Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-12-20
CONFEDERATE GOLD.
IOs Johnston Says LEFT Davis Has Never
Accounted for twenty Wagon
Loads He Took Out Of
Richmond.
BREEDING ANOTHER ROW.

Special to the Courier-Journal.l
PHILADELPHIA, December 17.-An
important interview with ex- Conferate
General Joseph L. Johnston willsbe
published in the Press to morrow, in
which he charges that Jefferson Davis
received S2,500,00O from the Confed
crate treasury on the evacuation Of
Richmond, for which he has never
accounted. After recounting the
retreat South, General Johnston says:
II had learned from General Beaure-
gard that Mr.. Davis had a large
amOunt.of specie in his possession, and
| wrote urging that a portion of it be
paid to the soldiers then in active
service My letter to Mr.. Davis en-
this subject was quite urgent, and |
entrusted it to Colonel Mason, of my
staff, with instructions that he deliver
in person to Mr.. Davis, and bring a
reply. Colonel Mason went to Char
lotte and delivered the letter to Mr.
Davis, but beyond a telegraphic ac-
Acknowledgement that the letter was
received, there has never yet been a
response to it. Colonel Mason waited
some time, and made several efforts
to get reply from Mr.. Davis, in obe-
dience to my Instructions, but was
obliged to return without one"
"What became of the specie?"
81 followed or preceded the head OF
the civil government of the Confeder-
acy to he South about the time Mr..
Davis went in that direction.
"Hcye you any idea Of the amount
of specie Mr.. Davis carried South?'
"Colonel Paul, an eminent artillery
officer OF the Confederacy, and now
prominent lawyer Of Richmond and a
man of high character, told me that
he inspected the specie before its re.
moval from Richmond and after it
had been loaded ready for transporta-
ton. He said that there was car
load of it. AS he only saw it boxed
ready for shipment he could, of course,
give no information as to the amount
in dollars and cents. General BeauIe-
gard was in immediate command at
Greensboro while the President was
there, and doubtless had an op-
portunity of knowing more ae-
curately the amount OF money with
the President than any one except the
Presidents immediate pOlieical fam
| lily. He told me that he was con-
vinced that the PresidenIhad $780,
600 in specie at Greensboro. | have
no doubt but General Beauregard s
estimate was within bounds. After
Mr.. Davis left Charlotte and moved
South Confederate officer told me
that while near bridge crossing a
small creek, a man rode up and in.
spected it. He said that he was in
charge of the Presidents money train
and wanted to see whether the bridge
was safe or not. The man in charge
told the officer that he had twenty
wagonloads of specie on the train.
This would be imperfect harmony with
Colonel Paul's statement, that there
was a carload when it left Richmond,
and with General Beauregard's, that
there was $2,500,000 at Greensboro.
"Whst became Of the money!"
THAT | am unable to say. Mr..
Davis has never given any satisfactory
account of it, and what is strange
thing to me the Southern people have
never held him to account for it.
The $4,000 he left at Greensboro the
soldiers received. Major Moses, an
attorney now living in Atlanta, has
accounted for $4,000 more. A short
time before the evacuation OF Rich.
mand the bankers of that city placed
iu Mr.. Davis hands 1850, 900 in specie
for the defense of the city. There
was never any service rendered fol
this money, but when Richmond wa
evacuated ,itwas transported south will
the specie belonging to the Confede
racy. A committee Of Richmond
bankers was sent to recover it. A
Washington, Georgia, they succeeded
in getting between $4,000 aud Sl20,
600. but while transporting it home i
was captured by General Wilson
cavalry and turned into the Unite
! States treasury. 1t is now there /
litigation. The Richmond banker
! are suing for its recovery, and it hs
never vet been decided to whom
. belongs. Say $4,000 Of it is ther
{ and S39, 900 in the military chest le
! at Greensboro for the army, and $40
!, 600 accounted for by Major Nose
I this would make $4,000 out Of Il
y $2.5OO, 900 which General Beauregal
and other good authority estimate W
: on hand"