The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-12-20
A Story of the War.

Nd ,rrprRsoN DAVIS ACCUSED by WHAT II
sam TO re GENERAL JoHNsToN's LATEST
CHAPTER On TIE FALL or THE CONfEDE-
RACY.
General Joseph +. Johnston is said 10
hove recently furnished TO n staff coTro-
snondent Of the philadelphia Press another
chanter OF the close Of the late civil war, in
eynIauatim of the feud between himself
and Mir. Jefferson Davis. After giving a
oranhic account OF the negotiations Tor 4
conitulotiop between General sherman and
himself. il is reported that he charges Mr..
Davis with removing S2,50O,Oo0 IN specie
southwark and never accounting ior IT,
The reported interview says:
81 had learned from General Beauregard
that the President had large amount OF
specie i'm his possession, and | wrote
urCino that a portion Of it be paid to the
soldiers then in active service. My letter
70 MIR. Davis on this subject was quite
ur0ent. and entrusted it to Colonel Ma
son. Of my staff, with instructions tllat ne
deliver il in person to Mr.. Davis and bring
a rcDlv. Colonel Mason went to Charlotte,
delivered the letter TO Mr.. Davis, but be-
vopd telcgraphic acknowledgment TO me
That the letter was received there has never
waited some time and made several efforts
to ret reply from Mr.. Davis, in ODE
dienee 70 nv instructions, but was
OBLIGED 10 return without il. This
specie followed or preceded the head
OF the civil government OF the Conledc-
racy 10 the South about the time Mr. Davis
went in that direction. Colonel Paul, an
eminent artillery officer OF the Conlcde-
racv, and now prominent lawyer OF Ilch-
mond, man OF high character, told me
that he inspected the specie before It's re,
moyal from Richmond, and after Ii had
been loaded ready for transportation. lie
said that there was a carload OF it. As he
only saw il boxed ready for shipment ne
could, OF course, give no information as TO
the amount i'm dollars and cents. General
Reauregard, however. was in immediate
command at Greensboro while the Presi-
dent was there, and doubtless had an
opportunity Of knowing more accurately
the amount OF money with the Presi-
dent than most any one except the Presi-
dents immediate political family. lie told
me that he was convinced that the oresi-
dent had S2,500.000 in specie at Greens
boro'. | have no doubt but that General
Beaureeard's estimate was within bounds.
After Mr.. Davis lett Charlotte and moved
South a Confederate officer told me that
while Standing near a bridge crossing a
small creek he rode up and Inspected IT..
He said that he was i'm charge Of the Presi-
dents money-tran. and wanted to see
whether the bridge was safe or not. The
man in charge told the officer that he had
twenty wagon-loads OF specie IN the train.
This would be i'm perfect harmony with
] aAnf
was carload when il LEFT Rich
mond, and with General Beaure-
CARDS that there was S2,5OO,OO0 at Green's
boro'. Mr.. Davis has never given any sat
/ isfactOry account OF this money. amt, what
| is strange thing to me, the southern pco-
pie have never held him 10 an account for
| il. The $500 he left at Greensboro the
soldiers received. Major Moses, an aitor-
ney now living in Atlanta, has accounted
| for $40, 900 more. A short time before the
evacuation OF Richmond the bankers OF that
city placed in Mr.. Davis's hands S36O,OCO
| i'm specie for the defence OF the city.
/ There was never any service rendered
/ for this money, but when Richmond was
evacuated it was transported south win
/ the specie belonging to the Coincide
racy. A committee of Richmond bank
ers was sent to recover it. At Washing
ton, Ga, they succeeded in getting be-
tween $4,000 and 100000, but while
transporting it home ii was captured by
General Wilson's cavalry and turned into
the United States Treasury. IL is now
there and in litigation. The Richmond
bankers are suing for its recovery, and it
has never vet been decided to whom it be-
longs. Say $4,000 Of il is there and
S39, 900 in the military chest left at Green's
boro' for the army, and $4,000 accounted
for by Major Moses. This would make
$1,000 out of the $1,000, 900 which Gen
cral Beauregard and other good authority
estimate was on hand"