The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-10-29
GREAT GOLD FIND.
HOW A FEDERAL REGIMENT
WAS DEMOEALIZED.
Unear:hing S156,OOO in Gold Hid
den by a North Carolina Bank
Soldiers Secure and Hide
the Treasure.


General Sanderson to a youngstown
(Ohio) correspondent of the New York
World, "my regiment, the Tenth
Ohio Cavalry, being in advance, ar
rived in 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 house as joint tenants with the FAM
lily, all ladies, who occupied it. Shortly
after Major Stratton, of my regiment,
came in bearing specie-box stamped
Bank of Commerce of North Carolina,
and said that it, with other boxes con-
tanning specie, had been dug up by the
regiment.
"Oficers 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 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 god
and silver. Some of the men were gone
for days before they rejoined their com
panies, and I do not believe hundred
men of the regiment slept that night.
1.-THE amount of the money was after
ward ascertained to be S156, 600, 1t
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 to-
ward 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.
ssThe 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 fight
could not carry along. Sometimes boxes
filed with imported china would be
found and used by the soldiers to en-
bellish their rude tables on the green
sward, and when the order came to march
the rare china was thrown against trees
and caissons and broken in pieces. Con-
federates 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.
"On the evening when the money was
found a member of Company Z, before
he dismounted from his horse to bivouac,
thought he saw evidences of something
having been recently planted, and secur-
ing hatchet he began digging. Soon
he struck specie box. Others had gath
cred around, and when he disclosed the
gittering $40 gold pieces there was a
lively scramble. To attract them away
from him he threw q shower of gold
pieces in the air, and while the men were
scrambling for them he unearthed two
more boxes and ran into the woods to
secrete his valuable find. What followed
may be imagined. Every conceivable
means was resorted to to hide the gold.
The question of transportation never had
been more serious during the whole war
than it then was to some of the men, who
had secured $4,000 to $4,000 each.
Many rushed to the suffers 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.
GAS was expected, General Schofeld,
now Commandcr-in- Chief of the Army,
ordered an investigation, hoping to
secure the treasure and turn it over to
the Government, and the order was
issued to General Fitzpatrick, command
ing our division. Realizing the utter
impossibiGty of ever obtaining any i'm
portant portion OF the treasure then
widely scattered, he appointed an officer,
Captain L. N. Brink, who was impressed
with the same views. Captain Brink re-
ported that none of the money could be
recovered except that which had already
been placed in the hands of General
Fitzpatrick. The report was not salts
factory to General Schofeld, and while I
was in Raleigh on my way North on
leave Of absence I received an order to
report to him, and revoking the leave of
absence. I obeyed the order and pre-
sented myself before General Schoield
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 Caro-
lima until every dollar of the treasure
was turned over. I related the finding
and scattering of the money, and said
that the officers and privates who took
no part in it should not be held account
able, and that the money was now be-
yond the reach of those who had first
obtained it, most of it having been
spent. His reply was that he would dis
grace the regiment by taking away its
colors, sending the men away to the
Dry Tortugas, and cashier all the Off
GERS. I said to him that after he had
procured the colors there would be nc
men left to be punished or officers to be
cashiered, as all would be found dead
around the colors. He said that the rcgi-
meat had fine record for bravery. and
that its discipline and fighting qualities
were of the highest order, and that they
had never failed to respond when duty
called.
"After SONS thought he seemed to
realize the situation and said: will you
undertake to obtain as great part of
the money as possible2'
Al answered that I would continue