I feel per- fectly justifiable in invoking to my aid, and to the aid of the country, the moral influence of the tress, so far as the power and threats of your as- sociates have left the press free to act. A thousand frowns, and a thou- Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne. — Riley. 231 sand challenges will not deter me from my duty, if I am permitted to discharge it. My blood will not acquit the parties implicated of the charge, nor wash out the suspicions that rest upon their transactions. Investiga- tion, deep, broad, searching and uninterrupted, can alone settle the point. Bullying, and dragooning, and even assassination will not do it." Referring to these experiences, Mr. Claiborne wrote as follows in a communication in which he reviewed the proceedings of the Board of Commissioners : "It is impossible for me to predict how many more of these agreeable invitations to 'coffee and pistols for two' I am to receive, but I am bound to believe that some of the parties concerned never intended there should be a formal meeting betwen Col. Forrester and myself, though they designed he should have all the glory of sending a challenge to a man, placed by their own act, in a position to forbid his acceptance. If they intended we should fight, on fair and equal terms, why threaten me with impeachment, at the moment of sending the challenge? and if they design to impeach why force me to fight, or distract my attention with challenges, until I had made preparations for denfence? They have every advantage. They are a band of men, associated for a gigantic speculation, with capitalists, lawyers, prompt and willing witnesses, and even their regular bullies to back them. I am an officer of Government, opposing their schemes, exposed to their malice, all I say or do liable to be perverted, and my errors magnified into crimes. Surely when there is so much dis- parity, the party having the advantage, should resort to no unfair means to quash a scrutiny or put down an adversary." The document from which the above extracts have been taken was published in pamphlet form (17 pages), and a copy of it was laid on the desk of every member of Congress. As a consequence, the speculation was crushed and those concerned therewith were ruined. A motion was then made in the lower House of Congress by John Bell, of Tennessee, to refer the matter to a select committee. As this committee would have to be appointed by the Speaker, who was said to be interested in the claims, Mr. Thompson, of Mis- sissippi, had the matter referred to the Committee on Indian Af- fairs, of which he was chairman. Although President Tyler threw his influence against Mr. Claiborne, the plan which was recommended by Mr. Claiborne was adopted. It was to the effect that the Indians should receive neither land nor money for their claims, but the value of their claims for removal to the West was funded, they being paid the interest annually. Mr. Prentiss and Col. Claiborne, both of whom were wrecked in fortune, removed to New Orleans shortly after the acrimonious conflict referred to above. They often met, but never spoke. A 2T,2 sippi Historical Society. few days before the death of Mr. Prentiss, John J. McRea, former governor of Mississippi, effected a reconciliation. In speaking of this incident, Col. Claiborne says that he was deeply affected and Governor McRea wept like a child. Col. Claiborne admired the talent of the brilliant orator and ex- pressed in the latter part of his life a purpose to write a biography of Mr. Prentiss. Referring to the biography which had been written by Mr. Prentiss' brother, Mr. Claiborne says that it was full of error of fact and a mere travesty of his career, personal and political. He stated further that this book represented Mr. Pren- tiss "as a semi-saint and somewhat of a Puritan, to please New England tastes, when all knew that he was the farthest possible removed from saintliness and Puritanism." Col. Claiborne said further : "No man living knew S. S. Prentiss better than I did ; he crossed my path and I crossed his, in the last blow given to his fortune. We were early friends ; bitter enemies ; reconciled on the death bed." Upon his removal to New Orleans (1844) Mr. Claiborne as- sumed editorial control of the Jeffersonian, published in French and in English, and of the Statesman, published in German and in English. These arduous duties required twelve hours of work daily. Several years later he was induced to undertake the edi- torial control of the Louisiana Courier, which paper became under his direction one of the strongest supporters of Mr. Pierce in his campaign for the presidency. Mr. Pierce had been one of the most intimate friends of Col. Claiborne in Congress, and when he became president he offered Mr. Claiborne "an eligible diplomatic position abroad or a comfortable berth at Washington." Mr. Claiborne declined these kindly offers, however, desiring to make his home in the pine woods on the seacoast of Mississippi, where on the advice of Dr. Austin he had purchased a large tract of land. With this object in view he proposed that Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana be combined into one district and that the care of the public timber therein should be confided to him, with an ap- propriate salary. As this measure met the hearty approval of the senators and representatives from the three States, all of whom were Mr. Claiborne's personal friends, it was promptly passed by Congress and Mr. Claiborne was appointed to fill the newly created office. He was reappointed by President Buchanan, who Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne.— Riley. 