Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-01-22
OVER FORTY YEARS AGO
HOW THEY TRANSFERRED LARGE
SUMS IN lS49.
Carrying $4,000 From Atlanta to Now
man, Ga. - Passing a Night of Ter
ror-A Georgian's Remark
able story.


tober, 1912, l went over to my faith
er's, who was in rather bad health,
and found his family physician there
to see him before he left for Milledge-
vile the ensuing week as legis-
lator, " say Benjamin Leigh of New
man, Ga. in the Atlanta Constitution.
lin course of conversation l men,
toned that l was going TO start next
morning with load of cotton to At
lanta. The doctor said to me that he
expected that he had package OF
SO. 600 awaiting him there and for
me to call on John +. Minis the agent
Of the Georgia railroad, for it.
SO next morning being Monday.
started with my load OF seven bales of
cotton TO Atlanta and arrived there
on Tuesday evening. and next morn
ing sold my cotton, bought what sup
plies needed. and, when ready TO
start home l walked over TO the
Georgia railroad depot which stood
then where the new one does now,
stepped into Mr.. Minis Office, which
was crowded with wagoners waiting
Tor freight from all parts OF the COM
pass at least two dozen OF them.
said to Minis: DR. Terrell has re-
quested me to call on you to see if you
did not have package for him, and il
you have. send it by me-
Minis answered in the affirmative
and stepped back TO the safe, which
he opened, and took out the package
and as he walked back to me,
cautioned me to take good care OF it,
as there was $40. 900 in it. This
declaration nearly gave me the hor-
rors, as the eyes OF every man in the
large room Immediately turned on the
! package and me.
'At first hardly knew whether to
| take it or not but / soon recovered,
and just then Minis asked me how far
l lived from Bob Burch. Bob. before
tlat was an old Taliaferro county
friend OF Minis l replied that he
lived on an adjoining plantation. He
then said he had SAL for him, and
asked me if ] would carry it TO him,
to which / replied in the affirmative.
He then stepped to his money drawer
and counted out the money to me in
the presence OF all present / just
thought that | was in it and that |
would carry all the money in Atlanta
if they re luested me to do So
opened my long, calf-skin pocket book
and put Burch's money in it in view
of all, and put the ten thousand dol
lar package in my right-hand overcoat
pocket, and left the depot and soon
was out of town. accompanied by no
one but my old wagner who knew
nothing of the money l had with me.
/ met that day great many wagoners
gong to Atlanta, many OF whom were
from Coweta and some of them my
neighbors reckon looked back
hundred times to see If any of those
who were in the depot at the time l
got the money were pursuing me-
just after shutdown | reached a
camping place which now is about the
western boundary of Fairburn. The
weather was just such as we have had
for the last month, clear dry and
cool, with the moon at its full. As
soon as the mules were Embarrassed
and fed my wagner made a fire and
boiled coffee, and already having
bread brought from home, soon ate
my supper, had my pallet made down
on the ground, which was always
my custom in camping out and soon
laid down and got to thinking about
the probability of being robbed, if not
murdered, before day.
There was not breeze in the for
est and a cricket could be heard al
most quarter OF mile. and the moon
shining almost like day, and, while
yet in this mood. heard whip crack
in the direction of Newman. | then
I knew ] would have some company
through the night Directly two heav-
lily loaded wagons. with cotton. drove
up and formed a sort of semi circle
around my campfire, which was still
brilliant. You can better imagine
than can describe my relief of mind
when saw two heavy. well-set colored
wagoners and their young master.
jennings from Troup / had no fur
Their fear OF robbery through the night
and / slept we'll all through the night,
not having any fears of robbery from
outside the camp or inside it, because
was the only one that knew Of the
amount of money that was in the camp.
Il got up early next morning and
started for Newman, at which place /
arrived early in the afternoon, and de-
livered my ten-thousand-dollar pack
9 age according to instructions to Batty
: Ii. Mitchell, and returned home-four
: mlles-beforo night and next day
turned over the SAL to my friend and
neighbour Burch-
Those were the good old days Of
honesty and security from robbery and
murder. There is rot enough money
in the universe to induce me to take
that much money now on my person
and start for Newman with the same
mode Of travel"