New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-09-29
HIDDEN PLUMBER.
A Federal Quarterma sfer Buries 500, 900
During the War and Nine Years After
Goes 10 Get IL.
From the New York Her4ldI


tlict, and was disputed ground between the
two armies for long time. 1t is directly
across the Potomac from the battle-ground
of Anhetam, and saw great deal of that
famous fight as we'll as of many minor ones
| nearer its own limits. 1t is q good place to
cross the Potomac by ferry, and, therefore
was generally selected by both armies as
an available point from which to operate.
During the summer of 1868 it was in the
thickest of the connection of the retreat of
our army to Gettysburg and subsequent
retreat of the shattered army Of Lee and
of the future Of that summon 5 operation
Of our army in this so0Clon' There was,
| therefore. a great Number OF army officers
| in and ahou8 the little town, and during
| the Gettysburg campaign much confusion
| and excitement prevailed. After this was
all Quoted by the further removal of the
| army, and everything settled to almost a
| neace standard, it beco>+ne rumored abont
| fhat during the Gettysburg qanairn a
| ouartermaSter of our army hau oo'f7 1.aS
| his vicinity a large amount o. I non =
| variously estimated at from 9oo,oo goo ~
| 800 600. From various circumstances COZ
/ npcted with the report, much credence was
| Given to the rumOr, and many attempts
made by people 10 find the treasure, pa0
| without avail. ~ M
! MORT as to the hidden wealth had Deeh al
| most forgotten, "a young man made his APP
.
| heen a soldier in New York regiment Oh
cavalry inv informant thinks 1T the tlIth).
| He remained about for some time without
any apparent object, exceptt to Vlslt Uh6 odt5
| tie fields over which he had marcheo anu
fought, and even stated that was ms onLy
purpose here. Every Gay no "ot tI 10 70
| long walks first in one direction anu tnen
another, and uniformly carried digging
implement with him.
This excited some suspicion, ana ne was
watched by gentleman who had the story
of the buried cash revived by MS appear
ance and action. He was found to Walk up
and down the different roads IN the Ylclhlty
scanning anxiously every tree that STOOD
near the roadside, eyincing such an interest,"
| in his search as was inconsistent Win MS
story of interest only in the war scenes III
which he had participated. For more than
a week he kept up his visits to the ADJOINING
country. and toward the close grew gloomy
and melancholy. One evening, about ten
j - from the time of his arrival, ne re-
uaJ . Senate Tar than usual from his walks and
turned !att.' OF attention of leaving on the
declared ms liz orlean5lern home. ;,
next DAY LOT MS NortAf the htsupper ne iF2liec
After he had eaten his com16Esa Ca, ~
the gentleman with whom he Vas staying
aside, and told him that the object of his
visit to this country was not solely to visit
old army scenes but to secure an amount
of money that had been buried in this
y ,
quartermaster of a New York brigade, who
was an intimate friend of his. He said that
he had been the clerk of this officer who
secreted the money, and that So, 900 was
buried amid the roots Of a large tree
somewhere in this vicinity. He stated {
that the officer who hid the money was !
then serving out a term in the penitentiary
for emhezzement, and if the money was not .
found before it expired he 1.-THE ot1icer) :
would himself return for his hidden plum
der. He seemed much chagrined at his =
failure to discover the spot where his de-
taulting friend had secreted his ill-gotten :
cash, and declared bis fear thatif the money
was not found before his friend got out of !
prison it would be worthless. He said the :
money was in green backs and gold, in tin . .
OOx, and when buried was encased in q
wooden box. His statements were so clear
md positive as to all the details of burial /
hat not the slightest shadow of doubt was q
$4,000 lie buried perhaps within a stones l.
throw of his own home; but where no one ! q
'ould tell save the one who hid it, ..
Tho young man whoo thus gave positive 3
assertion and assurance as to the truth of +
he rumor of the money burial is req resent =
ID as being young and gentlemanly in APP q
'earance, well and neatly dressed sober =
nd deliberate in action, intelligent in CON Z
-ersatiOn and generally correct liz habit - :,
nd department.. lie left fOp his nome on Il
he next morning. after impartng the above
and since that date until few
avs ago no knowledge SIS 40 his where
bouts or history bias been possessed by n n
ny one here u
a short time sinces fwo well dressed, gen p'
manufacturing and active men stepped off %
he cars at keedysville, little gown few ~
liles distant from here, directly across the te
veT in Maryland. They secured horse, IL
nd buggy with the statement that thew OF
hoI hoo Ill
! the late war and desired to revisit the y! u!
attic field OF Antietam, its cemetery and l
djoining army historical points. They spent IL
3me time about the country, apparently ~ M
'oking at the cemetery, etc, but.truthfuIIy I9
} kill time, and by one or two persons was p
lis young man who had first come to search tn
IT the money recognized. Pl
His companion is supposed to have been w.
i'm who buried the treasure he had nr
'arched for years ago unsuCcessfully, re- 6ab
9ntly out from prison. Toward evening or
ley drew near the Potomac river crossed m
and visited the large cement mill below tn
lie town, and spent some time there look sh
G at its working and conversing with the va
lperintendent. To him they also told the W
Dry of their visit to old army camp
'Ounds, and their journey from New York
IRE to revisit them. 1t was late when they
#, and they drove up to the town and out tn
the direction of Harper's Ferry. Nothing sh
OlS ~ hupWu VI tucLu until UL6 next morn. nv
z, near daylight, when they recrossed the JUG
rry, and drove off toward KeedysYille, trc
here they took the train East fro
Hardly had the morning fairly dawned hlI
e Mr.. Myers, who lives about two miles hoI
ON this place on the road leading toward the
ltfield's depot just above the Harpers cor
srry wood discovered that immense piles thl
dirt had, during the night, been thrown ow
from the root of a large oak tree stand one
g by the roadside, a few hundred yards the
low his house, on the road leading toward the
e place. lie and his several workmen so
mediately went down and found that mo
rse and buggy had been hitched to the wa
ice during the night, and that at least do'
rec or four wagon loads Of earth asst
d been taken out from around the ant
DTS of the tree by some unknown yer
rites. evidently in search for some this
ng. While they were looking at the 1nys- mel
ious pile of earth, trying to divine the q
use Of the digging, one of them discover tuci
place from which had evidently been
KEN box two feet in length by fifteen or
hteen inches III width, the decayed por- A
MS of which were scattered all about the Tsla
ening. No sooner had this been discov- onil
ID than the story of the quartermaster's Kin,
den cash was recalled, and it was at nan
20 uecla6d that he mad come anu taken der
away. The story of this discovery soon the
cad over the community, and large num- han
S OF people came to view the spot where, hea,
nearly ten years, small fortune lay in n
lied, which had been sought after long CON
e with great energy by several people stir
o did not doubt its existence. l went to abo