233 was also his intimate friend, and continued in the discharge of his duties until the States that constituted his district had seceded from the Union. Soon after obtaining his appointment from President Pierce. Mr. Claiborne removed to a plantation which he had purchased near Bay St. Louis, in Hancock county, about twelve miles from Fort Pike, on the Rigolets. Here he engaged in the culture of Sea Island cotton. The salt sea breezes seem to have given him a new lease of life and enabled him to outlive most of his colleagues in Congress, who greatly excelled him in physical vigor. He attributed his long life to the fact that his delicate health compelled him to be always on his guard and to be systematic in his habits. While living in New Orleans he made it a rule "to go to bed at dark and be up with he sun." Owing to his delicate constitution he was never connected with any social or political club or fraternal order, and rarely attended places of public amusement. He was strictly temperate and never gambled nor witnessed a horse race. The following incidents in Col. Claiborne's first congressional campaign, which give an insight into his character, are here told in his own language : "On my first canvass for Congress, Governor Runnells and I were trav- eling together. We halted for the night at the house of a worthy Baptist, in Noxubee county, where there happened to be three or four clergymen. I had observed them in earnest consultation during the evening, and though all were polite to me, there was no cordiality. After supper, when the ladies of the household had retired, one of the preachers said : 'Col. Clai- borne, we are all of your way of thinking in politics, and were rejoiced to hear of your nomination ; but we cannot support you. We can't square it with our consciences to vote for a horse racer.' "I was speechless from astonishment, but at length protested that I had never owned a race-horse, and never saw a race in my life. "They smiled incredulously, and said there was, in the next county, a gentleman who had been introduced to me on the track at Natchez ; and won a thousand dollars on my horse; and then 'played poker with me all night.' ''This was piling on the agon}', but I could only declare that I owned no race-horse, and never had learned a game of any kind. ''The whole thing was a puzzle, until Governor Runnells at length said, 'Gentlemen, there is a mistake here. I can vouch for all that my friend has said. But he has a brother, who is one of my aids. He is very fond of the turf, and keeps two or three fast horses, and will sometimes indulge in a game. The brothers resemble each other; own adjoining plantations, and one has been mistaken for the other.' "These good men were greatly relieved, and before we parted for the night they gave me a special blessing. "But now for the sequel. Our next appointment was for DeKalb, Kemper county. Parties there were pretty equally balanced, and I pro- 234 .Mississippi Historical Society. posed to secure as many votes as possible from the opposition. I addressed myself particularly, several times and in a very complimentary way, to a certain rich sporting gentleman, who controlled the opposition. 1 made the desired impression, as I thought, and directly after my speech, he took me by the arm, and led me out of ear-shot of the crowd. This alone good for fifty votes. He then said, 'Old fellow, I saw your game, but it was not necessary; we are going for you, not for your d — d politics, but on account of your liorscs. I won a cool thousand on your Guy, the last race, and I hope to win five thousand the next time.' "I perceived the mistake, but deemed it unnecessary to explain, and merely said : 'Colonel, if the religious folks hear this, they will go against me.' ' 'I know that.' said he, 'we all understand it, and will be mum uatil after the election.' Before I left DeKalb he handed me a list of turf men on my route of travel who were in the secret, and I always found them O. K." At the outbreak of the War between the States Col. Claiborne sent his wife and daughter to their relatives at Natchez, and he remained at home to care for his plantation. Shortly after the capture of Fort Pike by the United States Navy, a Federal force under the command of a captain visited Mr. Claiborne's home with orders to search the house for Confederate flags, which it was reported had been hoisted over the premises. After due ex- amination the officer declared himself satisfied. Col. Claiborne then replied very solemnly : "I confess to you, sir, that I have a flag." The officer said in reply: "You need not criminate yourself, but if you persist in this statement my orders will require me to carry you under arrest to the fort." The reply was : "You have overlooked one of my trunks and I wish it to be examined." Col. Claiborne then pointed to an old weather-worn trunk, marked "F. L. C, U. S. A.," which the officer then proceeded to search. He found it in "the regalia and insignia of a royal arch Mason, the epaulettes of a general officer, a silk sash, discolored with blood, and carefully folded tne old regiment flag of the ist regiment, United States Infantry, of which Gen. Claiborne had been captain and adjutant." Col. Claiborne then said with much feeling: "Sir, this is the only flag I have ever had; if you take me to Fort Pike, that flag must go with me." Of course neither the colonel nor the flag was taken to the fort. During the re- mainder of the war the Union troops frequently passed his prem- ises, but he was never disturbed, his property being carefully pro- tected from all spoliation. Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne. — Riley. 235 Col. Claiborne's sectional animosities seem to have partly died out after his retirement from public life. He was, therefore, en- abled to view the great issues that brought on the "inevitable con- flict" in a calmer and more dispassionate light than could those who were directing public sentiment. He opposed the secession of the Southern States, and had no official connection with the Confederacy. We are told that he blamed both sections for the war, — "the North for its unconstitutional encroachments, the South for its precipitate action and want of statesmanship in not providing for the general emancipation of the slaves, thus recon- ciling itself to the civilization of the age and acquitting its con- science of a great crime." After the war he was regarded as one of the most conservative and conciliatory citizens of the State. He maintained that the true policy of the South was "a pronounced loyalty to the Gov- ernment." A united effort to build up the waste places and there- by to secure public order and tranquility. 