The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1899-06-14
NO OWNERS
F0R THIRTEEN MILLIONS NOW HELD BY
THE UNITED STATES TREARURY.


THE records of the Treasury are full
of rOmances, said Treasury official.
Take that bureau called the Division
of Abandoned Lands and Property,
for example. 1t is IN itself one great
romance. Why, there is about $l3,-
100000 in its keeping belonging to peo-
pie in the South alone. You see, dur
ing and at the close OF the Civil War
valuable property of all sorts fell into
the hands of the army officers and was
turned into the Treasury. Finally the
amount became so great that when
William i. Chandler became Assist
ant Secretary he created division to
have charge of the entire matter.
More than Sl2,OOO,OOO charged to that
division is the proceeds of cotton taken
from plantations and towns all over
the South and sold.
II know Of one case in which $4,000, |
600 worth of cotton was taken from |
far South plantation, when the staple |
was worth $500 a bale, and sold. The !
people to whom it belonged we're not
rebels at all, but were always loyal 10
the Union. They haven't an idea
where the cotton went to. Their names
were on the bales and il wouldn't be
at all difficult Tor them to make their
case if they only knew what to do. 1t
is nearly 81 years since the money was
deposited there. don't know whether /
any of the owners are alive or not, and |
if they. are it is hardly probable that
they will ever get back what is really /
their own. All the testimony in the |
case is in the possession of the Govern /
ment, and it never lets go anything it
gets its hand on. The agent who took
this cotton is dead long ago, as is the /
man who sold it. So you see the own
ers could not prove their case by either
ot them.
There are others instances similar to
this. Ia 1868 We received from a Gov
eminent agent more than 100000, /
which was the proceeds Of cotton taken
from a foreigner supposed to be a block
AIDE runner in one of charger cities OF
the South. When Secretary McCul- |
loch heard of this he said:
This money is only held in trust by |
the Government. Some days we shall
be obliged to account for it, for the |
United States has really no right 10 |
keep it. But from that time until now /
no demand has ever been made on as /
for it, and there it lies. ! doubt if the |
owner ever knew Just where it did go |
"When General Sherman's army o.
cupied the towns of the South Atlantic |
seaboard the Confederates destroyed |
al the cotton possible before they sur |
rendered. Cotton worth millions of |
dollars was burned to keep it from fall |
ing into our hands The real owners |
could not tell what was thus burned |
and what was saved. But we know, |
and this was the way: The books we
often captured, for instance, showed |
that James Brown. a merchant, had so
many bales marked in certain way. |
The bales not burned could thus be
easily identified from the marks and
names on them. In all cases the books |
captured containing the names OF the
consignors and owners were sent to
the Treasury with the papers relating
TO the capture. Where are those books
and papers? Well, L don't know, but !
suppose they are somewhere in the
Treasury vaults
"As we never know when the claim
ants might come forward and make al
demand ON the Treasury for the prof.
ceeds of their cotton, the money it
brought was never turned into the
general fund. but always remained in
an account by itself. 1t is so long since
this money was deposited, and the tes-
timOny necessary to make a case is in
so many instances uuattainable hy5
the owners, that it is scarcely probableJ
that any great portion of this enormous
amount of money will ever leave the
Treasury. The only very large sum
from this fund that Was ever returned
to lis owners was paid TO Gazaway 4.
Lamar, oil Savannah, Gar and New
York. EX-Attorney-ienefal'M Williams !
and General b. f. Butler OF MassaehuA1
setts, were his counsel. They got.
back for him SGOO,OOO for cotton taken.
in the manner have described. Gen.
eral Butler said TO me when that case