New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-13

unaapsnasuuln - -
during tho stay Of the Marquis. was long
dead, but looked into the records to ascer.
tain if there were not some survivors still
of the rank and file. The watch had bssn
stolen from Lafayette's room at the United
States Hotel vt night. The Marquis had re-
turned from visit to the Hermitage to At
tend ball and reception given him BY the
citizens of Nashville. Late ct night he
His valet, POuchon, who undressed him,
remembered distinctly winding the watch
up and placing it in case inside the lid Of
one of the Marquis trunks. In the morn
ing, or rather about noon, when the Marquis
rose, the watch was gone. One window Of
the room was partly open, and it was con-
jectured that the thief, who had been
secreted either under the bed or in closet,
had escaped by that way. 1t seemed Ger,
tain that he could not have gone ont by the
corridor, for, besides the fact that tho valet.
Pouchon, slept in tho ante-room, there was
q company of the guard Of honor on duty
at the hotel that night and platoon watch,
ing the door of the Marquis bedroom all
night to protect him from all intrusion. A
Nashville paper of the next day, speaking
of the circumstances, says:
.'Of course, when it is known that the
company of the guard on duty last night 10
composed of our first citizens, men of birth,
fortune and honor, no suspicion could pos
sibly attach to them. Two files Of the com
pany were on guard all night in room No.
70, opposite the state bedroom, with their
door open. There were never less than
three of these gentlemen doing sentry duty
at any time during the night. We give the
names of all OF them, in justice to the entire
guard Of honor, against whose integrity
there have been some ridiculous whispers.
But these must be instantly dispelled when
we say that these two files of men who alone
could have had access to our venerated
guests room that night consisted OF Colonel
Marsten, KilleBger, the well known Stone
river planter. who was sergeant on duty;
Bepja min Flurnoy, Esq Of the Columbia
bar, who was corporal Ut the guard; Rev.
Rufus Garland, of 81. Marks Church; Peter
Maynard (Of River street,, Hon. Philip Sar-
gent, Judge Chandler, Chester b. Clarke,
Aquilla Flint, Spatchtord Davis, Abner Y:
Crutchfield, Joseph M0ntanari, Bushrod
Kennedy, johannes Klein, John Horn, Jr.,
and Hyacinthe La Crosse, privates. Such
gentlemen are worthy to be guard of
honor even for the venerable Marquis de
Lafayette, who, We may say incidentally,
regrets 40 much the disgrace Of Nashville as
the l0ss of his treasured keepsake"
OF the fifteen persons enumerated, 1
found there was not . single survivor, and,
VuUuKu i 0C0IO y kVVO AA00y 1uUOEO0UtAk
anecdotes concerning all OF them, could
learn nothing that would Justify me in di-
recting particular inquiries into the history
Of any one of them.
Mr.. Ward, of Texas, c0urteously answer.
ing my letter, said he could not tell me the
pawnbroker's name from whose effects he
had bought the watch, but the auctioneers
who conducted the sale we're Benjamin w.
Reynolds, Cooley & Co., from whom could
doubtless obtain all the information neces-
sary. posted ct once to Louisville and
formed me that the sale in question had
been made " order OF Isaac Sramphy, q
Swiss Jew, with shrewd but honest face.
He objected at first to give me any infOrma-
ton, tearing it might make complications
and trouble, but when explained my my
tives and pressed HIM, said he remembered
the transaction perfectly we'll, and cOrrobo-
rated it by taking down an old ledger and
opening to = particular page. where he
June l8. 1S68-Miss Matilda Garland. of
jackson, Madison county, deposits = watch
there follows q description. etc., of the
relic}; $35 lent her on it for six months.
MemOrandum-As there are suspicious cir
cumstances here she gives me Rev. Mark
Tweedy, D. D., and Major Biglee as her
references. Teaches school in jackson, and
wants to redeem 1t"
IL wonder where Miss Garland is now :"
I asked. Stampfy went to his desk and
found card. Here she ia; Mrs. Paul De
Long, Grenada, Mississippi She was here
not three months since on q bridal tour.
Came to redeem the watch. Was much
distressed that it was sold. Asked me to
hunt it up, and left that address in case |
should make any discoveries concerning it,"
took the cars to Grenada, and had no
trouble in finding De Long, young and
enterprising merchant. obtained an in
PRODUCTION to him, and asked him. Ills your
wife not daughter of the Rev. Rufus Gar
land, who was rector of st. Marks Church
in Nashville, about the year 1921" NO"
you any objection to my asking her few
questiOns?" said. ''None in the world, he
said, after had explained briefly my OBJ.
ject, land 1 do not doubt but my wife will
be glad to assist You in any way that is in
her power"
found Mrs. De Long a rery charming
lady, with a handsome face and winning
manners, frank, ingenious, pleasing. As
soon Is began to speak OF the watch she
burst out: -Oh, have you found it, I
should SO like to get it back again! have
Lafayette's body guard, and probably he
gave 1T to him. 1t seems like sacrilege to
part with such relic, but we were SO poor
/ could not think so; and then the discovery
seemed 60 providential." l gave her an
account of the recent adventure Of the
watch, and added, "but probably you were
not aware that it was stolen from Lafay.
cite ?" .'Stolen ~ she cried, turning pale at
the thought; 'but how then did at come
into grandpa's DOssession-s-and why did he
retain it 2" THAT remains to be explained"
said l, rather gravely, and read her the
account of the transaction of Congress in
reference to it. Mr.. lie Long listened very
seriously, and when was through, turned
to his wife. "NOw, Tillie," said he. IRE
gardless of consequences we must see JUS
tice done. Give Mr.. exactly the
history OF the watch 80 Sat a. yOU have
any connection with it,
$50 WILL" said Mrs. De Long. s'but you
must not dream of such thing AZ suspect
ing grandpa of wrong doing. He was the
purest man that ever lived. He died sud-
denly in lS47, leaving his library and desk
all he bad to leave-tO my poor father,
who was . lawyer in Columbia. During
the war my father, who was . colonel in
Cheatham's division, was killed in battle
at Atlantx-and poor mamma and me left
destitute. We removed to jackson and
tried to earn a living by sewing, but
couldn't. l started an infant school, but it
did very little more than pay our house
rent We cold our books and furniture piece
by piece, and 1 assure you we were Door
as people could we'll be. to live. At last, in
1868, we had nothing left besides the school