The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-03
A TALE OF TREASURE.
In Which TIE Suddenly Acquired Wealth or CALI
fornia Man is Explained Not at All to His Credit.

: The Sacramento Union of the 21st ult.s tell
this singular story:
When the Confederate army, under Gen.
Lee was forced back from the trenches al
l Petersburg by the Federal army, President
Davis hurriedly ordered about $4,000 900,
4 the property Of the banks of Virginia, and OF
g the Confederate States, to be placed on trains
4 at Richmond and sent South, intending to
convey it to the trans Mississippi department,
! if possible there to make final stand. The
: tire ASSURE was carried down to Charlotte, North
Carolina, where the railroad ended. At this
place it was decided to leave the money be-
longing to the bank of Virginia in keeping of
their officers The rest Of the money, belong
ing to the Confederate States was, placed in
wagons and the retreat continued.
The brigades of Gems. Basil Duke and
Vaughan, who succeeded in escaping from
East Tennessee and had arrived at Charlotte
a few days before, were placed, under the
orders of Gen. John G. Breckenridge, to act
| as an escort to the treasure, and the COM
mand proceeded South until Greensboro,
| Washington county, Ga, was reached. At
this point information was received that the
Federal Gen. Wilson had captured Macon,
few miles distant, and in the line Of retreat
to the trans-Mississippi Department The
news soon got among the men. They be-
came demoralized, and a rush was made for
the wagons containing the treasure. 1t was
speedily divided up between them, the officers
being unable to restrain the men. |
Among the lucky ones were two soldiers |
belonging to Company B, Third Tennessee
Mounted Infantry Of Vaughan's brigade from
Munroe county, Tennessee. One of them was
named Albert Stevens, and the other we will |
call J. I. Jones. They had charge Of a
wagon containing one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars in gold !; and when the panic
spread among the soldiers and the cry was
''sauve qui peut, they retained their pres
ence of mind, and drove off in the woods,
where they divided the money, making some
seventy-five thousand dollars apiece, and
Stevens taking his to his home in
Tennessee, where he buried it, confiding its
hiding place to his mother, very old lady.
Finding that it would be dangerous for him .
TO remain IN tennessee, owing to the I'M {
settled condition of things there, the people |.
being equally divided on the questions 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 Z
to return home. Stevens stayed awhile with
Jones, and then went to another part of Geor- ,
ga to visit some relatives. Before going, !
however, he informed Jones about the hiding
If his money and his mothers knowledge of
IS whereabouts
AS soon as Stevens was gone Jones mounted
lis horse and made Decline for Tennessee,
0 the place where Stevens lived Arriving
here he presented his comrades mother with c
forged letter, purporting to come from her Il
on directing her to deliver the money to L
ones, which the old lady id. Jones then fl
tarted direct for California. Arriving here t,
e purchased large tract of land in Mendo- Il
inc county, land being very low at that time, W
nd has since amassed large fortune in addi- h
on to his ill-gotten gains, and is now highly IL
eSpected and a me nber of the Church. CT
In the course of time, Stevens having as C
ertained that it would be safe, started for %
ome possibly dreaming Of a future life of Il
ase and comfort on some bluegrass farm ii
Using fat cattle and blooded horses &C
eng your average Kentuckian's or Tennes- ID
ans idea Of an earthly paradise. On reach
g home he soon found out his loss. Buck
az on his revolver, he secured the entire il
,uth and West in search of his faithless G,
lend, vowing to shoot him on sight, and
lily recently ascertained his whereabouts III
g IS now i'll correspondence with a promi- In
mt lawyer of this city, and an attempt will Pr
made to bring Jones to account through w
G courts ~