Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-01
. NORTH CAROLINA ROMANCE.
The Long Hidden Contents of an Old Safe
Lucky Find for an Orphan Girl.

The correspondent of one of the Cinein
natl papers, writing from jamestown. n
-, says: This quaint old place. whicl
lies IN the centre of one of the Ouakel
settlements, was during the war a ta.
Yorlte resort of refugees by which
name were designated those person,
whose homes in the eastern section of Tho
. state were inside the danger line. or il
counties already held by the Federa
troops. In this sleepy town these found Z
haven of refuge, and made themselves
comfortable, to remain While the wal
lasted. They brought hither their money.
and in the Old-fashiOned bank stored Con
federate bonds and currency i'm great
amounts. The crash came. in the fatal
1868, and StOneman's raiders whirled
down so near that most of the refugees
prepared to fly. A little later the war
ended. The big old safe, as solemn as the
grave, and as chaTy of its secrets. was
shut. But few of the depositors had with
Drawn the now Yalueless currency it con-
tanned.
Some of the refugees had died. others
had been suddenly called away, others al
the last moment, amid all the excitement
of the hour, left. The bank, a dead cor.
pCr--sIon, ceased to exist, dying as it had
hyed-laZily. Years rolled BY, each max.
ing the old safe and its secrets more
solemn still, as it stood cobwebbed, in one
of the lower rooms of the gloomy old brick
bank building.
RumOrs of its contents being of value
began to be created in the fertile field.
imagination, and it was whispered that in
its deep recesses lay piles of solid silver,
vast quantities of bonds, Jewelry worth a
Princes ransom, and finally the contents
of the safe became a matter of daily con-
lecture. Last year the ''bOOm' in Con-
federate bonds began.
Sleepy old jamestown was inSensible to
"boOm." The word was too new. What
of it? But, nevertheless, one day two
hOary-headed old officers Of the lOng-dead
bank hobbled to it, opened the door and
entered the musty room, in a recess OF
which sat the great safe. They tried the
lOck; it would not open. A locksmith
was sent for, but even his efforts were I'M
successful. The old men gave up the at
tempt; but others took up the work. Keen
spectators bent their hearts on getting
into the safe. A man, modern in his ideas.
said he would see that it was forced, but
kept his own counsel.
On Wednesday last another procession.
If so it might be termed, entered the build
ing, one of the men who composed il
being man whose bullet-head and
cropped hair gave him the aspect of a
criminal. He looked at the safe. The
others retired. Half an hour later there
was an explosion. Returning, the party
found the door of the safe open. The
man, pardOned convict from the peni.
tentiary at Raleigh, who in bygOne DAYS
had been ''cracksman," had made
speedy work concerning the antique safe
The old man, eX-cOnvict. two spectators
i'll Confederate bonds, and hall Il dozen
spectators were in the room, while outside
qtIripfTC crowd Of
The safe was ranSaCked. From its ca
paciOus depths were taken out quite $3,-
100000 in Confederate bonds. while nearly
a million i'll State bonds, and as much in
Confederate and State currency was also
discovered.
The bonds were tied TN rolls or in boxes.
and the names of the owners could be
found in but one case. On a large roll,
the largest, was found the name, adam
EXum 1863" UnrOlled, the bundle was
found to contain 800 1000 Confederate
bonds. What the long dead owner had
paid fnll value for, and what had for long
years been so much paper only, had
again become of worth by one OF the
strangest financial movements of modern
times, for the bonds were worth 50 30 per
$1,000.
But strange as past events might seem,
future ones were even more curious. 1t
was found that Exum had gone to Charles
ton, 5. c., in October, 1863, and nothing
has since been heard of him. His son, a
soldier, had been wounded, had married
after the war in Virginia, had come back
to North Carolina, died in 1871, his wife
following him year later, and their child
a girl, had been placed in an orphan asy-
lum. The action of the ex-bank officers
was prompt and just. When told about
the girl, so poor, so desolate, they sold the
bonds, on which were her grandfather's
name, and sent the money they brought,
$3.50, to a Raleigh bank, notifying the
superintendent of the orphan asylum
where the girl was being cared for.
The case is curious one in all its as
poets, and is attracting much attention
in the State wherever known. The girl
is intelligent and modest, and though no
great fortune comes to her, yet the
strangeness of its coming gives 1t an in
terest which would not ordinarily attach
to it. The girl has been sent to a leading
school.