Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-03-13
The STORY Tetler.
GOVERNMENT TREASURE.
A Bold Attempt to Intercept It In
War Times.

At the opening of congress in 1865
there appeared in Washington a young
and beautiful woman. The letters Of
introduction which she brought to the
leading people opened to her the doors
of the highest circles. Her beauty and
charming manners soon made her one
of the leaders of Washington society
One of the men who were attracted to
her, and who was seen at every gath
ering at which Miss Elliot (for thus
was she named) made her appearance,
Mas young Englishman who had been
drawn to Washington by our Civil
war. He had the entree of the best
clubs, and report said that he was the
second son of Lord Neville, in the
peerage of England. He professed to
be friend of the northern cause and in
favor of the national government. He,
as we'll as Miss Elliot, was quite init
mate with the family of the secretary
of the treasury and with the chiefs OF
the other departments.
At this time the credit of the gov
ernment was being sustained by gold
shipped from San Francisco. The
dates of the sailing of ships which
should convey this money was known
only to the secretary of the treasury.
The line of Pacific Mail steamships at
that time running between San Fran
cisco, Panama and New York were
the old-style side-paddles. These ships
had been fitted up to carry the gold
for the United States government by
putting on the port-side of the ship,
on the guard after the wheel, a steel
safe with the bottom set on a centre
pivot. The entire safe was cased with
woodwork, like the other parts of the
steamer, 30 that it did not differ in ap.
pearance from the rest of the wood
fnishings.
When the government contemplat.
ed shipment of gold, the sub.treasu-
rer at San Francisco was written to,
and the steamer in which it was to be
shipped was named. The gold was
prepared for shipment at the United
States branch mint at San Francisco
by packing sums of $4,000 in sepa,
rate boxes, screwing on the head, and
sealing with wax each screw in the
box, which was then stamped with a
government seal. On Sunday before
the sailing of the steamer, picked set
of workmen from the mint were Sc
lected, and the boxes of gold were
loaded on to drays before daylight and
driven to the steamer, and there
placed in the safe by the mint work.
men. This was done so quietly and
at such unusual hours that it was
known only to few men and the off,
GERS of the mail steamship company.
When the gold was all stored in the
the safe the sub-treasurer locked it.
The American consul at Panama,
upon the arrival of the steamer, un-
locked the safe, and the boxes of gold
were taken across the Isthmus on the
cars by night, placed on board the
steamer, at Asp nwall, and locked
in the safe on that ship by the con-
sui there; thus no one on either
steamer had any means of opening
the safe while the gold was in transit.
As I have remarked, the weight OF
the safe was hung on centre pivot to
keep the bottom of the safe in place
there were also side-bol fixed so that
they could be pulled out at any desired
time, the method of which was known
only to the captains of the steamers.
This arrangement had been provided
in case that if any of the Confederate
cruisers attacked the Pacific Mail
steamers, the Southern Confederacy
should not have the benefit of the
United States gold, for the captain OF
the steamer had instructions that if at
tackled he was to pull the bolt, and
let the millions 60 to the bottom of the
sea.
BY reason of the intimate relations
which Miss Elliott and Neville held
with the family of the secretary OF
the treasury, they had become cogni-
zant of these facts; and Neville soon
after left Washington for San Francis
co, in order to make preparations to
capture the next large shipment of
government gold from the Pacific Mail
steamer, which should be designated
by the secretary of the treasury to
carry it. Miss Elliott remained in
Washington, in order to get and send
to Neville the date of the shipment,
which she, in her artfully artless man
ner, intended to learn from the secre-
tary of the treasury, who had become
completely fascinated by her beauty
and childlike, winning ways. AS soon
as Neville had perfected his plans for
seizing the steamer, a schooner was
purchased in Callao, and arms and
guns sufficient for two vessels, which
had been shipped from England, were
taken on board. The schooner then
sailed for the Santa Cruz islands, OFT
Santa Barbara, and there waited for
another schooner, the Chapman, which
had been purchased at San Francisco.
She was ostensibly fitted out for q
coasting voyage, and she took on board
men enough to man the two vessels.
Both schooners were to fly the Confed-
crate flag under letters of marque.
The schooner from Callao was named
the Vesta. and was fitted up with a