Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-04-27
The Gold of the Richmond Banks, Again.

We had hoped the question as to this gold
was settled when the President decided that it
was not captured property" and directed its
restoration to its owners. After this order it
seems some party stepped forward and prom
ised to prove it was Confederate property, and
thereupOn the order was suspended. The facts
appear to be fairly stated in the Enquirer OF
yesterday and if they be-of which we have
no doubt-the title of the banks to the
coin is too plain for argument. The banks re-
fused to lend the money to the Confederacy,
but the State of Virginia borrowed 100000
and placed 1t under the control Of the Secretary
Of War, to be used for a specific purpose
The money was not taken from the banks be-
fore the evacuation of Richmond, nor from its
officers afterwards, but remained with their
other funds, and was carried to Georgia with
them. Before General JOHNsTON's surrender
JOIN G. BRBcEINRIDGE gave an order for the
money borrowed of the State TO be returned to
the banks, and it was so returned in the month
Of April, 1865. 1t renamed in the custody of
the banks agents upwards of four months, and
was recognized by several Federal Generals as
the private property of the banks. 1t was car
ried to Washington and put special deposit.
When asked to restore it the Government
caused an investigation, and General STEAD
NAN, in charge of the military department of
Georgia, was examined in person. He said he
regarded and treated the coin as the banks
property, and that it never had been "cap-
tured, =" so far as he knew or had reason to be-
lieve. The President thereupOn ordered it to
DO delivered to its owners.
At this point some intervenOr filed state
ment that no could prove, by specially named
parties, that this coin belonged to the Confed-
crate Government. The parties were exam
ined, and failed to show any such fact and
now the effort is being made to prove it by the
officers OF the banks. They are honorable
gentlemen, and will disclose the truth. Such
gentlemen as WN. II. MCFARLAND, JAMES
CAsEIE, WIN. P. STROTHER, JOHN W. GODDIN,
aud the officers who accompanied the coin to
the South, are incapable of misrepresentation :;
and the facts stated and to be stated by them
will show that the Confederate Government
had no contract with the banks by which it be-
came entitled to their coin, but that its con-
tract was with the State Of Virginia and when
the agent of the War Department ascertained
he could not use the fund as it was required to
be used he returned it to the banks in dis
charge Of the bonds executed by the State for
it. The case appears to us to be simply this 4;
A. applies to B. to borrow (say) 800. B..
declines to lend it to A. c. applies, saying he
will borrow it, and lend it to A. for given OBJ
iect, and gives his bond for it, but does not
take it from BIS supervision and control. Be-
fore it passes from BIS power A. says he can
not use the money as he intended, and tells b.
to retain it and credit the amount on C.'s bond.
The money is so retained by B., and he treats
it as his own. Afterwards a creditor of A.,
whohls obtained no lien on the fund while A. had
power to use it, comes forward and claims it as
A. IS property. What would such a claim be
worth Before any honest tribunal, knowing
the law, not one cent, if the claim involved a
million.
Whatever others may claim for the Govern
ment, we will not believe that the President
and Secretary MCCULLOcH will hold as the
Governments property thus situated.