The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-26
THE MORNING NEWS: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26 1894

Dugan was born in Ireland, just where
and when no one remembers, If they ever
knew, and the time of his arrival in Amer
lea is forgotten. He came to Griffin at the
time when the Central railroad. which
was called the Monroe railroad" was
being graded and went to work Soon
after he married, and his wife and two
children Mrs. ]. S. Stearnes and Mrs. ".
p. Stearnes, survive him.
He was close not only with his words,
but his cash, and very soon opened up
in the saloon business for himself and
later on opened up another place OF the
same kind, one of them being on EIin
street and the other on Broadway
In those days, when money was plenti-
full and people cared very little for the
cost OF anything they wished for, Mr. Du-
gan rapidly made money, all of which he
would convert into gold or silver. and not
being willing TO trust bank, he carried
this treasure home with him, and would
leave il between mattresses or under
mats, seeming to think that il was more
secure from the fact that it was care
lessly handled.
In 1855 his wife, who was often left
alone with her two small children very
nearly If not all night, became uneasy at
having such sum of money about the
house and insisted that il should be placed
in the bank for safe keeping. either on
interest or without, for she was afraid
that someone knowing of its existence
would come, and in attempting to rob
the house would murder her and the de-
fenseless babes.
In telling the remainder of the story
Mrs. Dugan is very explicit on all of the
points, and is positive in her Information.
II asked Mr.. Dugan to take the money"
she said, land place 1t in the bank, either
on interest or without, for / was afraid
to have It in the house, as everybody
nearly knew he had it and there were so
many robber niggers around / thought
me and the children might be killed. He
went to bed, and about 3 O'Clock in the
morning he woke up and asked me to get
him sack to hold the money, that he
would take it away where it would be
safe. l got him a sack about the size of
pillow case and he emptied in the money
from the smaller sacks without counting
it and then tied it up. Mr.. Dugan, who was
a very stout, strong man tried to shoulder
it, but couldn't, so l had to help him lift
it, and then he went out and I closed the
door and went back to bed. l never
watched him, for he was a man that
didn't want anybody to inquire into his
business, and he never told anything
about it. For that reason, too, I never
asked him any questions as to what he
had done with it when he came home
again. though ! heard that he carried it
up town and kept it for a day and night
and then moved 1t.
In 1862 he died, and for a long time [
thought the money was in the bank and
tried to find out by going to some of his
old friends and employees to see if they
knew anything about the matter. think
ing Mr. Dugan had probably dropped
some hint as to what disposition he had
made of it in their presence, but they
didn't seem to know anything about it,
and one of them said that l never would
get 1t. 1 then went to old aunt Pelly, the
fortune teller, and she told me that it
was buried, and spiritualist told me
the same thing, and that the amount
was $4,000, which we would get some
day. So 1 have been digging away under
the direction of the fortune teller off and
on for about thirty years, but haven't
found it yet. They tell me nat it is hid
and that 1 must dig deep for it, and be-
leve that some day wen get it,"
Such is the history of Mr.. Dugans
buried gold and the search for 1t. Every
one in the city knows the Dugan place on
Poplar street, just beyond the Georgia
Midland bridge. 1t contains fully an acre.
and there is hardly foot of ground that
has not been turned over and some of it
several times, in this hunt for the gold.
The hearthstones in the house have been
taken up to dig, aad every conceivable
search made on the premises.
That he had money few doubt, for men
are living to-day who remember to have
seen him with sacks of gold and silver
that big John Brooks, who was the
most powerful man in this section in
that day, could not lift out while some
doubt that he had as much as 1000.