The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1882-08-09
ourRAGEoUs ROBBERY.


We take the following from the
Nashville Banner of Sunday:
One of the most outrageous spe
cies of vandalism that ever occurred
has TRANSFERRED within the last few
months at the State capitol, and for
the remuneration received has no
parallel in its damage to the public.
No less a thing than the wholesale
destruction of the archives of the
State of Tennessee, the records of
the quartermaster's department Of
the United States including all the
documents which affect the Federal
soldiers of State; six large volumes
of the Supreme Court docket-the
only copy in existence, nearly all the
reports of Comptroller Gaines, a
large number of the volumes of the
acts of Tennessee with appendices
of House and Senate, together with
an unknown number of the decis-
ions of the Supreme Court. Nor is
this all a box containing rare books
belonging to the Historical Society
was rifed of its contents, the guam
tity unknown save where bound
books occurred, among the latter
some twelve or sixteen volumes of
Washington's correspondence and
messages, a work so rare that it
would command any price, being out
of print, SAID documents being placed
there for safe keeping.
were in the armory or basement of
the capitol, and were there safe at
the time of Mr.. Austin's death, the
late Superintendent. Since then no
superintendent has been appointed
and the theft has occurred. A large
taken proportion ofthese things were
away within the last week or two.
One of the pOrters at the capital
carried OIt from the basement last
week over three large wheelbaFrOws
full of bindings, the contents hav-
ing been cut out and most probably
sold for waste paper to the paper
mills.
This is one of the most astound-
ing thefts on record, the damage
being incalculable, while the profits
must have been very limited, as
waste paper sells for only about q
cent and a half a pound. How the
records of the Supreme Court can
be replaced is mystery if it can be
at all, while many of the manu-
scripts of the Historical Society are
rare and no copies are in existence.
Who is the guilty party or who is
responsible for this outrageous thiev-
ing cannot be ascertained as the key
is in the Office in an open drawer, it
is said, and can be taken out at any
time, day or night. AT night the
entire building is at the mercy of
thieves, as the State Legislature re-
fused, at its last session, to make an
appropriation to pay for night
Waterman and it only requires the
connivance Of any inmate of the
capitol to carry off the contents of
the entire building. Fully 500 vol
umes were taken.
The robbery was the sensation of
the day yesterday, and, and many
cOnieclures were made as to who the
guilty parties arc. The general
opinion seems to be that the thieves
are familiar with the building and
had full access to all the rooms left
unlocked. Tho most singular part
of the whole thing is that the door
of the room in which these volumes
and documents are kept should have
been left open. Most of the vol
umes were worth their weight in
gold. As yet it is impossible to APP
proximate the loss to the State and
historical Society. Books and dOcu-
ments have been destroyed which
can never be replaced and which
were more valuable to the State
than hundred times their cost,
This matter should be fully and
speedily Investigated and the thieves
brought to justice. The State of
Tennessee in trying to eeonomize |
has overlooked its hand in this mat
ter, and now must suffer the con-
sequences.