Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-01-14
1HE DAv1s1oHNsroN ArrArHa.

Davis during his flight from Rich
mond. The letter was written to
our congressman, the Hon. John f.
House, under date of Jan. 6, 1881.
This letter throws much light upon
the alleged lost treasure and COM
pletely exonerates Mr.. Davis. Mr..
Clark says:
AS 1 am in position to knew all
the facts. Think it not improper to
state them as briefly as | can.
left Richmond, Va, the night of
the evacuation ON the special train
containing the President, his staff,
his Cabinet, and many other Gov
eminent officials, being at the time
chef clerk of the Executive office.
The party reached Danville the
next day, where the Government
offices were partially organized, re-
naming there until the 10th of
April, when news of General Lees
surrender was received. The next
move was to Greensboro, the head
quarters of Beauregard's little
army
A stay of some days was made
there, and as the railroads had been
cut in many places south of us by
the Federal cavalry, who were
still raiding to the southwest of
our line of travel, / made up a
train of wagons and ambulances
for the use of the party, for which
General Beauregard gave carte
blanche order on his Quartermaster
and Commissary Departments.
with which train the party pro-
ceeded to Charlotte, N. G. General
Beauregard also ordered up the
small cavalry division under Gen.
eral w. G. p. Breckenridge as an
escort, to which President Davis
demurred-pOssibly for the reason
that he did not wish the small force
in front of General Sherman weak
ened to give him personal protec-
tiOn-but finally consented as it
gave protection to his following,
which was composed partly of help
less civilians, but even then avoided
the road taken by his escort.
After a stay of about week at
Charlotte, where we heard,of the as
sassinatiOn of President Lincoln,
the route was to Abbeville, South
Carolina, reaching there the Sd of
May. At Ahbeville the train of the
Treasury Department reported, it
having followed a different line of
travel under the protection of the
small naval force under Admiral
Semmes, who had guarded it safely,
keeping all its Valuables intact.
This was the first time we met, and
at Abbeville the trains, escort and
all came together. Admiral Sem
mes asked to be relieved of his vol
UNFAIRLY assumed duty (Which had
been necessary, as General Stone
mans cavalry had several times
struck points within ten or fifteen
miles OF these different trains, NOV
ing in the main on parallel lines),
and the train was placed in charge
Ofthe caValry-General Basil Dukes
command-and ordered to Wash
ington, Georgia.
General Trenholm, Secretary Of
the Treasury, had been left some
distance back, quite ill and at Abb
beville the President appointed Post
master-General John III. Reagan
Acting Secretary of the Treasury.
The Treasurer, Mr.. J. N. Hernden,
had been left at Greensboro, N. c.,
with a moderate MILITARY chest for
the use of the army there, the
specie, mainly Mexican dollars, and
amounting to $40, 200, according to
my recollection. That night, the
weather being hot for day travel
ing, the Presidential party also left
for Washington, Ga, arriving
about sunset on the 4th of May.
As soon as we arrived Mr.. Reagan,
Acting Secretary of the Treasury,
asked the President to appoint me
Acting Treasurer in place of Mr..
Hernden, who had been left ut
Greensboro, n. c., the Treasury
since that time having been in
charge of the Bureau officers. I
had some time before received
Staff appointment, with the rank of
Captain.
The President made the appoint
ment, Mr.. Regain drew up my COM
mission and President Davis affixed
to it the last official signature he
ever made. /, of course, preserve
it as precious relic. The entire
Treasury was turned over to me,
and l spent the day in filling the re-
QUESTIONS of the Acting Secretary.
l settled with the depositors, who
had followed with the train-some
all the way from Virginir I paid
off the naval brigade, through
Postmaster Wheeless, of Nashville :;
paid off the. troops who were near
us, through the proper accredited
officers; burnt millions of bonds
and currency in the presence of Sec
rotary Reagan and General J. G..
Breckenridge, Secretary of War;
turned over to the Virginia Bank
officers the specie which belonged
to the Virginia banks, which they
had never been able to obtain from
the Treasury for want of proper
officers to deliver it. One of my
last acts was to turn over to Major
Moses, a Confederate State agent,
$40, 900 in silver, mainly bullion,
which the President had ordered to
be used in furnishing subsistence to
the paroled soldiers who were pass
ing through to their homes, thus
relieving them and the distressed
country through which they were
passing
1 took proper receipts for all my
payments, and with the whole
Treasury discussed, except an in
significant sum, in company with
the Acting Secretary 1 left Wash
ington about eleven o'clock at night,
with a small escort given us by
General Duke, which we shortly
dismissed, and Joined the Presi-
dents party next morning about
day break. There l again took
charge of my train, and on the
morning of the 9th President Davis
heard of the danger of his family,
who were travelling some distance
ahead, from marauder5 in search of
horses. He decided to take his
staff and few attendants and join
them, the train to proceed to Flor
ida-the intention, as understood,
being there to take boats to Cuba,
and from there to the Trans-Missis-
sippi Department. AS l was more
likely to be captured with the train
than with the mounted party, in
order to provide means for the
transportation to Cuba, L called the
staff together and paid Colonel F.
r. Lubberk, A. d. c. CORNER Gov
ernor of TeXas) 4; Colonel William
Preston Johnston, a. ID. @. 81; Colo
mel John Taylor Wood, A. ID, c.,
and Colonel-(whOse name forget,
but naval officer) each 81 800 In