The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-05-02
pukEGAN'S DOLLARS.
They Are Found Buried In the Ground
and Occasion 81 Lazy Suit.

They Are Found Buried in the Ground
and Occasion Law Suit
On the 21st day of March, 1887, Mr..
Cicero Bales, son of Mr. Isaac Bales,
was bedding cotton rows on a farm
the old home place of MIR. Joseph
Dunegan, deceased) about three miles
north of Gainesville on the Ohatta-
hoochee river, turned up a gold coin,
and upon close examination found
238 S. gold pieces. He at once i'm
parted the information to his home
folks and numbers of outsiders, and
the heirs at law of Joseph Dunegan
claimed it. Mr.. Isaac Bales brought
it to Gainesville and deposited it to his
credit at the bank of Banks 81 Bro,
but hearing that quite likely he would
be sued for it, took the special deposit
out of bank and hid it away.
Messrs. John T. and Ezekiel Dune
gan, as administrators of aforesaid,
through their attorneys, Messrs.
Hooper, Perry and Smith, brought
bail treyer for it to the August term
of Hall superior court, and on the
30th day Of March, 1887, Mr.. Bales
was duly served with a copy of the
proceedings and gave bond in the sum
81 $2, $50, for the forthcoming of the
property, to answer tie judgment,
execution or decree of the court Al
the first trial of the cause the jury
| failed to agree upon verdict and a
mistrial was declared.
At the August adjourned term, held
November, 1888, the case wes again
called In its order and the trial pro-
ceeded, and the evidence produced on
the trial showed that in the year 1850
Mr.. Joe Dunegan took trip to the
Rocky mountains and returned to his
home in Georgia some time during
| the fall with considerable gold dust
which he had coined into five dollal
gold pieces at the mint In pahlonega,
the whole amounting to from IS, ,00f
to So, 500, and that it was his custom tc
bury his money in the ground, a:
there was no bank in Gainesville a
| that time.
In 1861 Mr.. Dunegan MADE a frip tt
Pixies Peak for the purpose of getting
some gold dust he had buried there
and on his way back home he wa!
taken i'll in Illinois, where he died, th'
| SeCfep OF MS Durlcu IloHcy III 0CcfSI'
being buried with him, His famil,
knew that he had gold buried some
where on his farm, but after fulfill
efforts 10 discover its whereabouts
gave it up as a bad job. In an unex
pected moment the treasure was un
earthed by the hands of q stranger
and litigation commenced for its pos
session. The case was ably conduete
bv the counsel for the plaintiff, an
every inch of ground was stubbornl
met by Messrs. Dunlap, Pickroll an
Thompson, attorneys for the defend
ants.
The jury found in favor of the plair
tiffs, and a motion for q new trail wa
made, which was overruied and th
case went up TO the supreme oaur
on a writ of error to the October tern
but each side being quite uncertain c
to who would finally triumph in th
end decided to make division an
put q sudden stop to litigation. MI
, Joe Dunegan was an honorable
straight forward man and was {
) prominence in his day nnd time. I
was eccentric in many ways, but wa
held in high esteem by the people {
/, his county and represented Ha
] county in the legislature several term
: Thus ends the bitter contest for II
waller boys" and all parties intereste
i seem to be perfectly oontented.-
Gainesville (Ga.) Cor. Atlanta Consi
o tuition.