John H. James Finds Wife Elizabeth Matthews Remarried

The Experience of Jefferson Davis'
Coachman--A Queer Case.

New York Sun
Richmond, Va., Feb. 9.--In the latter
part of 1863, John H. James, a popular
mulatto slave of Jefferson Davis, married
Elizabeth Matthews, a handsome and, for
one in her station, well-educated quad-
roon. The bride was the slave of the
Hon. Judah P. Benjamin, Secretary of
State of the Southern Confederacy. Soon
after the marriage President Davis gave
James his freedom, and presented him
with enough money to buy his wife's
freedom. They then settled down in Rich-
mond. James was promoted to the posi-
tion of Coachman, and thought it no little
honor to drive the President of the Con-
federate States around in his coach.
James remained with Mr. Davis until the
evacuation of Richmond by the Confeder-
ates, and then accompanied his former
master in his hasty flight down South,
where Mr. Davis was captured. James
went to New Orleans and engaged in mer-
cantile pursuits in a small way. His wife
never heard of him after the capture of
Mr. Davis, and his friends supposed him
dead. On the 29th of May last she mar-
ried again to Ashten Tunstall, a very re-
spectable young colored barber of this
city. Last Wednesday James, who had
been thought dead, returned to this city
and made his way to where his wife lived
only to find her married to another man.
To-day he instituted a suit for divorce.
James gave no reason for his long silence,
except, he says his wife never answered
his letters. He accuses her of infidelity.
The husband is indignant, and insists on
a divorce. The wife is willing to go back
to her first husband, but husband No. 2
is opposed to this. The affair comes up
in court next week. and causes excite-
ment in colored upper tendom. Eminent
counsel on both sides.