Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-10-13
THE STOLEN CONFEDERATE GOLD.

The Georgia Constellation prints long
story relating the facts in connection with
the robbery of the Confederate treasure in
1865, on its way from Washington,
Ca, to Richmond, Va. The story is
anonymous, but purports to have been
written by an eyewitness OF the scenes
which he describes. 1t abounds in con-
temptuous illusions to the hated Yankees,
and is full of the disgusting buncombe
which was so common in the South before
and during the war, and which still meets
hearty welcome, unfortunately, in some
parts of the South. Stripped of this vile
and irrelevant matter, the story is valua-
BILE contribution to history, and if its au-
thor is what he claims so be, it clears up
the mystery which has 80 long surrounded
the lost Confederate gold, which Jefferson
Davis and number of lesser rebel lights
have at different times been accused of
stealing.
According to the story now told, the
Confederate treasure, in the early part of
June, 1865, was kept part in a store
house, part in the old bank, part at the
station, and the bullion in the cellar of a
store-house in Washington, Ga. 1t was
guarded by number OF persons appointed
BY Jefferson Davis, and these persons, the
new historian says, had stolen good part
of the gold. At this juncture man named
Wiseacre appeared in Washington with au-
thority to take the treasure to Richmond.
He gathered together the bulk of the gold
and bullion, placed it in wagons and started
for Richmond by way of Abbeville, S c.,
accompanied by many of the same men
who had watched the treasure in Washing
ton, and who went along as guards. They
went about five miles beyond Dsnbury Ga,
and camped for the night in lot belong
ing to Mrs. Susan Moss. Gen. Vaughn's
brigade of Confederate cavalry had been
disbanded near Mrs. Moss's house, and
several of the soldiers were scattered
through the neighborhood, living in differ
ent families. A man whose name is in
definitely given as Captain Nj, who had
belonged to Vaughn's brigade, gathered a
band of his soldiers together, and at 10
o'clock at night he charged on the guard
protecting the wagons. Captain M
was dressed in the uniform OF Union Off
Ger, and this fact was made use of TO charge
the robbery to the " Yankees." The guard
made but slight resistance, and the wagons
were captured without firing gun or a
pistol. The boxes of gold and silver were
broken open, and each man took as many
double eagles and silver dollars as he could
carry, and FASTENED away to hide it. Holes
were dug in the ground by some of the
men, while others hid their stolen treasure
in the branches of trees, and still others
sunk it in ponds, marking the places SO
that it could be found when the excitement
- L. he Il
away. All night long the work of hiding
went on, and only the gray dawn drove the
robbers away from the scene. The ground
is said to have been literally covered with
gold and silver coins.
Wiseacre offered 81 900 to anybody who
would put him on the track of the robbers,
and soldier named Mcbride was captured
on the following day and made to disgorge
the share of the gold which he had re-
ceived. About week after General Alex
ander, with band of sesrchers, came
across party of the robbers, made them
prisoners, and undertook to make them
give up the money. Before he could do so,
however, party OF Vaughn's men arrived
from Goshen, charged the captors, and res
cued the prisoners. Soon after this the
Yankees, urged on by General Alexau-
der and aided by the negroes, undertook to
recover the money which had been stolen,
and some of it, according to this story, was
wrung from the thieves by the most brutal
fortunes. The writer can give no accurate
estimate of the amount of the treasure
which was stolen, but he insists that it was
much less than has been stated in the pub
hshed stories. No horse could struggle
under the load of gold which some Of the
men are said to have carried away. The
writer of the story says that the men who
captured the wagons were not the principal
plotters OF the schemes of robbery. The
plan, he asserts, was conceived before the
treasure started from Washington, and was
formed by the very men who had had
charge of the gold, and some of whom
went along as guards. The great secret
that there was collision between the rob-
bers and the guards at Washington. On
this point the historian says: 1.-THE gold
remained in Washington good while, not
exactly at the mercy of every one, but I'M
der control of quasi guards. As / have
stated elsewhere these custodians had tacit
control, and in order that they might go
blameless, if they appropriated any of the
gold to their own use, they must have a
place to escape. The coming of Wiseacre
was timely thing with them. lie did not
know what amount reached Washington,
and what was taken before leaving that
place might never have been noticed, still
those who had it were afraid to risk being
found out. AS soon as Wiseacre announced
his intention to take the moneyIback to
Richmond via Abbeville, these men saw
their opportunity. They readily consented
to give up to him considerable amount,
and joined him in hunting up more. The
idea, with those who had had charge OF
the gold, still haunted them that they had
made too large grab and that it would be
found out on them. What should they do
was the question. They knew that those
men of Vaughn's brigade were staying
down in the edge of Lincoln county, imme-
diately on the route by which Wiseacre
proposed to take the treasure. A few days
before the time for them to start to Able
vile they sent one of their men out Sc
cretly to plan for the train to be robbed,
which we have seen was SO successfully &C.
complished. This is the great secret. This
clearly through the whole thing. Those
men who had taken the gold before Wise
acre came knew they would be found, for
they had so much that it could not be &C.
counted for, and if they could manage to
get it all scattered they would never be
suspected. The reader may look back over
what has been said, and every circumstance
goes to prove that there was an understand
ing, not with the Danbury crowd, but with
those men around Washington. How could
Captain M have had all things ready at
SO short a notice? The wagons did not
pass where he was living until about sun
down, for it was late when they passed
through the village and they had four
miles to go before passing where any of