13 To use his own words : "The Government of our fathers, the noblest of human wisdom, perished in the war. It can never be restored. We have indeed a republic — the grandest that ever existed — but it is sectional, not constitutional. Groat Britain has no written constitution but under the customs, maxims and traditions of a thousand years, there are sufficient bulwarks against usur- pation and oppression, and it is the safest government on earth. We have no traditions, no common low, and are controlled by universal suffrage and popular majorities, and subjected to the rule of the ignorant and pi "There is no permanent security for us but in a strong national govern- ment to preserve the peace, repress disorders and develop the great re- sources of the country. A general attempt to revive our old doctrine of State rights will end in the loss of the remnani that has survived the war." In 1869 an effort was made to induce Col. Claiborne to become a candidate for Congress. In reply to a letter from Capt. P. K. Mayers, editor of the Handsboro Democrat, he wrote as follows, under the date of August 10, 1869: "I have no disabilities to remove, but have scruples to overcome, and an invincible repugnance to the strife of politics. For fifteen years T have nut attended a political meeting. Since the surrender 1 have nol written a political article. It has been my misfortune, or my weakness, to differ with all parties tco much, to expect to be popular with either. I differ.-:, with the Democrats in their ill-advised and abortive attempts 1" or in- state government under the promptings of Andrew Johnson. I witn< id with regret, the gross and unaccountable blunders committed ir Leg- islature and Convention. I differed with them when they elected Senators Lynch's Bench and Bar of Mississippi. 236 Mississippi Historical Society. and Representatives to Congress, certain to be rejected; when they blindly advised the people to vote for delegates to a Convention, after the elec- tion had been ordered, and thus threw the responsibility of making a con- stitution into the hands of their opponents, and superinduced most of our presenl difficulties. I differed with them in their opposition to the removal of political disabilities by application to Congress, and in their refusal to accept office— especially the appointment of Registrar— from the military authorities — thus compelling the commanding generals to confer commis- tis chiefly on strangers. I personally know that they would have given the preference to established citizens. "] differed with the Republicans in the implacable resentments they manifested for the vanquished; in the political superiority they desired to confer on an inferior race, by disfranchising a heroic people, glorious in their struggle for independence — more glorious in their fall. "I know very well that I have friends throughout the district, who re- member my name and my services in the past. It would be affectation to undervalue what I know T still retain, of old-time popularity. Rut I stand without a party — owing allegiance to none; in fellowship with none; asking favors of none; under obligations to none; and I can bring no strength to those who wish me to unfurl their standard." Before this time Col. Claiborne had become completely absorbed in historical investigations. Having inherited from his grand- father, Gen. F. L. Claiborne, his uncle, Gov. W. C. Claiborne, and his maternal grandfather, Col. Anthony Hutchins, all of whom were connected with the early history of the State, a large collec- tion of "time-worn papers and documents," he set himself to work to add thereto from all available sources. He spent much time collecting matter and writing a History of the Southwest, upon which he says he was "long engaged." Unfortunately the manu- script of this volume "when ready for the press" was lost "by the sinking of a steamer on the Mississippi." This work contained a memoir of Sam Dale, one of the most interesting characters in the early history of the Southwest, written from notes of his personal adventures, "taken down from his own lips," by Franklin Smith and Henry A. Garrett. As is usually the case with historical in- vestigators, having once undertaken work of this kind he was never afterwards able to abandon it. Although the history was lost and the notes were destroyed. Col. Claiborne prepared from memory the interesting book, entitled Life and Times of Gen, Sam Dale, the Mississippi Partisan, which was published by Har- per & Brother in i860. In the same year he also published his Life and Correspondence of John A. Quitman, which was issued in two volumes from the press of the same publishers. Unfortu- n; tely for Mr. Claiborne these valuable contributions to the biography and history of Mississippi were issued at a time when the public attention was absorbed by the sectional questions which were just then culminating in war. Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne. — Riley. 237 Shortly alter the close of the War between the States Col. Clai- borne, warned by declining health, retired for the most part from all other pursuits and devoted his energies to the writing of a his- tory of Mississippi, which was the dominant ambition of the lat- ter part of his life. In 1870 he removed to "Dunbarton,"' his wife's ancestral home, situated ten miles east of Natchez. The vears which he had devoted to the collecting of papers, pamphlets, manuscripts, etc., had not been spent in vain, lie realized that they constituted a rich historical mine, and he began to work it with an energy seldom excelled by a man of his advanced years and physical infirmities. We are told that the great object of his life was not only to make a history of his native State, but to have it printed in and distributed from a Mississippi publishing house. Against the advice of friends he, therefore, delivered the manu- script of the first volume of his history, as soon as it was ready for the press, to that great publisher and journalist of Mississippi. Col. J. L. Power, to whose care and skill the successful execution of the work is largely due. In the year 1881 this book, entitled "Mississippi as a Province, Territory and State, with Biographical Notices of Eminent Citizens, by J. F. H. Claiborne, volume 1..*' appeared from the press of Power & Barksdale, Jackson, Miss. During the latter part of his life he reaped some of the fruits of his valuable services in the literary honors which were bestowed upon him at home and abroad. In 1875 he received the degree of LL.D. from the University of Mississippi. Five years later he was unanimously elected a Fellow of the Royal Plistorical Society of England. A few months afterwards he was invited to read a paper before this learned society, but was prevented from doing so because of ill health. In 1881 he was elected to membership in the Virginia Historical Society. By indefatigable efforts and persevering industry he completed the second volume of his history, which was unfortunately de- stroyed by the burning of his home on the night of March 2i\. 