The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1868-10-23
WHOLE NUMBER S03.
Gold and Greenbaeks.


a Good sailor at Callao had sent
home money to his wife by me--a
double eagle and twenty dollar
"reenback. While | was writing a
letter to send with them, by express
to the good woman, the gold lay ON
the greenl,ack, and, being on top,
looked down and muttered something
which | did not hear. Greenback
fluttercd and answered:
Yes, you're on top of me, You
are heavy-you keep me down. They
say YOU are worth eight dollars more
than am. But, after all, do more
work than You DO, and make more
people happy / don't care IT You
are solid gold I'd rather be busy
than precious, IKE you.'
Said gold, contemptuouSly, " on
are not money at all-net at all. You
are only paper, with promise written
on YOU. But am money. L am
twenty dollars Anybody that gets
me gets money. But you-what are
YOU worth? You didn't cost two
cents. It's a shame, shame TO call
you twenty dollars"
| stopped writing the letter and
began to think. Which is worth the
more. gold or greenbacks? money or
good, true promise ? SAID l.
"What is your promise, green
back ?"
q DO not promise anything.
| Just run around and tell people that
the United States will pay the bearer
| (of me) twenty dollars at the treasury
in New York. And people believe the
promise. And so they are willing to
work hard and take me for pay"
But how happened the United
States to make such promise "
asked.
Greenbacks replied, Il remember
well what the promise on me was
given for. In 1865 j was young and
new, and nobody had ever owned me.
One day / was taken out ola little nor
box by man called the paymaster-
sometimes they called him major. He
took the little bundle / was in, and
came to little bed in large room,
and put me and four ike me into sick
mans hands, saying, There corporal,
there's your pay in full! The sick
man took us, but did not look at us,
nor read the promise. He held us IN
his hand till the major went away.
Then he sent for the hospital chaplain.
He came and asked what was wanting.
Il want you to write letter Tor me,
said the corporal. i can't see
reckon I never shall see any more
Tell me what is on these new bills that
the paymaster gave me. Read them
Ito me. So the chaplain read, The
United States viii pay the bearer
twenty dollars at the treasury IN New
York WELL said the corporal, you
put all five of them into a letter,
and send them to my wife. She's a
nice little woman as ever you saw; and
IiifI don't get back to her, tell her to
pay OF the debt on our house, ana
GOOD people will be good friends to
her. and help her 10 find work to keep
t the children together. ooh, CORPORAL
: said the chaplain, you'll 90 home
Yourself and see her, by and by. III
! write your letter, though, just as you
say"
s'I hardly want to go home," an
swered the corporal. "A blind man
can't do much, you know. I'd rather
finish up here at City Point, and let
Uncle Sam bury me with the boys
They'll pay my little wife pension,
won't they
Certainly, certainly" said the.
chaplain. "They promised TO, and
the United States never break their
promise >
So the chaplain took us five new
and clean promises, and put us in a
letter, and wrote to the corporal $
wife, and read to him what he had
written, and then asked, "Shall l write
anything more for you?"
"N-o-no," said the corporal,
slowly, 81 may think of something
let me keep the letter till tomorrow"
So he put it under his pillow and fell
asleep. BY and by he woke, and took
all five OF us out of the envelope, and
counted us Overcome, two, three,
st'rrs tinted lsSfraftttis- ~ viii ihat9r aI MY
hundred dollars, and she Will give the
: United States her husband. | wish L
p was worth more And he put us all
! back into the envelope, and sealed Ii
e with a kiss, and we could see no more
D In the morning we heard the chap
lain come again. lie took the sealed
letter but did not open it. He wrote
A postscript on new half sheet, and
we heard the eOrporal's wife read 1t to
I. her children n week afterward:
! up. S-MY DEAR Mrs G.-l send
= = YOU the sealed letter which i took
. from the lips of your dear husband,
! Corporal c., who died unexpectedly
v last night. He was brave man lie
, did his duty. ncloyed yon and the chil.
9 1ren. God will comfort you, good
: - people will love you, and the United
|, States will care for YOU
"And that's the way" continued
'slnrreenback, after a pause, 'that S how
. lire United StateS came 10 h''hc ."'.'
uromise written on me; and | say 1t Is
AS enod as gold any day. L don
= know where gold was all those days
e when we were so busy. l don't know
what he was doing. Perhaps h'
= does" d"
Gold, little red in the face, re
! piled, Il was reserved"
= "Reserved ~ said greenback, ''thai
- - means hid, don't it ?"
. swell. yes-usefully hid. The cur:
- rency disturbed, and coin retired
! Specie payments were suspended,
~ said gold with dignity.
!, "That means" said greenbaek
~ W. ''that you were so precious, that wher
"a - our country was in danger, and goo.(
~ -. men were dying to save her, you hit
= away and left us greenbaeks TO do the
~ work. And now you sneer at us, ano
, call us paper promises! L tell You
u promise well keptis better than gold.
to Elliott two or three years ago re
-. I'll . -, frona a nOlitiel