Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1873-02-04
EaIs scELLAN N Eous.
FIVE MILLION DOLLARS,
A TRUE STORY OF THE LATE coSrEDERAcY

| A TRUE STORY OF THE LATE CONFEDERACY
The story am going to relate occurred in
| 1861. 1t owes its origin to the great war that
then took place, and, like many other inter-
estlng episodes. has never been published -
The facts were learned several years ago, mar
rated hy persons then residing in Richmond,
and although in some minor details there may
be some slight inaccuracies, in the main the
story is true.
Shortly after the Cotton States troops com
menced their influx to Virginia, Treasury
Department was established at Richmond
At that time the currency, outside of gold and
silver, consisted of State and stock bonds,
which was found insufficient to supply the de.
mand of the accumuating armies of nearly
| four hundred thousand men Richmond
being the headquarters of the rising Com
federacy, it was selected by the leading men
as the most suitable place for the issuance of
their national currency.
In the Treasury Department there was EN-.
ployed man by the name of EIam,. a com-
| positor. He was shrewd and tricky fellow.
as the sequel will prove
After rejecting on the great opportunity
he had of becoming millionaire, he deter,
mined 10 strike off large amount of this
money. No precautionary measures were
taken in regard to this establishment. as all
seemed to he enorossed in the furtheriny of
Southern independence. But while Elan
was patriotic in the cause, he had an eve also
to business. So one night he concluded that
the opportune moment was at hand FOR carry
ing out his design. Walking along the street
he met and accnstcd man who went hy the
name of ''Napoleon," divulging the object in
view and offering an equal partnership in the
L. la
tant WAS a fnreigncr-a native Of Poland
and was ncknaned Napoleon FROM facial
resemblance to the then Emperor of the
French
Perhaps there never was period in either
ancient or modern times, that offered a like
occasion for the possession of such wondrons
wealth, considering the slight risk to run. and
the small amount of labor performed in its
achievement. Not even Sinbad the Sailor. in
his most successful voyages. ever met with
such thrilling adventures as fell to the lot of
these two men,
Btween nine and ten o'clock they entered
the Treasury building by back window, and
taxing the Cents" from the denomination of
FIVE dollars up to one thousand dollars. thew
placed them on the press and printed off five
million dollars. The bonds we're printed on
kind of thick. white paper, with no impress
sion on the back of the bills. There was no
more difficulty in printing them than there
would have hecn in printing common bus-
ness card Afterdividingthe funds and wash.
ing the cents" and placing them in their
proper places, they left the house in the man
ner they entered it, going to their respective
abodes. no doubt, in the highest glee of ex>
hilaratiou. for at that time Confederate bonds
were equivalent to gold and silver. and in
i e Al. y.
MUM.
The issue was then being signed by Young
ladies. and there was more than hundred so
employed Elam had lady acquaintance or
two in this department, and by this means he
had his own and his partners bonds signed.
After remaining a few days, he and one of
the young ladies went on visit to LYNCH
burg little dreaming of the denouemeDt which
was so shortly to follow.
Napoleon" feeling richer than his name
sake, took one of the young ladies to iew-
elrv store and bought her an outfit of iewelry.
rendering hundred dollar bill in payment.
for which he received in. change about sixtv
dollars, mostly in gold and silver Next door
he purchased, in dry goods house, a silk
dress and other articles. and here rendered
another hundred dollar bill Late that even
ing the two merchants happened to come out
on the pavement at the same time and one
spoke to the other in relation to business af-
fairs. The jewelry merchant said times were
flush, and that be had received hundred
dollar bill of the new currency. The dry
goods merchant said he, too had taken in one
of the same denomination. After short
parlev, describing the party that had passed
the bills, the dry goods merchant felt con-
vincrd that something was wrong. He took
the bills to the Treasury, and submitted them
to the scrutiny of the Superintendent, who
examined and pronounced them genuine.
But here Unjust mention the fac. that. on
the morning after the printing Of these bonds.
the paper on which they were printed was
missed by the Superintendent, and notice
appeared in the papers stating that this ma
tera was missing, but there seemed to be no
suspicion that money had been issued.
The fact that Elam had so ounceremoniouslv
left his employment, tax en- in connection with
developing circumstances, caused the author
tiles to be on the alert Detectives were en-
ployed to ferret out this matter, and if pos-
sible to bring the guilty parties to punish
ment After using all the facts communicated
them in furthering their object:they decided
to make bolder move, and arrested the so>
! called Napoleon" He appeared to be over
come with tremor as the detectives and police
approached him. Having many facts of his
guilt in their possession, they at once accused
him of the crime.
Aghast and trembling, he made full con.