Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-04-09
A Tale of Treasure.

trehches at petersburg by the federal
army, President Davis hurriedly ordered
about l4,0O0,000, the property of the
banks of Virginia and Of the Confeder-
ate States, to be placed on trains at
Richmond and sent South, intending to
convey it to the trans Mississippi depart
ment, if possible, there to make final
stand. The treasure was carried down
to Charlotte, N. c., where the railroad
ended. At this place it was decided to
leave the money belonging to the banks
OF Virginia in keeping of their officers.
The rest of the money belonging to the
Confederate States was placed in wagons
and the retreat continued. The brig
ades of Generals Basil, Duke and
Vaughn, who had succeeded in escaping
from E Tenn and had arrived at Char
lotte few days before, were placed un-
der the orders of General John C. Breck-
enridge, to act as an escort to the treas
ure, and the command proceeded south
until Greensborough, Washington Coun-
ty, Ga, was reached. At this point in
formation was received that the Federal
General Wilson had captured Macon,
few miles distant, and in the line of re-
treat to the trans Mississippi department.
The news soon got among the men. They
became demoralized, and a rush was
made for the wagons containing the
treasure. 1t was speedily divided up
among them, the officers being unable to
restrain the men. Among the lucky
ones were two soldiers belonging to Co.
B. Third Tennessee Mounted Infantry.
of Vaughn's Brigade, from Munro coun-
ty, Tennessee. One of them was named
Albert Stevens, and the other we will
call J. I. Jones. They had charge of
wagon containing s15O000 in gold, and
when the panic spread among the sol
diers and the cry was "sauave qui pent !"
they retained their presence of mind
and drove off in the woods, where they
divided the money making some $780,
600 apiece, and separated. Stevens took
his to his home in Tennessee, where he
buried it, confding its hiding place to
his mother, very old lady. Finding
that it would be dangerous for him to re-
main in Tennessee, owing to the unsettled
condition of things there, the people be-
ing equally divided on the question of
the war, he went to Georgia, where he
found Jones, who had bought small
place and was quietly waiting until it
would be safe for him to return home.
Stevens stayed awhile with Jones, and
then went to another part of Georgia to
visit some relatives. Before going, how
ever, he informed Jones about the hiding
of his money and his mothers knowl-
edge of its whereabouts. As soon as
Stevens was gone, Jones mounted his
horse and made bee-line for Tennessee.
to the place where Stevens lived. Ar
irving there he presented his comrades
mother with a forged letter, purporting
to come from her son, directing her to
deliver the money to Jones, which the
lady did. Jones then started direct to
California. Arriving there he purchased
large tract of land in Mendocino coun-
ty, land being very low at that time and
has since amassed large fortune in
addition to his ill-gotten gains, and is
now highly respected as member of the
church. In the course of time, Stevens,
having ascertained that it would be safe,
started for home, possibly dreaming of a
future life of ease and comfort on some
bluegrass farm-raising fat cattle and
blooded horses this being the average
Kentuckian or Tennesseean's idea of an
earthly paradise. One reaching home
he soon found out his loss. Buckling on
his revolver, he secured the entire South
and West in search of his faithless friend
vowing to shoot him on sight, and only
recently ascertained his whereabouts.
lie is now in correspondence with a
prominent lawyer of Sacramento, and
an attempt will shortly be made to bring
Jones to account through the courts.