The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-02-12
A STRANGE STORY.


ONF oP rHF INCIDENTS oF THE LATE WAR
now a CONFEDERATE SoLIiER SUD
rENLY BEcAnE RICH -lis GoEs 70 CAL
lFoRSIA AND LOCATES.
The san Francisco Examiner OF the
goth tells il,e following curious s'"' Il
When the confederate army, under Grn
.ee. WI, forced back from the trenches
10 pcicrshurg hv the federal army, Pres
iA.ni Davis hurriedly ordered about
ga COOKE. the property Of the banks
of \ ir.inia and Of the confederate states.
Ia be placed on trains nj Richmond aud
lent South. intending To convey il TO the
irqn-- Mississippi department ifpossihle.
there 10 make final stand. Tie treas
ura was carried 10 Charlotte, N. c.,
where the railroad ended. At this
place il was decided to leave the money
belonging to the Bank of Virginia in
keeping with It's officers. The rest of
the money belonging to the confederate
states was placed in wagons and the re-
treat continued. The brigades OF Gems.
Basil Duke and Vaughan. who had sue
ceeded in escaping from East Tennessee
and had arrived at Charlotte few days
before, were placed under The orders of
GEN. John C. Breckinridge. to act AS an
escort TO the treasure, aud the command
proceeded south until Greensboro,
Washington county, Ca, was reached.
AT this point information was received
that the federal Gen. Wilson had cap
tured Macon, a few miles distant and in
the line Of retreat 10 tho trans-Missis-
sippi department. The news soon got
among the men. They became demon
eized. and rush was made for the wag
ons containing the treasure. Ii was
SPEEDILY DIVIDED Up
among them. the officers being unable
TO restrain the men. Among the lucky
ones were two soldiers belonging TO
Company Il. Third Tennessee mounted
infantry, OF Vaughsn's brigade, from
Munro county, Tennessee. One of them
was named Albert Stevens, and the 9TH
err we will call J. Il. Jones. They had
charge of wagon containing $4,000
in gold; and when the panic spread
"sauve qui peut." they retained their
presence of mind and drove off in the
woods. where they divided the money,
making some $4,000 apiece, and sepa-
rated, Stevens taking his to his home in
Tennessee, where he buried ii, confding
its hiding place to his mother, very
Old lady. Finding that it would be
dangerous for him 10 remain i'm Tonnes
see, owing 10 the unsettled 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 to return home. Stevens stayed
awhile with Jones. and theu went off
to another part of Georgia TO visit some
relatives. Before going, however, he
informed Jones about
THE HIDING OF MS MONEY
and his mothers knowledge Of its where
abouts. As soon as Stevens was gone,
Jones mounted his horse and made a
bee-line for Tennessee, to the place
where Stevens lived. Arriving there,
he presented his comrades mother with
aforged letter, p,rporting to be from
her SON, directing Der TO deliver the
money to Jones, which the old lady did.
Jones then started direct for California
Arriving there he purchased large
tract of land in Mendocino county, land
being very low AZ that time, and has
since amassed large fortune in addi-
ton TO his ill-gotten gains, and is now
highly respected and member of the
church. In the course of time Stevens.
having ascertained that it would be safe,
started for home, possibly dreaming of
future life OF ease and comfort on
some bluegrass farm--raising fat cattle
and blooded horses-this being your
average Kentuckian's or Tennesseeap's
idea of an early paradise. On reaching
home he soon found out his loss. Buck
ling on his revolver he secured the en-
tire 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 correspon-
dence with a prominent lawyer of this
city, and an attempt will shortly be
made to bring Jones to account through
the courts.
An exchange gives this eulogy,