San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-03-30
RECOVERED TREASURE.
An Ola ssuth Caroiiaian Rssains Family Plate
lI from the Treasury Vaults,
L. L. ~ o.

An Oh Ssuth Caroiiaian Resains fsmIly Plate
from the Treasury Vaults,
From the Washington star)
When Gen. Sherman and his men
were marching through South Carolina,
the people in his path, snatching up
whatever valuables they could find in
their haste. fled in every direction.
Whenever body of soldiers are raid
fng country, more or less pillaging
AID plundering take place, no matter
how strict the orders or how well disci-
plined the troops. In such circum-
stances q soldier seems to think he has
a right to what he can get and keep.
Gen. Sherman's boys proved no excep.
ton to this rule. While on the march
one day the attention OF an officer was
attracted by group of soldiers disput-
ing. Stopping to listen q moment, he
discovered that they were quarreling
over the division Of large box of cap
tured property, A glance told him
that the contents were valuable, and
ought at once to be placed in the care
OF the Government. Here, men, this
won't do! This box must be sent to
Washington at once" Orders were
given to that effect, and it was sent to
Washington and stored away in the di-
vision of captured and abandoned
property in the War Department., 1t
remained there until 1868, when, with
other valuables, it was placed as spe-
cial deposit in the vaults at the Treasury
department. Some of the things de-
posted there had no mark about them
by which they could be identified, while
others were plainly marked. Congress
authorized that the former be sold, but
those that might by any possibility be
claimed by the owners were carefully
preserved. 1t is a long time since that
box of household valuables was ruth
lessly snatched by rough soldiers from
the fleeing South Carolinian, and he is
now an old man, He had forgotten all
that the box contained, but remembered
that his family plate was there, and
that it was all marked, and that it must
have been in the Governments care.
If he could only get the necessary au-
thority to have his goods returned to
him he knew he could identify them
After o good deal of hard work and
worry on his part, q private bill author
izing that such. pieces of silver as could
be clearly identified as his property
should be returned to him, was at last
passed by congress. 1t was happy
morning for him, only few days ago,
when he made his way to the Treasuay
Department armed with the necessary
authority and carrying large old-fash-
toned carpet-bag, in which he intended
to bring away the long lost family relics.
He was escorted to the vaults by officers
of the department and the articles
placed before him for identification.
Yes there they were, all plainly marked
with the family name, large, old-fash-
Toned silver goblets, heavy ladies,
spoons, forks and various other articles
of silver. His eye frightened and his
hand trembled as he picked them up
and carefully examined them. Turn
ing to those who were near, he said:
"Ah! I tell you, these were bought
when money was more plentiful than
it is now" ..
One by one he dropped them in the
old bag of goodly proportions; but
the sides soon began to bulge. Sew
eral hundred dollars worth by weight
was clearly identified as his property.
But what is this? 1t bears the same
family mark, but had been forgotten.
He touched the spring and opened
the case.
why, that is the portrait of my
father, dressed in the uniform of Ma
jor in the British army; how many years
since I looked upon his face"
stop, old man, that must not go
with the rest; it bears your name, l
know but Congress authorized the re-
turn of articles of silver only" '
His eyes filed with tears as he re-
luctantly laid the portrait down. A
further search brought to light numer-
GUS pieces of family jewelry, some very
and all bearing the same
mark, but they had to be laid aside as
they did not come under the provisions
of the act. The vaults were again
locked and the old carpet. bag closed.
81 wouldn't mind the jewlry SO much
if 1 could only take away that por-
trait" were the last words of the old
man as he took his departure.