National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-12-01
gatiuHaI grpablifau
LAEAYETTE.s KAToH
ROMANTIC STORY OF THE TRAVELS

OF A TTMEPIECE.
1t will lie remembered that in J0ne, 1874.
Hon. Samuel Hooper presented joint resOlu-
ton in the House Of Representatives, appro-
priating $500 for the purchase and restoration
to the family Of the Marg7,is de Lafayette Of
the watch presented to him by General Wash
ingsOn, and lost by General lafayette during
his last visit to this country. In connections
with she resolution was statement that the
watch was in the possession Of John R. Ward,
esq.,of Texas, who had purchased it four
ye7rsag0 at a pawnbroker's sale in Iouis
vile, for the sum of SO. It bears the in
scription: % G. Washington to Gilbert Mother
de Lafayette, Lord CORVALLIS equalization,
Yorktown, October IL, 17Sl." During the
visit of the Marquis to Nashville, r7lS2j this
watch mysteriously disappeared, and was
never heard Of again until it turned up in the
hands of John r. Ward, esq, of Texas.
An amateur detective has been tracing its
pCrigrinations and has given the result thereof
in the New York World. He set himself to
work in dead earnest to find out who stole the
watch. 1t was a very arduOus task. He
sought the aid of mediums" All gave him
minute descriptions of the theft; but eachsm me
dunn differed from the other in the deScTip-
ton. This expedieBt failed. He next re-
solved to an examination of the records, news
paper fles, ETC., at Nashville, contemporary
with the event. Tie watch was stolen from
Lafayette's room at the United States hotel,
in Nashville, spite 0fths strong guard of dds
tinguished citizens;'' who watched during the
sleeping hours Of the Marquis. 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.
He endeaTored to interview the ''guard Of
honor, but they were each and every one Of
them dead, and he got No satisfaction out of
them. He then made another shift. Posting
at once to Louisville, he interviewed the firm
who auctioneered the watch off among the eff
fects of the pawnbrOker into whose hands the
watch fell. He says:
They informed me thattbe sale in question
had been made by order Of Isaac Stampfy,
paWnbrOkeT of Memphis, to whom they gave
me letter. l went to Memphis and saw
StamPfy, Swiss Jew, with shTeWd but hOa-
est face. He objected at first to giving me
any information, fearing it might make com
plicatiOns and trouble; but, when explained
my motives and pressed him, said he remem-
bered the transaction perfectly we'll, and cor
robOrated it by taking down an old ledger aud
opening to particular page, where he showed
me the following entry:
''June IS, 1868. Miss Matilda Garland Of
Jackson, Madison county, deposits a watch
there follows q description, &c, of the relicl;
thirty five dollars lent her on it for six months.
Memorandum-As there are suspicious circum-
stances here, she gives me Rev. Mark TWeedy,
D. D., and Major Biglee as her references.
Teaches school in Jackson, and wants to re-
deem it."
81 wonder where Miss Garland is nOw!''
asked. Stampfy went to his desk and found
a card. ''Here she is; Mrs. Paul De Long,
Grenada, Miss She was here not three
months since on bridal tour. Came to re-
deem the watch. Was much distressed that
it was sold. Asked me to hunt it up, and
left that address in I shOml6 make
discoveries concerning it."
He sought Mrs. De Long. In the converse
ton which he had with her she said that her
grandfather was reported to have been on: of
Lafayette's body guard, but was much hOrri-
fed when told that the watch, which she sup
posed Lafayette gave to him, was really stolen
from the Marquis. Mrs. De Long then gave q
history Of the watch so far as she knew any,
thing about it. We give the gist of her ac-
count. Her grandfather died suddenly in
1S47, leaving his library and desk to her father,
who was killed during the last war, leaving
the family utterly destitute. Piece by piece
they sold all they had to keep body aud soul
together. We quote her own words now:
"At last, when we were half starved, per
suaded her to sell the secretary too, aud was
cleaning out the old papers from the drawers
and brushing the dust and cobwebs out pre-
paratory to sending it to the auction room,
when this little spring here (she had gone to
the desk to show me) flew back, thus opening
the drawer and disclosing the old watch snug
ly nestled away upon the cotton. l bounced
upon it as treasure sent from Heaven, and
next day took it to Memphis, and pawned it
to old Stampfy."
After a series of questions it was at last de-
termined to examine the secretary" 4 false
bottom was found in that self-same secret
drawer, under which was discovered a draft
for ESQ on London banking house. drawn in
favor of Rufus Garland, and the history Of the
stolen watch in Rev. DIR. Garland's handwrit-
ing. Here it is:
NASHVILLE, Dec. IS, 1s46.-This has been a
very sad day to me. This forenoon came to
me my old friend and comrade, Benjamin
! FluTnoy, of Columbia, in great distress of
mind, and asked me to lock the doors and hear
him make disagrceabie confession Then he
laid before my eyes the long missing watch of
Lafayette, the loss of which caused such ex-
element. 81 stole it, he said; 81 stole it,
Rufus" and hid his face from me and wept
scalding tears. Presently, when l cOmforted
him and he grew more calm, he said: ''The
doctor tells me l have not long to live; my
heart is diseased; desire you to make restitu-
ton for me. Here is all the money needed;
take the accursed wedge of Achan from my
sight; it has tortured my whole life; restore it
to the heirs without exposing me. l have had
misery enough" And again he bowed his
white head, that head so honOred, and wept.
"HOw did this happen. Benjamin ~ l asked.
Said he: ''That night, you remember, we were
all upon guard. 70 and the rest were asleep,
but Spatch, Davis, La Cross and 1 were on
guard for spell of two hours. We. had all
been drinking heavily; poor Spatch and Hy-
acinthe fell asleep on their post, and the
devil was in NE. / wanted something that be-
longed to the Marquis. l stole into his room,
past old PouchOn, who was snoring. So tired
and worn out the old Marquis looked
opened the trunk, seeking a ribbon, handker-
chief, or the like. The first thing saw was
my watch, and, without thinking, put it in
the pocket, raised the window gently, and
crept like a thief as was iron. the room. As
l crossed the threshold heard the old Mar
quis call out in his sleep: 'Arretez vous, Mon
sieurI Noblesse obligen StRRg to the quick
/ turned back to restore the watch, but Just
then Pouchon aroused, and escaped. l have
never known happy minute since" MypOOr
friend! I could look in his haggard face and
believe him. / told him however, that could
not consent to deal with the matter in a clan
destine way. There nsed be no publicity about
1t, but in communicating with the Marquis
heirs must give his name and the eiTcum-
stances. He groaned and begged me to defer
the disclosure until after his death. at will
not be long" he said, pathetically. To this
assented, and so he left me, after l had ear
nestly enjoined him to seek comfort and peace
Of mind by prOstrating himself at the foot of
that throne where mercy, peace, comfort are
never refused to the eontrite and humble petit
toner. l have drawn this statement uD only
as a guide for my heirs in case of my death
happening before that of Flurnoy's.
DR.. Garland did die just a week before Fur
noy. Rather strange history that watch had.
Is the story of the World truel