1S84. 14 This calamity prevented the fruition of his cherished 'The following communication relates i<> this unfortunate event: "'State nf Mississippi, "Executive Department. "Jackson, Miss., April 8th, [884. "Hon. John F. II. Claiborne, "Natchez, Miss. "Dear Sir: It affords mc pleasure to transmit to you a copy of the joint resolution unanimously adopted by the Legislature, expressive of our sense 238 Mississippi Historical Society. hope. He was not spared to rewrite the pages upon which he had hestowed so much labor. His delicate constitution was unable to bear the shock and the grief incurred by this great loss, and he died at the home of his brother-in-law, William H. Dunbar, Esq., in Natchez, Saturday morning, May 17, 1884. He was buried from Trintity Church, Natchez, on the day following. One side of his tomb bears the following inscription : J. F. H. Claiborne, Mississippi's Historian. Born in Natchez, April 24, 1807. Died there May 17, 1884. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. On the other side of the stone is written the following: His early life was dedicated to the service of his native State and he was a member of the National Congress from 1835 to 1837. Upon retiring from public life be devoted himself to literature and "touched nothing which he did not adorn." His last years were spent in writing History, and his work, "Mississippi as a Province, Territory and State," will be an enduring monument to his fame. Col. Claiborne was a man of striking personal appearance. He was as straight as an Indian and walked with a firm and rapid tread. Owing to the fact that he was very strongly opposed to having his picture taken the writer has had a good deal of trouble of the great loss we have sustained in common with you, in the destruc- tion of Dunbarton and the rare historical documents which, after years of industrious research, you had accumulated ; and tender you in this be- reavement the affectionate sympathy of oiu~ people, who still cherish grate- ful recollections of your distinguished services of half a century. "With renewed assurances of my cordial esteem, "I have the honor to remain "Your friend, truly. "Robert Lowry. "Senate Joint Resolution. "Resolved, by the Legislature of the State of Mississippi, That it has heard with profoundest regret of the irreparable loss which our dis- tinguished fellow-citizen, the Hon. J. F. H. Claiborne, has sustained and it recognizes that the loss to the State is even greater, as in Dunbarton was preserved with all of a scholar's care more of the papers, records and docu- ments pertaining to the history of Mississippi than is now left in existence elsewhere. "Resolved 2, That we tender to the distinguished scholar and antiquary thus bereft of his valuable compilations and literary accumulations, our sympathy, and express to him our hope that his now feeble health may be restored, and that he may be long spared, and by pen and word stimulate the youth of the land to vigorous and honorable endeavors, and may long Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne. — Riley. 239 in getting a likeness of him to illustrate this article. In fact, the one here reproduced is the only picture of him in existence, and it is said by his daughter to be a very imperfect likeness. Having been once pressed to have his photograph taken, Col. Claiborne declined for the following reason : "Many years ago, being in an old mansion in Virginia, which belonged to a family sprung from the proudest Normans that followed the Con- queror into England, I missed the portraits which had once adorned the walls. I was told that they had been seized by the sheriff for debt, and tossed about and ridiculed by the vulgar crowd, and I then resolved never to risk subjecting my portrait to a similar indignity. In England, where estates are entailed, and titles of honor respected, portraits might be proper enough; but in this country, they are not secure for two generations." On one occasion he said that he had never had a portrait taken, and added that there would be no monument or marble over his remains. In commenting upon these expressions he said : "I will sleep better under the daisies and violets, and the only inscrip- tion will be FAITH. Great historical events are the proper subjects of commemoration. The Pyramids and the Assyrian inscriptions are the records of mighty nations. But any attempt to perpetuate frail mortality, to reverse the Supreme decree, 'dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return,' by gaudy monuments and chiseled panegyrics, I consider profane. For myself, when I die, I invoke the charity of silence." Col. Claiborne had an impetuous temper and, for this reason, he was afraid to trust himself with arms at a time when a pistol or bowie knife was considered as an almost necessary part of the drass of every gentleman. He said, however, that when he was continue to shed lustre upon the name of Mississippi. That these resolu- tions be communicated by His Excellency to the Hon. J. F. H. Claiborne." Col. Claiborne's reply is as follows : "Natchez, Miss, April 12, 1884. "His Excellency Gov. Lowry. "I acknowledge the receipt of your communication covering the joint resolution of the two branches of the Mississippi Legislature. I am at a loss for words to say how deeply you have touched my sensibilities by your kind expressions and generous sentiments. Your lifetime friend from your early boyhood, you are familiar with my whole career and all its vicissitudes, and such a testimonial is above all price. "My gratitude to the Legislature, my appreciation of its sympathy in the misfortunes that have lately befallen me, and the high estimate they have placed on my humble efforts to serve my native State, cannot be expressed. Your letter and their resolution will be my monument, and will be pre- served as long as one of my family survives. "With great respect, your friend and servant, "J. F. H. Claiborne." 