Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-03-04
A STRANGE STORY.

When the Confederate army, under Gener-
al Lee, was forced back from the trenches at
Petersburg by the Federal army, President
Davis hurriedly ordered about fifteen million
dollars, the property of the banks of Virgin.
ia and of the Confederate States, to be placed
on trains at Richmond, and sent South, in.
tending to convey it to the Trans M lsslssippll
Department, if possible, there to make final
stand. The treasure was carried down to
Charlotte, North Carolina, 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 contln'
ued. The brigades of Generals Basil Duke
and Vaughn, who had succeeded in escaping
from East Tennessee, and had arrived at Char
lotte few days before, were placed, under
orders of General John G. Breckenridge, to
act as an escort to the treasure, and the COM
mand proceeded South, until Greensboro,
Washington county, Georgia, was reached.
At this point information was received that
the Federal General, Wilson, had captured
Macon, a few miles distant, and in the line OF
retreat to the Trans-Mississippi Department
The news soon got among the men. hey
became demoralized, and a rush was made for
the wagons containing the treasure. 1t was
speedily divided among them, the officers
being unable to restrain the men. Among
the lucky ones were two soldiers belonging to
company B, Third Tennessee Mounted Infant.
ry, of Vaug Inns brigade, from Monroe coun.
ty, Tennessee. One of the men was named
Albert Stevens, and the other we will call j.
T. Jones. They had charge of wagon con-
tanning one hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars 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 money, making some seventy-fve
thousand dollars apiece, and separated, Ste
vens taking his to his home in Tennessee,
where be buried it, con6ding its hiding place
to his mother, very old lady. Finding that
it would be dangerous for him to remain in
Tennessee, owing to the unsettled state of
things there, the people being equally divided
on the question 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 returL home. Ste.
vens stayed awhile with Jones and then went
off to another part of Georgia, to visit some
relatives; before going, however, he informed
Jones about the hiding of his money and his
mother's 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
forged letter, purporting to come from her
son, directing her to deliver the money to
Jones, which she did. Jones then started
direct for California. Arriving there he pur-
chased large tract of land in Mendocino
county, land being very low at that time, and
has since amassed large fortune, in addition
to his ill-gotten gains, and is now highly re-
spected and member Of the church.
In the course Of time, Stevens, having as.
certaned 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 Kentuckan's or Tennes-
seean's idea of an earthly paradise. On reach.
ing home he soon found out his loss. Buck
ling 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. He is
now in correspondence with prominent law
yer of this cit ity, and an attempt will shortly
be made to bring Mr.. Jones to an account
through the courts.-San Francisco Examiner.