The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-12-10

nay OE OF NaSnY1lle, Ouerlng q reward
for the recovery of the watch. Gen.
Rogers, who commanded the body
guard during the stay of the marquis,
was long dead, bat I looked into the
records to ascertain if there were not
some survivors still Of the rank and
file. The watch had been stolen from
Lafayette's room at the United States
hotel at night. The MARQUIS had re-
turned from a visit to the Hermitage to
attend ball and reception given him
by the citizens of Nashville. Late at
night he had gone to bed, very sleepy
and fatigued. His valet, Pouchon. who
undressed him, remembered distinctly
winding the watch up and placing it in
case inside the lid of one of the mar
quis' trunks. In the morning, or rather
about noon, when the marquis rose, the
watch was gone. One window of the
room was partly open, and it was con
jeetured that the thief, who had been
secreted either under the bed or IN a
closet, had escaped by that way. It
seemed certain that he could not have
gone out by the eorriGor, for, besides
the fact that the valet, Pouchon, slept
IN the ante-room. there was a company
OF the guard of honor on duty at the
hotel that night and platoon watching
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 is composed of our first citizens,
men of birth, fortune, and honor, no
suspicion can possibly attach to them.
Two files of the company were on guard
all night in room 70, opposite the state
bedroom, with their door open. There
were never less than three of these gem
tlemen 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 Whis-
pers. But these must be instantly dis
PEELED when we say that these two files
Of men, who alone could have had ac-
cess to our venerated guests room, that
night consisted of Col. Martin KILN
ger, the we'll known Stone river planter,
who was sergeant on duty; Benjamin
Flurnoy, Esq., of the Columbia bar,
corporal of the guard Rufus Garland.
of st. Marks Church Peter Maynard
(of River street,, Hon. Phillip Sargent,
Judge Chandler, Chester B. Clarke,
Aquilla Flint, Spatchford Davis, Abner
7. Crutchfeld, Joseph MOntanari, Bush
rod Kennedy, Johannes Klein, John
Horn, jr., and Hyacinthe La Crosse,
privates. Such gentlemen are worthy
to be guard of honor even for the ven
cradle Marquis de Lafayette, who, we
may say incidentally, regrets as much
the disgrace of Nashville as the loss OF
his treasured keepsake"
OF the fifteen persons enumerated, ]
found there was not a single survivor,
and, though 1 heard a good many In
teresting anecdotes concerning all oil
them, could learn nothing that would
Justify me In directing particular in
duires into the history of any one Of
them.
Mr.. Ward, of Texas, courteously an.
swering my letter, said he could not
tell me the pawnbroker's name from
whose effects he had bought the watch
bat the aucsioneers who conducted the
safe were Benjamin W. Reynolds, Coo,
leg & Co., from whom I could doubtless
obtain all the information necessary. ]
posted at once to Louisville, and saw
Messrs. Reynolds. They informed me
that the sale in question had been made
by order of Isaac Stamphy, a pawn.
broker of Memphis, to whom they gave
me letter. / went to Memphis and
saw Stamphy, a Swiss Jew, with shrewd
but honest face. He objected at first to
giving me any information, fearing il
might make complications and trouble,
but, when I explained my motives and
pressed him, said he remembered the
transaction perfectly well, and corro-
borated it by taking down an old ledger
and opening to particular page, where
he showed me the following entry:
June IS, 1868.-Miss Matilda Gar
land, of jackson, Madison county, de-
posits a watch (here follows a descrip-
ton, ETC., of the relic); $50 lent her on
it for six months. Memorandum-As
there are suspicious circumstances here
she gives me Rev. Mark TWeedy, D. D.
and Major Biglee as her references.
Teaches school in Jackson, and wants to
redeem If. D"
81 wonder where Miss Garland if
now?" I asked. StampAy went to his
desk and found a card. &c Here she is
Mrs. Paul De Long, Grenada, Kiss.
She was here not three months since Oh
a bridal tour. Come to redeem the
watch. Was much distressed that Il
was sold. Asked me to hunt It up, an6
left that address in case 1 should make
any discoveries concerning it."
I took the cars to Grenada, and had
no trouble in finding De Long, young
| and enteFprising merchant. I obtained
an introduction to him and asked him
" Is your wife not a daughter of the
Rev. Rufus Garland, who was rector Of
| st. Marks church IN Nashville about
the year 1925 ?" "No," said he; "she
is granddaughter" "Have you any
objections to my asking her a few ques
| tionsP "Nope in the world" he said
after had explained briefly my object
"and do not doubt but my wife will
be glad to assist you in any way that il
in her power"
found Mrs. De Long a very charm
! ing lady, with a handsome face, and
winning manners, frank, ingenious,
| pleasing. AS soon as began to speab
of the watch she burst out "Oh, have
you found it =? I should so like to get il
back again have heard recently that
grandpa was one of Lafayette's body
guard, and probably he gave it to him.
1t seems like saorilege to part with such
a relic, but we were so poor could not
think so; and then the discovery seemed
so providential. I gave her an account
of the recent adventure of the watch,
and added, "but probably You were
uOb aware llab IL was stolen from La
fayette ?" "Stolen r. she cried, turning
pale at the Thought; "but how then did
it come into grandpa's possession-and
why did he retain it ?" ''That remains
to be explained, F." said I, rather gravely,
and read her the account of the trans
actions of congress in reference to it.
Mr.. De Long listened very seriously,
and, when was through, turned to his
wife. Nov, tt lie" said he, "regard-
less of consequences we must see justice
done. Give Mr.. - exactly the his
tory of the watch so far as you have any
connection with it. A"
$50 will, said Mrs. De Long, "but
You must not dream of such a thing as
suspectiDg grandpa of wrong doing.
he was the purest man that ever lived.
BE died suddenly in 1S47, leaving his
library and desk-all he had to leave
to my poor father, who was a lawyer In
Columbia. During the war my father,
who was a colonel IN Cheatham's divis-
ion, was killed in battle-at Atlanta
and poor mamma and me LETT destitute.
We removed to Jackson and tried to
earn a living by sewing, but couldn't.
1 started an infant school, but it did
xyayvv Iftf1a -, ora 4hov, nav Cr,v Ior-s -o-,k