240 .Mississippi Historical Society. in the habit of traveling on the wetsern steamboats, where "snag- ging and explosion" were the rule, he carried a cord, a little brandy and a bowic knife. The cord was intended to enable him to make a float, the brandy to sustain him in the water and the bowie knife to protect him and his craft against some strong man who might attempt to take it from him. He never carried arms on any other occasion. Fortunately for posterity. Col. Claiborne had in 1882 presented his invaluable collection of historical papers to the State, and thev thus escaped the flames which consumed his home. In tender- ing to the State these valuable sources of history, Col. Claiborne wrote to Gov. Lowry as follows : "Age, infirmity and the necessities of every day life are pressing heavily upon me, and I cannot hope to utilize what I have gathered with so much labor and hoarded as so much treasure." He therefore intrusted these papers to the State he loved so well and had served so faithfully, with a hope that some young Missis- sippian who shared the pride he had cherished for the State would be encouraged by the help of these documents to do the work his own failing powers had prevented his doing. The Legislature in a set of resolutions offered by Mr. Howry, member of the lower House from Lafayette county, voted to accept the generous dona- tion and to place the papers in the custody of the University of Mississippi. They are now in the library of that institution and are carefully protected against all injury. In commenting upon this generous act of Col. Claiborne, the Clarion says: "Mississippi, rich as she is in illustrious sons, can boast none who have loved her with a more devoted and unselfish heart than the illustrious his- torian, statesman and patriot to whose grateful care she is indebted for this precious contribution to her historical treasury." The importance of Col. Claiborne's history entitles it to some- thing more than a passing comment. As is indicated by the title, this book consists principally of two parts : — a narrative history of the State from the earliest times to the close of the Creek War and a series of biographical sketches of prominent citizens of the State. The last two chapters of the work are devoted to the jurispru- dence of the Territory and State and the Indians of Mississippi. There is an appendix which bears the title "Natchez and the Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne— Riloy. 241 Olden Times.'' In his introduction Col. Claiborne states that in writing the book he was not "prompted by a desire for fame or profit, but to preserve the time-worn papers and documents" con- fided to him by those who had long since passed away. He also states that he did the work "in declining health, in pain and suffer- ing" and expresses a hope that he might "plead for many imper- fections." Notwithstanding his efforts to record an impartial narrative of events and to present correct estimates of men, he did not always succeed, particularly in the latter undertaking. That part of Colonel Claiborne's history which deals with the career of his maternal grandfather, Col. Anthony Hutchins, who became a leader of one of the factions into which the district of Natchez was divided, is not entirely free from partisan bias. A few of these mistakes are as follows: — On page 176 Col. Claiborne states that a certain memorial prepared and sent by Col. Anthony Hutchins to the Secretary of State contained recommendations which were "all in due time successful, and have shaped and col- ored the policy of the Territory and the State." He also state- that the men who defended and supported this memorial "won the ear of Congress and the confidence of the government." An im- partial investigation will reveal the fact that Col. Claiborne placed too high an estimate upon Col. Hutchins' memorial, and that the opposing faction really won the ear of Congress. In another place Col. Claiborne incorrectly charges the delay of the Spaniards in surrendering the posts on the Mississippi north of the 31st degree to the action of Maj. Andrew Ellicott, while as a matter of fact procrastination was only in keeping with the historic policy of the Spanish nation. On page 205 of his history Col. Claiborne makes a serious mis- take in his conclusion that the opposition to Gov. Sargent was entirely personal. In making this statement the writer ignored the imporant fact that party lines were then closely drawn and that the Republicans of the State resented the presence of a Gov- ernor, who was not only a New Englander, but an ardent Fed- eralist. Colonel Claiborne also charges (page 209) Sargent and two of his territorial judges. Tilton and McGuire, with framing the code of territorial laws against which the citizens of Mississippi 16 242 Mississippi Historical Society. protested so vigorously. As a matter of fact Judge Bruin's name was signed to many of them which are still in existence in manu- script form. Historical writers of the present time have frequently expressed surprise over the estimate which Colonel Claiborne placed upon the character of General Wilkinson. There are no facts con- tained in the Claiborne collection which would lead to any other conclusion than that formed by Col. Claiborne. Subsequent investigation has thrown more light upon this subject, however, and Colonel Claiborne's conclusions are generally rejected. Col. Claiborne has doubtless done a greater injustice to the life and character of George Poindexter than to that of any other sub- ject of his numerous biographical sketches. There is no doubt but that in writing this chapter Col. Claiborne tried to do full justice to the career of his former antagonist, but the spirit of vindictiveness seems to have returned to him as he recorded with vitriolic pen the last page (414) of this sketch. The following extract, dealing with the closing scenes of Poindexters life, will suffice to illustrate this point : "His countenance had assumed a harsh, suspicious and cynical expres- sion, and his heart, could it have been revealed, was doubtless a whited sepulcher of dead men's bones. He had contracted the habit of looking frequently over his left shoulder, as though he heard unexpected and un- welcome footsteps. Were these spectres of a guilty conscience? The vis- ion of an innocent wife blighted in her youth and beauty by his shameful suspicions; of a son driven from his household to live the life of a vaga- bond and die the death of a pauper — of bloody feuds — of friendships sev- ered — of faith and covenant sacrificed for gold — all these doubtless came like chiding ghosts, to embitter and disturb his last days. Neither the rattle of dice, the lucky run of cards nor the jests and jibes of low asso- ciates brought a smile to his lips. His licentious eye, glazed and frozen, knew not the luxury of a tear. In the largest crowds, amidst the ribaldry and revelry, he felt the solitude and the torments of Prometheus — chained to the rock of his remorse." Col. Claiborne's mistakes in recording the facts connected with the history of the Indians of Mississippi are numerous. This doubtless arises from the fact that in order to add to the effective- ness of his style he put into the mouths of Indian heroes the thoughts of his own mind. Among the mistakes of this kind are the speeches of Tecumseh and Push-ma-ta-ha (page 487). 