Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-07-26

papers, and watched them burn to ash.
Is with sigh of satisfaction. Peril.
GUS secrets, young man" said he, land
happy am TO dispose of them thus.
Not only regulations, but lives would
have been sacrificed had those matters
become public. Now, as to those GER
ihcates-they are very probably worth
nothing-but, you have done me a real
service in this matter, and more besides
me, and if you caR get anything out of
then--and it is worth trying, you are
perfectly welcome to it all The money
belongs to nobody strictly speaking
for do not consider that the late Con-
federaey had any heirs-and. if you
can get hold of it, do 500
"What money is it, or was it?" ask
ed Col E..
I'm going to tell YOU" answered
T., and it is Il remarkable instance
of the hard fortune of war that seemed
to pursue the Cnnfederacy throughout.
You recollect the sterling cotton loan
we made during the last year of the
war-the loan by which our English
brethren were made so sick? That
money was made to pay for irOnclads,
you know. The gunboats were built
the Stonewall was one of them--but
not delivered. Diplomacy kept us
from getting to sea with the English
built ones, and it was thought the same
reason kept the French-built steamers
from going to sea, but that is not ex-
actly the fact. We would have sue
ceeded in getting them out if they had
been fully paid for We made what
we thought were ample arrangements
for completing the payments, but they
For instance take the case of
these very certificates. 1t was neces-
sary for US to use all sorts of precau-
tions In buying this sort of goods to
protect the parties We dealt with, for
we knew the Yankees would throw ev-
cry mothers son of them into eOnrt.
Hence the money was deposited in va
rious banks in the names of private
persons, but so that it could not be drawn
unless the certificates were iudorsed in
particular way. This is a deposit,
you see, of Gunter's money payable to
Brown ON certain terms-in other
words, it Is a Confederate draft sent
out by express messenger and payable
when Endorsed by the agent to whom
sent. The agent must indorse it in
particular way, and would not do so
unless the messenger brought certain
credentials. This system of checks
and balances was necessary for our
financial security, but in this case and
several others Ike 1t, was fatal to our
plans.
The messenger to whom this par
ticular box was intrusted-yOung Ri
caud, remember the very morning |
sent him-was instructed to 90 to
Wilmington, cross to Bermuda IN the
blockade-runner Fannie, sail thence for
London, report to an agent there, and
from bin get further orders. Ricaud,
instead of going to the Fannie, took
another steamer, the Cannot, for Mas
sau. The Cannot was captured, Ri
caud's despatch-box went to feed the
sharks, and Ricaud himself to rusticate
at JohnsOn's Island. Meantime we,
who knew of the Fannie's safe voyage,
were congratulating ourselves that our
agent was on the road to Bordeaux, and
we did not discover the truth until it
was too late to provide a remedy. This
sort of thing happened several times,
and our French gunboats never got to
sea-
''Then those Bourdalese still have
our money!" said Col E.
''That remains to be seen. l was
Just coming to that point. This par
ticular deposit has never bean checked
Out-of that / am sure. 1t was quite
forgotten. Ricaud never got South
again till June, 1865, and then his
story was only partly credited. But
whether An1mas Freres viii pay the
money or not is quite another matter,
and depends upon a variety of circum-
stances which 1t is useless to speculate
about. As l said, l want our young
friend here to try, and l hope he viii
succeed
So saying, Mr.. T took pen and
paper and wrote huTriedly, Here"
said he, sis check for $500. You
must look upon it as your reward for
restoring to me those dangerous pa
pers. 1t will pay your expenses to Bor-
deaux and back; 50, If you gain moth
ing, you Will lose nothing. l have IN
dorsed these certificates with my own
name. Take them and this note to
London, to Mr.. -- He will tell
what further can be done, If anything
Do not you expect much, but at least
try fortune may favor you, and I'm
sure you deserve it"
.rl.,I aZ -
good fortune had begun. Taking leave
of his friends he came over TO London,
found Mr. B, and made such a
friend of that gentleman that he under
took personally to look after the matter
which Mr.. r had recommended to
him. The ex-agent, whose endorse
ment was needed, happened at the time
to lie IN Nice, and Mr.. B went
thither with H, and secured the
requisite signatures. Then he accom-
pauied him to Bordeaux. Alas for the
best laid schemes of mice and men
The firm of X. Animas Freres was
bankrupt, and all their assets and
affairs in the hands Of the syndic The
elder brother of the firm was dead, and
there was but little hope of getting
anything out of the surviving brother,
who indeed did not bear the best of
names.
Mr.. B looked pensive, but told
H not TO despair. IF he's an hon
est man we won't get a cent, of course;
but, as he seems to be slippery fell
low, there's a chance for it yet" He
called on the syndicate, consulted no.
tary or two in town, and then sent NJ
Animas a message to call upon him
that night at his hotel. NJ. Animas
came, sallow, little Gascon, with pur-
pie gills and an uneasy eye. He de-
MED everything, of course, and said
that anyhow he was totally insolyent-
couldn't pay 10 centimes in the hun
dred
Exactly" said Mr.. B. Your
debts amount to 100000 francs. You
have given in assets to the amount of
100000 francs. You still have in your
possession the sum of 100000
francs, property of the late Confedera-
CIV, Brown, Gunter and all that firm.
This money you have not returned to
the syndie as part of your assets, but
are trying to hide away. Now NJ: Ami