The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-13
MAKING REBEL MONEY.
AN ENGLISH LITHOG RAPHER TELLS
NOW II WAS DOVE.

Paper, Presses, ana workmen Obtained In
EnElnnd and Rnn Through tho Block
ado"A Marrow Escape from che Sen-
br~ook-sono 1900 In Notes stolen.
I'm July, 1901" in tho words of Jefferson
Davis. the Confederate leaders realized that
they had entered on a desperate struggle, and
the plan then ad opted was to issue Treasury
notes convertible at tho pleasure of the holder
into bonds." More than six hundred millions
of these Treasury notes were issued within
the next two years.
Before the work could be begun on any
large scale 1t was necessary to smuggle the
paper and presses. the outfit for o large Htho-
graphing establishment, and the men TO run
this establishment. through the blockade. Like
most OF their other supplies. the Confederate
leaders got these from England, aad brought
them In by way OF tho West Indies. How the
task OF turning out from sixty to one hundred
millions OF paper money every week. which the
Confederacy had set for Itself. was carried out
forms an interesting chapter in the ritten
history of the Confederate movement, and Is
here set down for the first time In the MARIA
tive of John Hodge. one of the few survivors
of the group Of young English printers and
lithographers brought to Charleston, S. c.. In
1852 for the express purpose of making Con-
federate money. Mr.. Hodge is now an Ameri-
can citizen, the manager OF a Autograph COM
pany in this city. His story follows:
'In April. 1869. VIXEN l was In my twenty
fourth year. / was working In London for
Charles Straker & Sons. II large lithographing
establishment. l hnu then been eight years
at my trade as a lltLographer. and was consid-
cred u fairly good workman. All England was
greatly Interested in the American struggle,
and. therefore,. wc looked with curiosity at q
man Of distinguished appearance, plainly an
American, who visited our shop one day, and
who was reported to be an agent Of the Confed-
crate States, engaged In purchasing supplies.
Our interest was greatly increased when q story
got about that the gentleman had purchased
the machinery for q large lithographiag plant
from our firm. and was looking about for n
number of young fellows to man this estab-
lishment, which was to be devoted 10 printing
money for the Confederacy.
THE prospect OF large pay and lively adven-
ture was as attractive to me as 1t is likely to
be to q young fellow OF that age, and 1 went
to the head of the firm with the request that
he should omm me to our American
visitor. As a result l was invited 10 visit Major
Evans OF Charleston. S. c., ut his hotel, and
went to see him in company with ten other
workers AT my craft. We found the Major a
very agreeable person, and the upshot of our
Interview was that we agreed to 20 TO Charles
ton to work for the Confederate Government.
We got q promise OF $50 a week in gold and a
liberal rate Of pioce-work pay. and each man.
Oh signing his contract, received from E40 TO
EGO to pay the expenses OF the Journey.
I'VE left London on May 10. 1862, on the
ship Leopard OF Glasgow. We were the only
passengers except three Southern officers and
Major Evans. who Joined us at Cardiff, where
9ur ship stopped to make sumo additions to
her cargo. We stopped again at Queenstown,
aud from there sailed directly for Bermuda. in
cargo was brought aboard, but although we
were pretty certain that /; consisted Of mill
ching about that. and were kept under mill
From Bermuda we went to Nassau, and
:here we were :old that both our party aud
the ships cargo would be divided into two,
aud would proceed by separate boats for the
short but dangerous part of the journey still
before Us. One part, containing Major Evans
md six OF our men, was put on the Autonica.
,ent on tho w. NJ. Seabrook. an American
river boat. commanded by Capt. Dan Vincent.
the Charleston pilots. AS we sailed out Of
NaSsau harber; with the palmetto Tag and the
people on shore, and saluted by the other yes
tels in the harbor, for the object of our jour
The seabrook was a liglt-draught boat.
aud the CAPTAINS PLAZA was not 10 sail directly
nm inlet with which he was acquainted. Unfor-
tunatelv. he made n slight miscalculation as to
the tiles. and that proved his undoing. One
morning as we were braring in close to the
south Carolina coast we saw a United state.
Sroof sp 10 % aRsv up ap elG gs,i as h 1aIsi. IT., The ,i Sea,
stream which Capt. Vincent had been making
for. where the cruiser could not follow US. al
though she chased US as far ms shJ could and
fired a shot or two across our bows. But as |
said before. the Captain had misoalculated the
AID presently VIC found ourselves stuck fast
In the mud. The Yankees were aware of our
bounced that two boats were putting off from
the cruiser. each CARRYING = howitzer. and
were coming ieisure!y along to capture US.
youngsters, the Confederate officers, and most
OF the crew dropped quickly over the ships
side into the two boats and rowed away, but
the Captain stuck doggedly to his post. The
stars and Stripes had soon .aken tic place OF
were out OF sight bs that time. and were try
ing TO make our gay through IL mixture of mud
ing the boats ahead OF us;
We were twenty miles from Charleston.
losC In n wilderness of twamps. and we spent
two days ,otling through the mud with nothing
n tat and little hoe Of ever getting out alive.
During that time wa heartily wished ourselves
back In old England. but at the end OF the
second day we came upon a small encampment
Of Confederate troops. the Santee Mounted
Confederate lines From here we had to walk
10 Charleston. u distance o. twenty-five miles,
over a heavy sandy road, and by the time we
reached the city We were ms worn and bedrag-
Rled soecimens OF humanity as 1t would be pos
I'VE were warmly welcomed by the people
of Charleston who insisted on regarding the
men of the S%eabrook as heroes. and by Major
Evans. who had arrived before us. The latter
advanced rs iaoney for our immediate needs.
for Shat we had had been lost in making our
almost Immediately in the printing office: OF
Evans d Coggswell. which still stands Ia
broad street, Charleston, but after IA short
time we, were removed TO Columbia. the capt
tai OF the state. where most or the work OF
making Confederate paper money was carried
on for tho remainder Of the war.
There were three establishments in Columbia
devoted to this buslncss. One was taat OF Evans
~ COggswell OF which firm our friend. Major
Evans, was the senior member. They had
Eeventy-ivv hand presses in their office. and
printed notes of small denominations, ones and
twos. besides the thousands of cotton bonds
which the Confedaracy issued. The second
was that of Keatinge IL Ball, where ten presses
were.kept busy running off copper plate impress
sions of the large denomination n~otes-one hun
dred and five hundred. The third establishment
was that of Col Blanton Duncan, where seven
teen lithograph presses turned out the notes
II the middle denominations five. ten. twenty,
&c. The total capacity OF all these presses per
week including the printing OF bonds. came
close to the one hundred million mark, and
during the latter part of .'DD and all Of 'aa thew