San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-13

ing the Confederates westward beyond
Raleigh, and not long prior to their sur
render" said Gen. Sanderson, "my regi-
ment, the Tenth Ohio cavalry, being in
advance, arrived ut the village Of Company
Shops, on the North Carolina railroad, and
camped for the night on the edge of the
town With my staff took possession of
| a house as joint tenants with the family,
| all ladies, who occupied it. Shortly after
| Maj. Stratton. Of my regiment, came in
| bearing a specie box stamped Bank Of
Commerce of North Carolina and said
| that it, with other boxes containing specie
had been dug up by the regiment.
Officers were at once sent to ascertain
| the extent of the find. 1t seemed clear to
me that the money belonged either to that
bank or to the government, and in no sense
| to the finders The discovery of the money
| seemed to demoralize the regiment, and
every one was using his best endeavors to
secure some of the gold and silver. Some
of the men were gone for days before they
rejoined their companies, and do not be-
lieve hundred men of the regiment slept
that night.
"The amount of the money was after
ward ascertained to be $l56,0O0. It was
placed where it was found by officers of
the Bank of Commerce, only short time
before we arrived 1t had been taken from
the vaults of the bank, placed in boxes and
conveyed in box car toward Goldsboro,
but fearing that it would fall into the
hands of the Union army they stopped the
car at Company Shops and the treasure was
buried in the ground.
DIGGING UP A FORTUNE.
THE Union soldiers who had marched
with Sherman to the sea and back north
ward through the Carolinas had become
adopts at discovering any disturbance Of
the surface Of the ground, indicating the
burial place of silverware and treasure,
which the owners in their hasty flight
could not carry along. Sometimes boxes
filled with imported china would be found
and used by the soldiers to embellish their
rude tables on the greensward, and when
the order came to march the rare china
was thrown against trees and caissons and
broken in pieces Confederates who had
money did not deem it safe to carry it on
their persons, and would bury it, taking
some trusted slave into their confidence,
who took pleasure in pointing out the To-
cality TO the first Union soldier he met.
Son the evening when the money was
found a member of Company K, before he
dismounted from his horse to bivouac,
thought he saw evidences of something
having been recently planted, and securing
Ratchet he began digging Soon he
struck specie box Others had gathered
around, and when he disclosed the glitter
ing $40 gold pieces there was lively
scramble. To attract them away from
him he threw a shower of gold pieces in
the air, and while the men were scram-
bling for them he unearthed two more
boxes and ran into the woods to secrete
his valuable find. What followed may be
imagined.
GEN. sCHoFIELD's WRATH.
Every conceivable means was resorted
to to hide the gold. The question of trans
portation never had been more serious
during the whole war than it then was to
some Of the men who had secured 5000
to $4,000 each Many rushed to the suit
ler's tent, and though gold was at heavy
premium they traded it for paper money,
which they could conveniently carry. Some
of the men buried their treasure and after
the war returned to Dixie and secured it.
AS was expected Gen Schofield, now
commander-in-chief of the army, ordered
an investigation, hoping to secure the
treasure and turn it over to the govern
ment, and the order was issued to Gen.
Fitzpatrick, commanding our division Re.
| alizing the utter impOssibility of ever OBJ
tanning any important portion of the
treasure then widely scattered, he ap-
| pointed an officer, Capt. l.. NJ Brink, who
was impressed with the same views. Capt.
Brink reported that none of the money
could be recovered except that which had
| already been placed in the hands of Gen.
| Fitzpatrick.
| THE report was not satisfactory to Gen.
Schofield, and while | was in Raleigh on
my way north on leave Of absence | re-
ceived an order to report to him and re-
| voking the leave of absence. | obeyed the
| order and presented myself before Gen.
| Schofleld on Sunday
| THE interview was at first stormy and
| unpleasant. He declared that no officer or
! private of the Tenth Ohio cavalry would
| be permitted to leave North Carolina until
every dollar Of the treasure was turned
over.
THE INVESTIGATION,
| IL related the finding and scattering of
the money and said that the officers and
privates who took no part in 1t should not
be held accountable, and that the money
was now beyond the reach of those who
had first obtained it, most of it having
been spent His reply was that he would
| disgrace the regiment by taking away its
colors. sending the men to the Dry Tor.
tugas and cashier all the officers. said
to him that after he had procured the col
ors there would be no men left to be pun
ished or officers to be cashiered, as all
would be found dead around the colors.
He said that the regiment had a fine rec
ord for bravery, and that its discipline
| and Gnhfinn nnalitias we're OF the hiNhest