Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-03-13
A TALE TREASURE.

trenches at Petersburg by the Federal
army, President Davis hurriedly order
ed about $4,000, 900, the property Of
the banks of Virginia and of the Con
federate States, to be placed on trains
at Richmond and sent South, intending
to convey it to the trans-Mississippi de-
partmenl, if possible, there to make a
! final stand. The treasure was carried
down to Charlotte, n. G., 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 brigades Of General
Basil Duke and Vaughan, who had sue
ceeded in escaping from East Tennes-
see. and had arrived at Charlotte a few
days before, were placed under the or
ders of General John Z. breckenridge,
to act as an escort to the treasure, and
The command proceeded south until
Greensborough, Washington County,
Ga, was reached. vt this point lntor-
nation was received that the Federal
General Wilson had captured Macon,
few miles distant, and in the line OF
retreat to the Mississippi depart
ment The news soon got among the
men. They became demorallzed, ana
a rush was made for the wagons con
tanning the treasure 1t was speedily
divided up among them, the officers be
inr unable to restrain the men. Among
the lucky ones were two soldiers be
longing to company B, Third Tennessee
Mounted Infantry of Naughans brl-
gade, from Munro county, Tennessee
One of them was named Albert Stevens,
and the other we will call j. 1. Jones
They had charge of wagon containing
S150,O00 in gold, and when the panic
spread among the soldiers and the cry
was 'sauve qui pent," they retained
their presence of mind and drove of III
the woods, where they divided the
money, making some $4,000 apiece,
and separated. Stephens taking his
home in Tennessee, where he buried 1t,
contiding its hiding place to bis mother,
very old lady. Finding that it would
be dangerous for him to remain III len
nessee, owing TO the unsettled condition
of things there, the people being equal
ly 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
Stephens stayed Il while with Jones,
and then went to another part OF Geor-
ola to visit relatives. Before going,
however, he informed Jones about the
hiding of his money and his mother 5
knowledge of It's whereabouts. AS
soon as Stephens was gone Jones noun
ted his horse and made Decline tor
Tennessee, to the place where Stephens
lived. Arriving there he presented Ills
comrades mother with q forged letter,
purporting to come from her son, d.
rected her to deliver the monevto to Jones,
which the old lady did. Jones then
started direct to California Arriving
here he purchased Il large tract of land
in Mendocno county, land being very
low at that time, and has since amassed
a LARGE fortune in addition to his ilI-9ot-
ten gains, and is now highly respected
as a member of the Church. In the
course OF time, Stephens, having ascer-
tained that it would be safe, started Tor
home, possibly dreaming OF future
life of ease and comfort on some blue
Grass farm-raising fat cattle and blood
! cd horses-thiS being your average
! Kentuckian's or Tcnncsseeans idea OF
an earthly paradise. On reaching home
he soon found out his loss. Buckllng
on his revolver, he secured the entire
South and West III search OF his faith
less friend, vowing to shoot him on
sight, and only recently ascertalned his
whereabouts. lie is now III corrcSpon-
dence with prominent lawyer of tins
city, and an attempt will shortly be
made to bring Jones to account through
the courtS.-SIcramenfO Cdt0n, Jun.
2lSf.
Use OF SILExcE.-A pity that so