Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-09-23
CAPTURED PROPERTY.
An Interesting Bureau Connected With the
United States Treasury Departmental Relic
of War Times.

All Interesting Bureau Connected With the
United States Treasury Departmental Relic
of War Times.
There is a very interesting bureau in
the treasury department about which the
public knows but little, writes Washing
ton correspondent of the New York Com
mercial Advertiser. Over little green
baize door in the third story is printed in
gilt letters the word captured" There
is something suggestive of piracy in this
and beneath it is warming not to enter,
I pushed the door open the other day.
There was nothing worse within than
three or four desks, and as many more
mild-mannered clerks. This is the bureau
of captured and abandoned property
When the government appropriates other
peoples property here is where it goes.
"Where's the plunder?" [ asked of a
very knowing blocking man who occupied
a big desk in the middle of the room.
"Weu. there isn't very much these
times" he replied. ''OnIy stray gun or
an anchor or two fshed up out of New
York harbOr. Folks don't abandon prop
erty much nowadays" and he looked
about him with an air of one who feels
his occupation gone. "But [ have seen
the day" he added, when abandoned prop
erty meant something. What do you say
to plckidg up whole plantation? We've
done 1T and had two or three at a time
worked on shares. Sometimes we've got
a mule or two, or few hundred bales of
cotton. That was in '63 and ga or there
abouts. When the southern people fed
before the advance of the union army
this bureau was formed to take charge of
valuable property they left behind. Of
course, they left their plantations, and
sometimes there was much valuable jewlry
and plate, besides large stores of grain,
tobacco and cotton. We got the stores.
but, unfortunately, very little of the jew
elry.
There is doubtless an impression in
the south that there are many yaluables
in the treasury taken from southern
homes. This is a mistake. What we got
was cotton, grain, rnd tobacco. Of these
products we got and sold about S26, OOU,-
600 worth. We made rich harvest in
Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, and South
Carolina. The people fed before the
army, leaving everything. We came on
behind and picked up what they had left
Sometimes when they did not abandon
all that might give aid or comfort to the
enemy. But we got only the heavy things.
All that could be easily carried off was
gone before we could get it. Our object
was to save all personal property and
valuables, and they would have been re-
stored to their owners in time; but the
plunderers generally put their hands in
first, and it was impossible to keep up
them ri
search among the troops for captured
property, but there was seldom any
found. This plunderers always managed
to hide all they got, and it was only when
it fell under the eye of some superior
officer that anything valuable was ever
saved.
In South Carolina the wealthy people
had placed their jewelry and plate in the
bank. In one of the banks there were
several large boxes of the bank officers
were trying to get to place of safety,
when they were discovered by the sol
dlers, and all the valuabIes captured
But out of it all the government officials
got no more than one box, which was of
no great value. All the rest was spirited
away by the captors, and the owners pro-
badly think the government has it. This
was the only occsiOn upon which the gov
eminent ever got any jewelry or plate,
and the value of all we now have in the
treasury. [ should estimate it to be
about$2, 500. This is all we can account
for all the valuables the southern people
lost. We were supposed to take charge
of all the personal property picked up on
the battlefield. [ venture to say We never
found dollars worth. People in the
south think that our vaults are rich with
treasures. They're mistaken.
1t has been declared that General But
ler's famous captured silverware was in
the treasury vaults. General Bntler said
himself that ne turned it over to the pro-
per authorities and accounted for it spe-
cially in bis report to the war department..
Not one spoon Of it is in the treasury.
Nor does the government know anything
of it. No reference to it in any way
whatever is made in Gen Buffers accounts
at the war department. Further explana-
ton is necessary from some other quar-
ter.
SIN the box we have, continued the
abandoned propertyman, There Is very
little silverware. 1t is mostly jewely, all
old-fashioned. Old style watches, rich
cameo sets, odd old rings with peculiar
settings, 6f1ututly 1du1y 1OlAOo; h1AId-
lures set in gold and gems, diamond
rings, and all sorts of odd and peculiar
trinkets. The greatest value Of most of
them lies probably in their associations.
Some of them have probably been in fam
lies for generations. The owners of
quite number have asserted their claims
and got their property but what we have
now will probably never be claimed.
Anyone who will come and describe his
property can get it. That's the reason
we keep it so close, where no one can see
it. We have to keep quiet and not give
any information that might assist any
one to establish a claim either to this to
or to money for captured stores. The
only other captured things Of value we
have in the treasury vaults are the swords
of Gen. Twigg. One of these, you know,
is worth about $4,000. They are of gold
and jewels. The family have long tried
to get them, but probably never will"