Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-02-01
CONFEDERATE GOLD.
FruitIsSs Searches for Hidden Treas'
ures I'm Georgia

N'N
Ii will be remembered that at the
close of the late war a number of wag-
ons loaded with gold and silver, belong
ing To the Confederate Government and
the Richmond banks, were robbed by
Struggling soldiers in Wilkes county,
near Washington. There are men now
living neal Athens who common report
a v got "A finger into the pie, and from
the way they bloomed out, paying in
specie for land and stock, gave good
ground for suspicion. AS the money
would have doubtless fallen into the
hands of the F'ederals, no one blamed
the BOYS for taking this means To get
their hard-earned pay.
Men who were present at the sack
ing of the wagons say the soldiers, after
loading up h~aversacks, pockets and
every other receptacle ut hand with the
precious metal, hid quantities oft In
the woods near by, while a wagon load
of the bullion waS dumped into y creek
that ran near the scene ofthe robbery.
One of the soldiers who was greedIeI
than the rest, took off his pants, tied
ND both legs, and thus made a pair oil
saddlebags by which he was enabled TO
carry off a vast quantity of gold. Inc
writer was living in Elberton at the
time of this robbery, and remembers
that the day after its commission "
soldiers stopped at his fathers house fol
the night alter first seeing that ne was
a Mason, and gave into his keeping
more gold than one negro man couiu
lift. n
The next morning they left for Madi-
son county, and We heard OF them pass
ing through DanielSville. The day,
after the robbery parties who visited
the place say that both gold and silver
were scattered along the road Ike
leaves, and a large amount was plcHeu
M Since that time there has oeen
almost constant search for this hidden
treasure. A negro barber in Washing
TON stated that be knew where a o Oh
bullion was hidden, and for Il time he
was petted and Toasted on all hands,
even detectives from the Richmond
banks coming out to work up the case
Rut il was soon discovered that us
story was all u hoax. People have come
from a long distance to search Ior tut1
gold, and the woods around the scene
have been every square FOOT scoureu
time anu aSdlu' nnol
A couple of years ago a man named
Cohen, who had bought the land wnere
The robbery was committed, conceived
the idea ofturning the bed OF the eIeek
before mentioned, with the conndent
hope of uncovering the untold wealth.
hidden beneath it waters. II was q STU,
pendous undertaking, and requlreu
months oflabor; but he received noe q
nickel for his pains. The bed OF Tue
stream was carefully searched, oat
neither gold nor silver was founu. Inis
seems TO have thrown a damper upon
the searchers, as We have heard Oh ho
late attempt to find the hidden wes.td,
although there will doubtless be Iools
enough in many generations 70 COME "
Keep up the excitement. In all pro9a'
bility there was gold buried here, as tue ne
soldiers could not have carried IL al on,
but thew either afterwards returned I1I
N themselves or secretedL 1t so securely
that IL will never be found. MI: 2. =.
Crawford, of Athens, was q guaru wltn
these wagons for a time, but leIt tneun
a few days before the robbery was eoii'
mitted.