The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-10-29
Captured Property.
Special Correspondents Of the CommercfsN
Al varffoor a3a y

Advertiser.
There is a very interesting bureau in
the treasury department about which
the public knows but little. Over q
little green baize door in the third
story il printed in gilt letters "captur.
ed property" There is something
suggestive OF piracy in this, and be.
meath it - a warning not to enter. ]
pushed tbs door open the other day.
There was nothing worse within than
three or forr desks and as many mild
hammered clerks. This is this bureau
OF captured and abandoned proper
ty." When Che government appro-
PIRATES other psopie's property here is
where it goes.
where's the plunder?'' Iasked of q
very knowing looking man who occu-
pied % big desk in. the mMidle Of the
room.
'4WeIl, there isn's very much these
times" he replied. "Only a,stray gum
or an anchor or two tished up out OF,
New York harbor. Folks don't aban-
don property much nowadays" and
he looked about him with the air OF
one who feels his occupation, gone.
"But I have seen the day." he added,
when abandoned property meant
something, What doyo say to pick.
ing up a whole plantation? We'vedone
it, and had two or three ut a time
worked on shares. Sometimes we've:
got q mule or two, or q few hundred
bales OF cotton. That was in '63 and
'64, or thereabouts. When the south.
ern people fed before the advance oil
the Union army this bureau was form.
ed to takecharge of the valuable prop,
erty they left behind. OF course they.
left their plantations, and sometimes,
there was much valuable jewelry and
plate, besides large stores Of grain, to-.
bacco and cotton. Wegot the stores,
but unfortunately, very little OF the
jewelry.
"There is doubtless an impression,
in the South that there are many val.
uables in the treasury taken, from,
southern homes. This is mistake.
What we got was cotton, grain, and
tobacco. OF these products we got
and sold about twenty-si milliondol.
lars worth. We made, a rich harvest
in Louisiana. Georgia, Alabama. and
South Carolina. The people fled be.
fore the army, leaving everything.
We came on behind and picked up
what they left. Sometimes when they
did not abandon their property we
contiscated it,: that is, all that might
give aid or comfort to the enemy.
But we got only the heavy things.
All that could be easily carried of /.
was gone before we could get it. Our.
object was to save all personal prop.
erty and valuables,. and they would
have been restored to their owners in
time; but the plunderers generally put
their hands in first, and it was i'm;
possible to keepsup with them. There
was an organized search among the
troops for captured property, but
there was seldom any found. The
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
found.
In South. Carolina the wealthy peo-
pie had placed their jewelry and. plate
in bank. In one of the banks there
were several large boxes the bank, of
ticers were trying to get to. place OF
safety, when they were discovered by
the soldiers, and all the valuables
captured. Bus out of it all the gov
ernment 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 probably
think the government has it. This
was the only occasion upon which the
government eveDgot any jewelry or
plate, and the value of all we now
have in the vaults OF the treasury
should estimate to be about 50, 500.
This is all we can. account foro all
the valuables thesouthern peope lost.
We We're supposed to take charge OF
all the personals property picked up
off the battle field. venture to say
we never found adollar's worth. Peo-
pie in the South. think that our vaults
are rich with treasures. They are
"it has been declaredithat Gen. But
ler's, famous.captured silverware was
In the treasury vaults. Gen. Butler
said himself that he turned it over to
the proper authorities and accounted
for it specifically in his.report to, the
war department.. Not one spoon OF
it is in the treasury! Nor does thegov-
ernment know anything of it. No
reference to it in any way whatever is
made In Gen. Butler's accounts at the
war department.! Further explanation
is necessary from some quarter.
"In the box we have" continued
the abandoned property man, "there
is very little silverw,lre. 1t is mostly
jewelry. all old-fashioned. Old-style
watches, rich cameo sets. odd old
rings with peculiar settings, evidently
family relics: miniatures set in gold
and gems, diamond rings and all sorts
OF odd and peculiar trinkets. The val
ue OF fmost OF themlies probably in their
associations. Some of them have
probably been in families for genera
tions. The owners of quite number .
have asserted their claims and got their
but what we have now will
probably never be. claimed. Any one !.
who will come and. describe his prop
erty can get it. That's thereason we
keepit 80 close, where no onecan sceit.
We have to keep quiet and not give.
any information. that might assist
any one to establish q claim either to,
this or to money for captured stores.
The only other eaptared things of
value we have in. the treasury vaults
are the swords of Gen. .Twiggs. One of
these, you know, isworth about $25,
900. They are OF gold and Jewels.
The family has long tried to get .the,ns.
utprobably never will. /"
The FIRST G,hamnapna.