The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-02-12
A TALE OF TREASURE.
In Which the Suddenly Acquired Wealth
Of California Man is Explained Net al
All 10 His Credit

The Sacramento Union OF the 2ist tell,
this singular story:
When the confederate army. uadel
Gen Lee, was forced back from the
trenches at Petersburg by the Federal
army, President Davis hurriedIy ordered
about fourteen millions of dollars, the
property of the banks of Virginia and OF
the Confederate States, to be placed on
trains at Richmond and sent South, in
tending to convey it to the trans-IiSsis-
sippi department, if possible, there to
make final stand The treasure was
carried down to Charlotte, North Caro-
lima, where the railroad ended. st this
place it was decided to leave the money
belonging to the bank of Virginia in
keeping of their officers The rest of
the money belonging to the Confederate
States was placed in wagons and the re-
treat continued. The brigades of Gen
erals Basil Duke and Vaughan, who had
succeeded in escaping from East Tennes-
see, and had arrived at Charlotte a few
days before, were placed, under the or
ders of Gen. John c. Breckinridge, TO
act as an escort to the treasure, and the
command proceeded south until Greens
boro, Washington county, Georgia. was
reached. At this point information was
received that the federal Gen. Wilson.
had captured Macon, a few miles dis
tant, and in the line of retreat to the
trans Mississippi department. The news
soon got among the men. They became
demoralized, and 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 Company y, Third
Tennessee Mounted infantry, of Waugh
ans brigade, from Monroe county, Ten
nessee. One of them was named Albert
Stevens, and the other we will call J. T.
Jones. They had charge of n wagon
containing one hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars. in gold: and when the
panic spread among the soldiers and the
cry was ''sauve quI peut," they retained
their presence of mind and drove off in
the woods, where they divided the mon
ey, making some seventy-live thousand
dollars apiece, and separated, Stevens
taking his to his home in Tennessee,
where he buried it, eonfiding its hiding
place to his mother, a very cid lady.
Finding that it would be dangerous for
him to remain in Tennessee, owing to
the unsettled condition of things there,
the people being equally divided on the
questions of the war, he went to GeOr-
gia. 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 of to another
part of Georgia to visit some relatives.
Before going, however, he informed
Jones about the hiding of his money
and off his mothers knowledge of its
whereabouts. 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 a
forged letter, purporting to come from
her son, directing her to deliver the
money to Jones, which the old lady did.
Jones then started direct for California.
Arriving here he purchaSeI a large tract
of land in MendocinO county, land be-
ing very low at that time, and has since
amassed large fortune in addition to
his ill-gotten gains, and is now highly
respected and q member of the church.
In the course of time, Stevens, having
ascertained that it would be safe, start
ed for home, possibly dreaming Of Il fu-
ture life of ease and comfort on some
bluegrass farm-raising fat cattle and
blooded horses-this being your average
Kentuckian's or Tennesseean'S idea Of
an earthly paradise. On reaching home
lie 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 where
abouts. He is now in correspondence
with a prominent lawyer of this city,
and an attempt will shortly be made to
bring Jones to account through the
courts.-!Sdn FfGnciSO Examiner