Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-03-30
TWO SINGULAR CASES.
The Romance OF the Burial Of Nine Kegs G
Gold In the South.

PITTsBURG, March ga romance in
two parts was told areporter to-day, which
has bearing on the late civil war. 1t is
In two parts. Oae is told by fugitive in
Rio Jsneiro, Brazil, and the other by a
Pittsburger. The scene is in the city OF
Gacon, Georgia. The fugitive, whose in
itials only are given, tells his part of the
story in letter to Mr.. A. A. Subers, OF
Macon. 1t is this, in brief: In March Of
1854 the banks of Savannah, fearing dash
of the Federal troops and the capture OF
the city, sent all their money, or what
could be spared, to Macon, for safe keeping.
The fugitive was then q driver of one OF
wagons Of the Southern Express Company.
In May, when the fears of the bankers had
subsided, they ordered a return of the
money. K. H., as the fugitive sigus him
self, was given portion Of it to haul 10
the railway station. The agent who
usually accompanied him happened 10 be
sick and he took it alone. He continues
az determined to steal the money. II
was put up in kegs. that contained S., 600
each. The car was set outside of the car
shed by the ice house, that, if remember
right, was kept by q man named Henry
Ellis, 40 that it could be loaded at the con-
Venience of the company and as the bank
would have it protected by special guard
there would be no danger; but the guard
had not been put on duty when got TO the
car, and as there was no one to watch me, ]
just jumped of of the wagon and smashed
the car lock with a brick and quickly
drove on to an old house by the branch,
between Fifth and Sixth streets, that
had been used as soap factory, and had a
weeping willow tree of large size in front
OF it, and was owned by man named
Marx Scratch, and l hid it among the tubs
and watts. The money was missed when
the guard came to the car and search made;
but as it had now grown dark the track Of
the wagon could not be traced through the
street"
THE BURIED GOLD.
He was arrested, but nothing could be
proved against him, and released in few
hours. At three o'clock in the morning
he took the money and buried it at the
foot of q mulberry tree about thirty-fye
yards from the bank of the Ocmulgee
river.
There it remained for some time, when
he discovered the end of an old sunken
boat, and tearing off plank he deposited
the treasure in it. There were nine kegs
of it, each containing $5, 900 He was eau
tious not to use any of ii, and awaken sus-
picion; kept on at his employment as a
driver for the express company; finally had
chance to escape to South America on a
blockade runner, when he took all he
could carry with him, and fed. With
it he bought coffee plantation in Bra
zil, and has remained there since,
afraid to return to his own country. He
was 81 years of age when he fled, in 1863,
He gives Mr.. Subers inmate directions
as to where the old boat might be found.
1t was washed out last July, and Mr..
Subers, who knows its present location, is
now forming a company with capital
enough TO raise it.
THE SEQUEL.
Now for the other part of the story. II
is told by Mr.. s. T. Turner, who belonged
to the First Ohio Cavalry, a portion OF
Wilson'S corps. 10 May of 1865 nearly
the whole corps was at Macon. Ode day a
singular order was issued. The men were
marched out to q plantation, ordered to
dismount aud form about twenty feet in
front of their horses. Then the officers OF
one regiment were ordered to search the
clothes and saddle pockets of the men of
another. Thus complete search OF all
the troops was made.
The meaning of this singular proceeding
no one could guess at the time, but soon
after came the explanation that $35, 900
buried on the shore Of the Ocmulgee had
been found and carried of. The soldiers
were suspected, and hence the search. But
how did this money come to be buried? The
conjecture was that it had been buried re-
Gently by the banks or individuals through
fear that it would be taken when the Fed
erals swept down on that city.
There was period of two years between
the theft from the Southern Express Com.
psny, the proceeds OF which were buried on
the river bank, ,snd the search of the caval-
rymen suspected of finding money there,
but
Query, could what was left of the nine
kegs of $1,000 each, which the Brazilian
fugitive tells of, have been the $35, 900
sought for when Wilson's cavalry were in
Macon?