15 Notwithstanding the blemishes, which must characterize all pi- 10 See Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society, Vol. I., pages 101-103. Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne. — Riley. 243 oneer historical efforts, Col. Claiborne is entitled to the honor of being the greatest writer of Mississippi history. His valuable work must still be considered the basis upon which rests the early history of the State, and while we are adding other stories to this great edifice, let us not forget to honor the memory of him who laid its foundations, broad and deep. The permanent results of Col. Claiborne's life work may be briefly summarized as follows : 1. He procured the passage through the lower House of Con- gress of a bill establishing the Chickasaw School Fund of Missis- sippi. 2. He protected the State, the General Government, and the Choctaw Indians against speculators, thereby saving a vast area of the public domain. 3. He protected for many years against depredators the valuable timber resources of a large part of the gulf coast. 4. He made valuable contributions to Mississippi biography. 5. He wrote the most complete account of the early history of Mississippi, and gave a coloring to all subsequent histories of the State. 6. He collected, preserved and transmitted to posterity a large number of historical manuscripts of inestimable value. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE. The Claiborne Historical Collection contains three hundred and twelve manuscript letters which were sent to Col. J. F. H. Claiborne by men in pub- lic and private life during his long and eventful career. It also contains sev- eral printed speeches, circulars and historical monographs which were written by Mr. Claiborne and several bound copies of newspapers, which were edited by him. A complete catalogue of this collection will be found in the "Report of the Mississippi Historical Commission" (Publications of the Mississippi Historical Soceity, Vol. V., pp. 203-227). An interesting sketch of Col. Claiborne's life which was published in the West Feint News in 1880 and several other clippings which relate to his life and services are now in the possession of his daughter, Mrs. Henry A. Garrett, of Natchez, Miss. The only existing photograph of Col. Clai- borne, from which the accompanying illustration is taken, is also in her possession. Mrs. Garrett also has the following documents that relate to the public career of Col. Claiborne: 1. Memorial of J. F. H. Claiborne to the Senate and House of Repre- sentatives of the United States relative to the Choctaw Claims, — Feb. 19, 1844. 2. Copy of Mississippi Free Trader of Sept. 16, 1843, containing a full account of the origin and history of the Choctaw Claims. 3. A circular letter issued by Col. Claiborne on May 5th, 1845, relative to the timber on the public lands on the sea coast to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. 244 Mississippi Historical Society. 4. A copy of DeBow's Review of October, i860, containing a brief noi of Col. Claiborne. The Journals of the House and Gales and Scaton's Register and Benton's Abridgements afford ample information with reference to Col. Claiborne's services in Congress. The Mississippi Historical Society has a valuable letter which was writ- ten by Col. Claiborne to Maj. VVm. T. Lewis, on Sept. 15, 1857. It con tains a sketch of the- Claiborne family. The library of the University of Mississippi contains bound volumes • ii" the Louisiana Statesman and the Mississippi free Trader, both of which were edited by Col. Claiborne. Lynch's Bench and Bar of Mississippi (pp. 516-529) and Goodspeed's Memoirs of Mississippi (Vol. I., pp. 544-546) give biographical sketches of Col. Claiborne. The Publications of the M ississippi Historical Society contain several interesting references to Col. Claiborne. A bibliography of Col. Claiborne's published books and pamphlets will be found in Owen's Bibliography of Mississippi. The following are the most important published contributions from the pen of Col. Claiborne : 1. Trip through the Piney Woods (a series of sketches published in the Mississippi Free Trader in 1841). 2. Life and Times of Gen. Sa)ii Dale, the Mississippi Partisan (illus- trated by John MI, man and published by Harper & Brothers, New York, i860, 12 mo., pp. 233). 3. Life and Correspondence of John A. Quitman. Major General U. S. A. and Governor of the State of Mississippi (published by Harper & Brothers, 8 vo.. Vol. I., pp. 400; Vol. II. , pp. 392). 4. Mississippi as a Province. Territory, and State, Volume I., (published by Power and Barksdale. Jackson. Miss, 1880, 8 vo., pp. xxii+545). 5. Historical Account of Hancock County and the Sea Board of Mis- sissippi (Hopkin's Printing Office, New Orleans, 1876, 8 vo., pp. 16). 6. Interesting Centennial Reminiscences (in the Natchez Democrat, Centennial Edition, 1876). 7. SketcJi of Sir William Dunbar (published in the Natchez Democrat of Sept. 1, 1873). 8. The Pine District of Mississippi (published in the Weekly Clarion, Jackson, Miss., Dec. 27. 1876). 9. Memorial of J. F. H. Claiborne to the Congress of the United State- relative to the Choctaw Claims, Feb. 14, 1844, 8 vo., 6 pages. 10. Proceedings of the Board of Choctaw Commissioners ("Col. Clai- borne's Statement." Natchez, Miss., Nov. 30, 1843, 8 vo., 17 pages), veteran neighboring. 11. Sketch of Harvey's Scouts (published partly in the Clarion, Jack- son, and in the East Mississippi Times, Starkvillc). PUBLICATIONS OF THE MISSISSIPPI HISTORICAL SOCIETY. Contents of Volume I. I. Mississippi's "Backwoods Poet," by Prof. Dabney Lipscomb. 2. Mis- sissippi as a Field for the Student of Literature, by Prof. W. L. Weber. 3. Suffrage in Mississippi, by Hon. R. H. Thompson. 4. Spanish Policy in Mississippi after the Treaty of San Lorenzo, by Franklin L. Riley. 