The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-12-29
Missing Confederate Specie.

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 18-The Press pub
fishes to-day an interview with Gen. JOSEPH
Il. Johnston, IN which he charges that Jeffer-
| son Davis received very large sum of mon.
ey belonging to the Confederate Treasury
at the evacuation of Richmond, for which he
never accounted. In the course OF his re-
marks relative to the retreat South, he SAYS
| had learned from Gen. Bcauregard, that
MIR. Davis had large amount of specie in bis
possession, and wrote urging that portion
OF 1t be paid to the soldiers then in active ser
vice. My letter to Mr.. Davis on this subject
was quite urgent. and intrusted it to Col
Mason, of my staff, with instructions that he
deliver it in person to Mr. Davis and bring a
reply Col. Mason went to Charlotte, deliver
ed the letter to Mr. Davis, but beyond tele-
graphic acknowledgment to me that the let
ter was received, there has never yet been a
response to it. Col. Mason waited some time
and made several efforts to get reply from
Mr. Davis, in obedience to my instructions, but
was obliged to return without one"
What became of the specie?"
''It followed or preceded the head of the
civil government of the Confederacy to the
South about the time Mr.. Davis went in that
direction"
Have you any idea OF the amount of specie
Mr.. Davis carried to the South ?"
Col. Paul, an eminent artillery officer of the
Confederacy, and now prominent lawyer of
Richmond, a man of high character, told me
that he inspected the specie before its removal
from Richmond and after it had been loaded
ready for transportation. He said that there
was carload 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. Gen. Beauregard, however, was
in immediate command at Greensboro while
40 hap., L,J
an opportunity of knowing more accurately
the amount of money with The President than
any one except the Presidents immediate po-
llticsl family. He told me that he was con-
yineed that the President had So 800, 900 in
specie at Greensboro. | have no doubt that
Gen. Beauregard's estimate was within
bounds. After Mr.. Davis left Charlotte and
moved South Confederate officer told me
that while standing near a bridge crossing
creek man rode up and inspected 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 he had twenty wagon loads of
specie in the train This would be in perfect
harmony with Col. PauPs statement that
there was a carload when it left Richmond,
and with Gen. Beauregards that there was
So SOC, 900 at Greensboro"
NV hat became of the money ~
THAT | am unable to say Mr.. Davis has
never given any satisfactory account ofit.and.
what is strange thing to me, is the Southern
people here never held him to account for it.
The $50 900 he left at Greensboro the soldiersre-
ceived, Maj. Moses, an attorney now living
in Atlanta, has accounted for $4,000 more
A short time before the evacuation of Rich
mond the bankers of that city placed in Mr.
Davis's hands 100000 in specie for the de-
Tense of the city. There was never any ser
vice rendered for the money, but when Rich
mOnd was evacuated it was transferred South
with the specie belonging to the Confederacy.
A committee of Richmond bankers was sent
to recover it. At Washington, Ca, they sue
ceeded in getting between $4,000 and $780,
900, but while transporting it home it was cap
tured by Gen. Wilson's cavalry and turned info
the United States Treasury 1t is now there
in litigation. The Richmond bankers are
now suing for its recovery, and it has never
been decided to whom it belongs. Say $780,.
600 is there and $4,000 in the military chest
left at Greensboro for the Army and sec, 900
accounted for by Maj. Moses. This would
make $179, 900 out of the SO 800, 900 which Gen.
Reauregard and other good authority estimate
was on hand.'