The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-05-31
WASHINGTON ITEMS
icy Telegraph to the R'Si't'r'l
WASHINGTON, May y.
n.@orafIon Day.

HASHINGAONJ 1AoJ
Decoration Day.
The city to-day presented the appear
onca of Sunday, thousands having lett
u % attend the solemn ceremonies oil
,bs decoration of the graves of our fallen
braves at Arlington. The departments
were all closed, and but one subordinate
official left in attendance at the White
House. The President, accompanied by
Mrs. Grant AID Mr.. Dent, left shortly
before noon to attend the ceremonies.
The Receipts from Customs and Inter
nal Revenue
For the week have been unusually large,
and for the month so much in excess of
the month of April that the May
statement of the public debt will show
q reduction of about ten millions.
Purchase of Bonds TO be Continued.
1t is now believed here that the Secre-
tary of the Treasury will go on purebas-
ing bonds until one per cent. of the debt
for this year is cancelled for the sink
ing fund. This, will, Of course, neces-
state the purchase of about twenty-six
millions of 5-2Os. before January next.
Another National Monument Pro
posed.
On Monday the committee of the
Union War Prisoners Association will
have an interview with the President
concerning the proposed erection Of
grand national monument to the memo
~ of the $1,000 prisoners who died in
Southern prisons during the war. The
Association contemplate seeking from
Congress the grant of public square
on Pennsylvania avenue, on which to
erect the proposed monument.
Georgia.
The Administration has decided as to
what it will do with the alleged disturb
ed condition of things in Georgia. The
commanding officer of the department
in which that State is situated is to be
instructed to do all in his power to aid
ID6 puulSuluB VI NAAiO'
Captured Property.
In June, 1865, there were received at
the Treasury Department three wooden
boxes, said to contain valuables, turned
over by the War Department for safe
keeping These boxes have since laid
in the vaults of the Treasury, but were
yesterday opened by the efforts of a
United States Senator, some of whose
constituents were supposed to be inter
ested A committee, composed of officers
of the War and Treasury Departments,
witnessed the carrying out of the joint
order of the two Departments. The
boxes we're found to contain exceeding
ly valuable invoices of diamonds, of
pearls, necklaces, watches, earrings, |
brooches, rings, chains, seals and all
manner of expensive jewelry, to the
value of many thousand dollars. The
most valuable property, however, which
the boxes contained was very large
amount of solid silverware, consisting
of pitchers, salvers, spoons, knives,
urns, cups, and all kinds of plates, some
of which was thought to be more than
q hundred years old. Oae of the boxes
contained some very rich wearing APP
parel for ladies, silks, velv cts, laces, &C,
besides an incredible amount of COnfed-
crate notes AID bonds, and notes OF
State banks. There was also small
amount of specie. both gold aud silver.
The boxes were about the size of ordl-
nary dry goods boxes, and the value of
their contents is yariOusly estimated at
from twenty thousand TO one hundred
thousand dollars. Many of the articles
contained the family crestS, initials or
monographs of the owners, and all were
of the finest and most costly description.
The boxes were sent by the Provost
Marshal General of. the Army of the
Tennessee to the War Department in
this city, and Secretary Stanton turned
them over to Treasurer Spinner, subject
to future action. The valuables are
supposed to have been taken possession
of by SherRan's men in Georgia and
other States, where they had been aban-
doned by the fleeing inhabitants. In
some cases they were taken from banks
which had ceased to do business upon
the approach of the Federal army.
The officers of both departments
are uncertain of their duty in the
matter of the disposition of the proper
ty. Some hold that it should be return
cd, under proper restrictions and proof,
to the owners, if they can be found.
Others believe the articles belong to the
Government, under the laws of Con-
gress, and that they should be sold aud
the proceeds covered into the Treasury.
Still Others affirm that neither the War
nor the Treasury Departments has any
authority in the premises, and that
special act of Congress should be called
for. Nothing has yet been done, and
the valuables are returned to the vaults
of the Treasury.