5. Time and Place Relations in History with some Mississippi and Louisiana Applications, by Prof. Henry E. Chambers. 6. The Study and Teaching of History, by Prof. Herbert B. Adams. 7. Some Facts in the Early His- tory of Mississippi, by Prof. R. W. Jones. 8. Prehistoric Jasper Orna- ments in Mississippi, by Chan. R. B. Fulton. 9. Suggestions to Local Historians, by Prof. Franklin L. Riley. 10. Some Inaccuracies in Clai- borne's History in Regard to Tecumseh, by H. S. Halbert. II. Did Jones County Secede? by Prof. A. L. Bondurant. 12. Index. Contents of Volume II. 1. The Historical Element in Recent Southern Literature, by Prof. C. Alphonso Smith. 2. Irwin Russell— First Fruits of the Southern Ro- mantic Movement, by Prof W. L. Weber. 3- William Ward, a Missis- sippi Poet Entitled to Distinction, by Prof. Dabney Lipscomb. 4. Sher- wood Bonner, Her Life and Place in the Literature of the South, by Prof. A. L. Bondurant. 5. "The Daughter of the Confederacy," Her Life, Character and Writings, by Prof. C. C. Ferrell. 6. Sir William Dunbar, the Pioneer Scientist of Mississippi, by Prof. Franklin L. Riley. 7. His- tory of Taxation in Mississippi, by Prof. C. H. Brough. 8. Territorial Growth of Mississippi, by Prof. J. M. White. 9. The Early Slave Laws of Mississippi, by Alfred H. Stone, Esq. 10. Federal Courts, Judges, At- torneys and Marshals of Mississippi, by T. M. Owen, Esq. 11. Running Mississippi's South Line, by Peter J. Hamilton, Esq. 12. Elizabeth Female Academy— The Mother of Female Colleges, by Bishop Chas. B. Galloway. 13. Early History of Jefferson College, by Mr. J. K. Morrison. 14. The Rise and Fall of Negro Rule in Mississippi, by Dunbar Rowland, Esq. 15. Glimpses of the Past, by Mrs. H. D. Bell. 16. Historic Adams County, by Gerard C. Brandon, Esq. 17. The Historical Opportunity of Mississippi, by Prof. R. W. Jones. 18. Nanih Waiya, the Sacred Mound of the Choc- taws, by H. S. Halbert, Esq. 19. Index. Contents of Volume III. I. Report of the Proceedings of the Third Annual Meeting. 2. The Campaign of Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1863— from April 15th to and Including the Battle of Champion Hills, or Baker's Creek, May 16th, 1863, by Gen. Stephen D. Lee. 3. Siege of Vicksburg, by Gen. Stephen D. Lee. 4. The Black and Tan Convention, by Col. J. L. Power. 5. Plantation Life in Mississippi before the War, by Dunbar Rowland, Esq. 6. Private Letters of Mrs. Humphreys, Written Immediately before and after the Ejectment of Her Husband from the Executive Mansion, by Mrs. Lizzie George Henderson. 7. Importance of the Local History of the Civil War, by Mrs. Josie F. Cappleman. 8. William C. Falkner, Novelist, by Prof. A. L. Bondurant. 9. James D. Lynch, Poet Laureate of the World's Columbian Exposition, by Prof. Dabney Lipscomb. 10. Bishop Otey as Provisional Bishop of Mississippi, by Rev. Arthur Howard Noll. II. Richard Curtis in the Country of the Natchez, by Rev. Chas. H. Otkln. 12. The Making of a State, by Miss Mary V. Duval. 13. Location of the Boundaries of Mississippi, by Franklin L. Riley, Ph. D. 14. Report of Sir William Dunbar to the Spanish Government, at the Conclusion of His Services in Locating and Surveying the Thirty-first Degree of Latitude. 15. A Historical Outline of the Geological and Agricultural Survey of the State of Mississippi, by Eugene W. Hilgard, Ph. D. 16. History of the Application of Science to Industry in Mississippi, by A. M. Muckenfuss. Ph. D. 17. William Charles Cole Claiborne, by Prof. H. E. Chambers. 18. Transition from Spanish to American Control in Mississippi, by Franklin L. Riley, Ph. D. 19. Grenada and Neighboring Towns in the 30's, by Capt. L. Lake. 20. History of Banking in Mississippi, by Chas. H. Brough, Ph. D. 21. Origin and Location of the A. & M. College of Mississippi, by Prof. J. M. White. 22. Funeral Customs of the Choctaws, by Mr. H. S. Halbert. 23. Danville's Map of East Mississippi, by Mr. H. S. Halbert. 24. Index. Contents of Volume IV. 1. Report of the Annual Meeting, April 18-19, 1901, by Dr. Franklin L. Riley. 2. Campaign of Generals Grant and Sherman against Vicksburg in December, 1862, and January 1st and 2nd, 1863, known as the "Chicka- saw Bayou Campaign," by Gen. Stephen D. Lee. 3. Sherman's Meridian Expedition from Vicksburg to Meridian, February 3rd to March 6th, 1863, by Gen. Stephen D. Lee. 4. Capture of Holly Springs, December 20, 1862, by Prof. J. G. Deupree. 5. Battle of Corinth and Subsequent Retreat, by Col. James Gordon. 6. Work of the United Daughters of the Con- federacy, by Mrs. Albert G. Weems. 7. Local Incidents of the War be- tween the States, by Mrs. Josie Frazee Cappleman. 8. The First Struggle over Secession in Mississippi, by Mr. Jas. W. Garner. 9. Reconstruc- tion in East and Southeast Mississippi, by Capt. W. H. Hardy. 10. Legal Status of Slaves in Mississippi before the War, by W. W. Magruder, Esq. 11. Mississippi's Constitution and Statutes in Reference to Freedmen and Their Alleged Relation to the Reconstruction Acts and War Amendments, by A. H. Stone, Esq. 12. History of Millsaps College, by Pres. W. B. Murrah. 13. Lorenzo Dow in Mississippi, by Bishop C. B. Galloway. 14. Early Beginnings of Baptists in Mississippi, by Rev. Z. T. Leavell. 15. Importance of Archaeology, by Peter J. Hamilton, Esq. 16. The Choctaw Creation Legend, by H. S. Halbert, Esq. 17. Last Indian Council on the Noxubee, by H. S. Halbert, Esq. 18. The Real Philip Nolan, by Rev. Edward Everett Hale. 19. Letter from George Poindexter to Felix Huston, Esq. 20. The History of a County, by Mrs. Helen D. Bell. 21. Recollections of Pioneer Life in Mississippi, by Miss Mary J. Welsh. 22. Political and Parliamentary Orators and Oratory in Mississippi, by Dunbar Rowland, Esq. 23. The Chevalier Bayard of Mississippi,— Edward Cary Walthall, by Miss Mary Duval. 24. Life of Gen. John A. Quitman, by Mrs. Rosalie Q. Duncan. 25. T. A. S. Adams, Poet, Educator and Pulpit Orator, by Prof. Dabney Lipscomb. 26. Influence of the Mississippi River upon the Early Settlement of Its Valley, by Richard B. Houghton, Esq. 27. The Mississippi Panic of 1813, by Col. J. A. Watkins. 28. Union and Planter's Bank Bonds, by Judge J. A. P. Campbell. 29. Index. Contents of Volume V. 1. Administrative Report of the Mississippi Historical Commission. 