The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1869-03-11

~ Pa'nAuiy polnted as TO AWAKEN no
little apprehension in regard to what
may come next.
War CLArMs.-Col, Dewy, appoint
ed BY the State to settle the claims of
the State against the Government, on
account of our expenditures during
the Rebellion, has succeeded ia get.
ting allowed the additional sum Of
100000. This makes, we believe,
the sum Of about $685. that has
been successfully prosecuted by Col.
Dewy.
A Relic.
The Draft Book Of a Confederate Sec.
rotary.
From, the San Francisco Bulletin, Jan. %.
A gentleman has handed US for in
spection the "stub' Of u draft-book
used by the Secretary of the Confed.
eracy, and which shows in brief the
larger part of the original transac.
tons during the existence of the reb-
el power. 1t was found after the fall
of Richmond, and is preserved as q
curious relic Of the past.
The first entry is dated May goth,
1861, and is for the modest sum OF
$4,000 on the Canal Bank of New
Orleans. The next is dated Juno Z.
1861, and is a draft for $50, 900 on the
Louisiana State Bank, payable to the
order Of A, j. Carrot, Assistant
Treasurer. By this time the finan-
cial system has been fully brought
into operation. These drafts extend
over period from the date above
mentioned to August, 1864; the last
regular draft having been drawn on
the Sd of that month. There is a
memorandum Of q draft drawn as
late as October 3, 1864. This draft
is drawn payable to the order of NJ.
J. ball, Dep, at Marshall, Texas. 1t
is addressed to E. G. Elmorc, Jr.
Richmond, Va, ard is supposed to
have been drawn for post-office pur-
poses. A note in the same hand.
writing reads as follows: "Authori.
ty endorsed on the draft to pay r. A.
Matthews to effect the transfer under
contract Of Matthews and Ewell with
the Treasury Department, but at the
risk and expense of the Post. Office
Departments
Without footing up all the margin
81 sums, we should judge that two
hundred millions were represented in
this book, Many of the drafts are
az large as one million, and some
even reach the amount of ten mil
lions. There are many small drafts
for coin, but these rarely exceed S1O,.
900, and most of them were under
$1,000. As specimen of Confede.
rate bookkeeping, we should not
rank this account book very high
The original entries are frequently
defaced and written over with new
endorsement, so that it is not easy to
make out the exact character of the
original transaction. In some places
there are memoranda showing either
that the draft had been sold for gold
or that it had been drawn payable in
that way. Such drafts are usually
drawn on depositaries in localities
where there was o rebel custom.
house, and where blockade-runnere
had paid duties In gold. Nearly all
the specie mentioned in these drafts
appears to have been derived from
these sources. The right-arm of the
Confederacy waa the hlnckade-rnn.
ners.
In the later days Of the Confede.
racy, Frazer, Trenholm l. Co. figure
as bankers and depositaries at Liver.
pool. Most Of the late drafts on this
house are for small amounts payable
in gold, and appear to have been
used to pay diplomatic salaries. The
latest Of these were drawn in Au.
gust, 1864, when it was all up with
the Confederacy 1t is not a little
significant that when it was evident
that the cause was lost there was q
desperate raid upon this draft>bank.
As late as July %, 1864, we find draft
No. SO3, drawn tor $4,000, 900 on w.
7. Leat b, Assistant Treasurer of Co
lumbia, s. c., payable to the order OF
e. G. Elmore, Confederate Treasur er
although there is nothing to indicate
where that official might be found at
that particular time.
On draft No. 234, drawn by the
Confederate Treasurer, for slO9, 800.
on John Boston, deputy at Savan.
nah, Ga, is the endorsement: "Pay.
able in bonds secured on sequestra.
ton account" This sort of paper no
doubt commanded a premium. The
oecurity was the confiscated property
sf northern men who, refusing to be
rebels, were forced to leave the coun.
try.
Frazer, Trenholm L. Co., Liver.
pool, figure in the d, aft-book as early
as December 20, 1861. In one place
they are designated as "Hon. Dep. "
1t those financiers didn't make any
money out of the rebel concern, let
them not forget the honor of having
figured SO largely in this connection.
They did their best, no doubt; and
If they are stuck with pile of Con-
ederate notes and bonds, the paper
mills Of England can readily convert
them into tolerable paper stock once
more.
Some OF the sums expressed in
these drafts were no doubt used to
pay for tho Confederate cruiser Ala
bama. Laird does not figure by
name in this book-all the financial
transactions abroad being covered by
the bame Of Frazer, Trenholm l. Co.
who, first and last, paid out several
One draft payable to the
order Of this firm, dated September
IL, 1862, is for $4,000 francs; anoth-
er, December 16, of the same year.
and payable to the same order, was
to pay French account against the
Confederacy, probably for supplies,
or for an outfit of one or moro rebel
cruisers. The book from which we
have drawn the foregoing data is a
curiosity in it's way, and let's in a
CLEAN Of light here and there upon
the history Of those eventful times.
OD the frst page we print y call
Tor railroad convention to be held
at Ottumwa, on the 18th of this month
in the intAreafs of an axfana;on ~