He was in charge of all the great
Hurricanes estates, and attended to
the business of Joseph as well as of
Jefferson Davis. Of course there was
a white general manager for all the
estates, and a white overseer on each
of the three places and the proper
cultivation of the crop and its gather
ing. The purchasing of the stores
necessary for such a vast establishment
as this was now, the shipment of the
cotton, and the deposits of the money
received for it, were all entrusted to
Ben Montgomery.
In 1863, after Mr. Lincoln had
issued his famous Emancipation Proc
lamation, for the first time in his life
Ben asked permission to come to
Richmond. Mr. Davis kept that letter
to his dying day.
" Dear Marse Jeff," Ben wrote, "I
want to come to Richmond to see
you, and I want to come right away.
There is something I want to tell you
which I dare not write, so do please
let me come to Richmond at once.
Your faithful servant, Ben."
Mr. Davis was a little startled and
somewhat alarmed at the tone of Ben's
letter. He could not imagine what in
the world that negro had in his mind.
Of course he wrote Ben to come at
once, and sent him the necessary
permit for a slave to travel.
"Marse Jeff," said Ben, when he
arrived at Richmond, and had an
opportunity to talk to his master oc
curred, " I got something I want to
tell you about. You know Mr. Lincoln
has issued what he calls an Emancipa
tion Proclamation, and with it another
proclamation confiscating the property
of certain arch rebels, as he calls them.