2. An Account of Manuscripts, Papers and Documents Pertaining to Mis- sissippi in Public Repositories beyond the State. (1) Foreign Archives, by Peter J. Hamiltotn, Esq. (2) Federal Archives, by Thomas M. Owen, Esq. (3) State Archives, by Franklin L. Riley, Ph. D. (4) Libraries and Societies, by Prof. James M. White. 3- An Account of Manuscripts, Papers, and Documents in Public Repositories within the State of . Mis- sissippi. (i) State Offices, by Franklin L. Riley, Ph. D. 2) County Offices, by Prof. James M. White and Franklin L Riley, Ph. Dp) Municipal Offices, by Prof. James M. White and Frankhn L. Riley, Ph D. (4) Federal Offices, by Franklin L. Riley, Ph. D. (5) Educational Institutions. (6) Church Organizations. (7) Professional, Literary and Industrial Organizations, by Prof James M. White, y» Benevolent and Miscellaneous Associations. (9) Lffiranes and Societies by Prof. James M. White and Franklin L. Rdey, Ph. D. 4- A " A £ cou " of Manuscripts, Papers and Documents in Private Hands. CD i'apcis of Prominent Mississippians, by Prof. James M White. (2) Private Collectors and Students, by Franklin L. Riley, Ph. D (3) Newspaper. (4) War Records. 5- Aboriginal and Indian History. (1) Published Ac- counts of Prehistoric Remains, by Mr. H, S, Halbert and Cap -A. J. Brown. (2) Small Indian Tribes of Mississippi, by Mr. H S. Halbert. 6. Points and Places of Historic Interest in Mississippi. (1) Extinct towns and Villages of Mississippi, by Franklin L. Riley, Ph. D. (2) Battlefields. 7. Index. Contents of Volume VI. 1 Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Mississippi Historical Society, by Dr. Franklin L. Riley. 2. Report of the Secretary and Treas- urer, 1898-1902, by Dr. Franklin L. Riley. 3- Battle of Brice s Cross Roads by Gen Stephen D. Lee. 4. Battle of Harrisburg or Tupelo, by General Stephen D. Lee. 5- The Clinton Riot, by Dr. Charles Hillman Brough. 6 Conference between Gen. George and Gov Ames by H ° n n Fra , nk J ' 1 "- ston. 7. Mississippi's First Constitution and Its Makers by Dunbar Row- land, Esq. 8. Secession of i860, by Judge Thomas H. Woods. 9. Causes and Events That Led to the Calling of the Constitutional Convention of 1890, by Judge S. S. Calhoon. 10. History of the measures Submitted to the Committee on Penitentiary in the Constitutional Convention of 1890, by Hon J. H. Jones. II. History of the Measures Submitted to the Com- mittee on Elective Franchise, Apportionment, and Elections in the Consti- Uiional Convention of 1890, by Hon. J. S. McNeilly. 12 Suffrage and Re ons ruction in Mississippi, by Hon. Frank Johnston. 13. .Some Historic Homes in Mississippi, by Mrs. N. D. Deupree. 14. Early Times in Wayne County by Hon. T M. Wilkins. 15. Industrial Mississippi in he Light of the Twelfth Census by Dr. A. M. Muckenfuss. 16. The Mississippi River and The Effort to Confine It in Its Channel, by Maj.Wm. Dunbar Jenkins. 17 Ori-m of the Pacific Railroads, and Especially of the Southern Pacific, by Hon Edward Mayes. 18. The Origin of Certain Place Names m the State of Mississippi, by Mr. Henry Gannett. 19. The Catholic Church hi Miss ssippi DuHng Colonial Times, by Rev. B J Bekkers. 20. Robert J WalkS by Geo. J Leftwich, Esq. 21. Story of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit by Mr. H. S. Halbert. 22. The Yowanne, or Hiowanni Indian,, by Peter J Hamilton, Esq. 23. Location and Description of Emmaus Misfion b y Mr. John H. Evans. 24. Bernard Romans' Map of 1772, by Mr H S Halbert. 25. Antiquities of Newton County, by Capt A. J. Brown.' 26. Route of DeSoto's Expedition from Tahepacana to Huhasene, by Prof. T. H. Lewis. 27. Report of the Department of Archives and His- tory, by Dunbar Rowland, Esq. 28. Index. Contents of Volume VII. 1 Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Meeting of the Mississippi Historical Society by Dr g F° rank lin L. Riley. 2. The Rank and File at Vicksburg bv Si J H Jones. 3. A Mississippi Brigade in the Last Days of the Confederacy by Hon. J S. McNeilly. 4- Yazoo County in the Civil War, b7 Judge Robert Bowman. 5 - Johnson's Division in. the Batt e of Frank in, by Gen Stephen D. Lee. 6. Reminiscences of Service with the First Mis- sissippi Cavalry, by Prof. J. G. Deupree. 7- Makeshifts of the War be- tween the States, by Miss Mary J. Welsh. 8. Reconstruction in Yazoo County, by Judge Robert Bowman. 9. Recollections of Reconstruction in East and Southeast Mississippi, by Capt. W. H. Hardy. 10. Life of Col. Felix Labauve, by Dr. P. H. Saunders. II. Life of Greenwood LeFlore, by Mrs. N. D. Deupree. 12. Thomas Griffin— a Boanerges of the Early Southwest, by Bishop Chas. B. Galloway. 13- Lafayette Rupert Hamber- lin, Dramatic Reader and Poet, by Prof. P. H. Eager. 14. Life of Col. J. F. H. Claiborne, by Dr. Franklin L. Riley. 15. Senatorial Career of J Z George, by Dr. James W. Garner. 16. Cotton Gin Port and Gaines' Trace, by Geo. J. Leftwich. 17. The Cholera in 1849, by Maj. Wm. Dun- bar Jenkins. 18. Historic Clinton, by Dr. Charles Hillman Brough. 19. LaCache, by Rev. Ira M. Boswell. 20. Some Historic Homes in Missis- sippi, by Mrs. N. D. Deupree. 21. Location and Description of the Six Towns Mission Station in Jasper County, by Capt. A. J. Brown. 22. Lowndes County, Its Antiquities and Pioneer Settlers, by Col. Wm. A. Love 23. Mingo Moshulitubbee's Prairie Villages, by Col. Wm. Love. 24. Origin of Mashulaville, by Mr. H. S. Halbert. 25. The Chroniclers of DeSoto's Expedition, by Prof. T. H. Lewis. 26. British West Florida, by Peter J. Hamilton, Esq. 27. The Floods of the Mississippi, by John W. Monette. 28. Navigation and Commerce on the Mississippi, by John W. Monette. 29. Index. Volumes I. and II., neatly bound together in cloth (360 pages) will be sent, charges collect, to any address on receipt of $3.00. This edition is limited. A few copies of Volume I. (no pages), unbound, may be purchased for $1.00 each. Volume II. (250 pages), in separate binding, is no longer on sale. Volumes III. (380 pages), IV. (508 pages), V. (394 pages), VI. (568 pages) and VII. (542 pages), bound in cloth, will be sent to any express address, charges prepaid, for $2.00 each. All persons interested in advancing the cause of Mississippi history are eligible to membership in the Society. There is no initiation fee. The only cost to members is, annual dues, $2.00, or life dues, $30.00. Members receive all publications during their connection with the Society free of charge. Address all communications to FRANKLIN L. RILEY, Secretary and Treasurer, University, Mississippi. «,2? flRY ° F CONGRESS 11 836 719 4