The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-12-04

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slender faculty of thought-reading by
seeming to anticipate In outline some of
my own hazy coniectures in regard to
the theft. But, beyond these things,
ana an oracular sOlemnity and infnity
OF assurance common to all the trade,
none of them went; and, after full trial,
L gave up the medium business in dis
gust, returned the watch to the depart
ment, and sought another way OF en-
trance into the secret.
wrote to MIR. John r.. Ward, of
Texas, for information in regard to the
paWnbroker at whose sale he had bought |
the relic, and, pending the receipt of
tnls, paid brief visit TO Nashville, and /
examined the records, newspaper files,
ETC., contemporary with the event. I |
found good many of the circumstances
set forth IN the proclamation OF the /
mayor of Nashville, offering 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 rauk and |
file. The watch had been stolen from |
Lafayette's room at the United States |
hotel at night. The marquis had re-
turned from visit to the Hermitage to |
attend a 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
a case inside the lid of ore of the mar
quis' trunks. In the morning, or rather
about noon, when the marquis rose, the
watch was gone. One window of the
zOn
| lectured that the thief, who had been
secreted either under the bed or in q
closet, had escaped by that way. It
seemed certain that he could not have
gone out by the corridor, for, besides
| the fact that the valet, PouehOn, slept
IN the ante-roon, there was q 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 flies 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 gen
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 &C
cess to our venerated guests room, that
night consisted of Col. Martin KILN
ger, the well-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
Y. Crutchfeld, Joseph Montanari, Bush
rod Kennedy, Johannes Klein, John
: Horn, jr., and Hyacinthe La Crosse,
: privates. Such gentlemen are worthy
TO be u 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 I heard a good many in
teresting anecdotes concerning all OF
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
{ but the auctioneers who conducted the
: sale were Benjamin W. Reynolds, Coo
D lev e. Co.. from whom could doubtless
/. obtain all the information necessary.
t posted at once to Louisville, and saw
/ Messrs. Reynolds. They informed me
T that the sale in question had been made
t by order of Isaac Stampfy, a pawn.
Q broker of Memphis, to whom they gave
o me a letter. I went to Memphis and
:, saw StampAy, Swiss Jew, with shrewd
but honest face. He objected at first tC
1t giving me any information, fearing il
y might make complications and trouble
q but, when I explained my motives and
s. pressed him, said he remembered the
8, transaction perfectly we'll, and corro
, borated it by taking down an old ledger
4 and opening to particular page, where
Is he showed me the following entry:
e "June 10. 1S68.-Miss Matilda Gar
e land, of Jackson, Madison county, de
q posts a watch (here follows a descrip
y ton, ETC., of the relic); $35 lent her OF
- it for six months. MemorandUm-Al
- there are suspicious circumstances her,
= she gives me Rev. Mark Tweedy, d. D.
y and Major Biglee as her references
u Teaches school in Jackson, and'wants e
% redeem it. $50
70 "I wonder where Miss Garland il
= now ?" I asked. Stampfy went to hi
p desk and found card. &c Here she is
p Mrs Paul De Long, Grenada, Miss.
- She was here not three months since OF
" q bridal tour. Come to redeem the
y watch. Was much distressed that i
= was sold. Asked me to hunt it up, anC
a left that address in case I should make
any discoveries concerning it.
rs took the cars to Grenada, and hat
~ no trouble in finding De Long, a young
, and enterprising merchant. I obtained
!, an introduction to him and asked him
n els your wife not daughter of tn,
7 Rev. Rufus Garland, who was rector o
- st. Marks church in Nashville abou
7 the year 1926? ?" mo" said he F.; "sht
, is a granddaughter. ''Have you am
i objections to my asking her few ques
. ktions?" "None IN the world, he said
i after had explained briefly my object
e "and do not doubt but my wife viii
10 be glad to assist you in any way that i
At in her power"
a found Mrs. De Long very charm
II ing lady, with a handsome face, anC
10 winning manners, frank, ingenious
I pleasing. AS soon as began to speal
,e of the watch she burst out: ooh, have
You found It ? / should 50 like to get j
N back again I have heard recently tina
N grandpa was one of Iafayetts's body
avsH ,f,s,kel h