The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1875-02-20
II Strange Story.
Ifcw CONFEDERATE SOLDIER FROM TENNESSEE
BECAME VERY RIcH-HIs REMOVAL TO CALI
FoRNIA WITH NEMESIS AFTER HIM.
From the San Francisco Examiner.

From the San Francisco Examiner.
When the Confederate army, under General
Lee, was forced back from the trenches al Pc
tersburg by the Federal army, President Davis
hurriedly ordered about fifteen million dollars,
the property of the banks of Virginia and of
the Confederate States, to be placed ON trains at
Richmond and sent south, intending to convey
it to the trans Mississippi Department, if pos.
sible, there to make final stand. The trea-
sure was carried down to Charlotte. North
Caroline, where the railroad ended. At this
place it placed in wagons and the
retreat continued. The brigades of Gener-
ais Basil Duke and Vaughan, who had succeed
ed in escaping from East Tennessee and had
arrived at Charlotte, few days before, were
placed, under the orders of General John c.
breckenridge, to act as an escort to the treasure,
and the command proceeded south until Green's
boro, Washington county, Georgia, was reached.
Vt this point information was received that the
Federal General, Wilson, had captured Macon,
o few miles distant and in the line of retreat to
the trans Mississippi Department. The news
soon got among the men. They became de-
moralized, and rush was made for the wagons
containing the treasure. 1t was speedily divi-
ded among 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 bri-
gade from Munro county, Tennessee. One of
them was named. Albert Stevens, and the other
we will call j. Il. Jones' They had charge of a
wagon containing one hundred and fifty thous-
and 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
money, making some seventy-fve thousand
dollars apiece and separated, Stevens taking
his to his home in Tennessee, where he buried
it, cOniding its hiding-place to his mother, a
very old lady. Finding that it would be dan
gerous for him to remain in Tennessee, owing
to the unsettled condition of things there, the
people being equally 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. Stevens stayed awhile with
Jones and then went off to another part OF
Georgia to visit some relatives; before going,
however, he informed Jones about tie hiding
OF his money, and his mothers knowledge Of
its wherea bouts. AS soon as Stevens was gone
Jones mounted his horse and made bee-line
for Tennessee, to the place where Stevens lived.
Arriving there he presented his comrades 8
mother with 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
purchased large tract of land in Mendocino
Gsnn land 1sHdg ST 0rehe % aa
to his ll-gotten gains, and is now highly re-
spected and a mem Der of the church.
In the course of time, Stevens, having ascer-
tanned that it would be safe, started for home,
possibly dreaming of future life of ease and
comfort on some blue grass farm raising fat
cattle and blooded horses-this being your
average Kentuckian's or Tennesseeans idea of
an earthly paradise. On reaching home he
soon found out his loss. Bucklng on his re-
velver, he secured the entire South and West
in search of his fathless friend, vowing to shoot
him on sight, and only recently ascertained his
wherea bouts. He is now in correspondence
with prominent lawyer Of this city, and an
attempt will shortly be made to bring Mr.. Jones
to account through the courts.