The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-01
THE GREAT SEAL OF
THE C0HFEDERACY
The One Made in England Was
Lost and Never Used
Here.
TRUTH VERSUS FICTION
Interesting History Concerning
Some OF Inside Work OF the
Young Nation.

Judge Robert l. Rodgers, of Georgia,
has written very interesting paper
on the history and fate of tke Confed-
crate seal.
Many fanciful romances have been
written and published about the seal.
Judge Rodgers brings out, perhaps for
the first time, the true story.
AT one fell swoop he explodes the
recent newspaper discussion about the
story of James III. Jones, alleged to
have been the negro servant of Presi-
dent Jefferson Davis. OF his having
hidden the great seal" and of his
having been instructed to do so by
Mr.. Davis. Also the story of how James
II. Jones was offered fifteen thousand
dollars by General A. j. West and
others to induce Jones to disclose his
alleged secret as to the place where
the seal was hidden. / have Just had
an interview with General A. j. West
and he tells me that he did not know
anything at all about any such occur
rences at Richmond. and that he never
heard of ii till after his return home.
and saw the matter alluded to in the
newspapers; SO ii seems that the whole
affair was a ridiculous fabrication
printed in The New York Tribune OF
course. nobody with any fair degree
of intelligence and good sense would
believe that such a man as President
Davis would have entrusted the great
seal to any negro, however reliable
such a negro might have been, wher
there We're so many honest white mer
ms officials and patriots of the Con.
Tolerate government.
Great Piece OF Fiction.
In the Sunday. ,une 2Sd issue OF
The Savannah Morning News. Colonel
j. III. Estill's paper. there appears a
letter from Major Sidney Herbert. In
which he discussed the alleged story
Of Jones. ms published in The New
York Tribune. and forcibly declares
that the whole matter as related of
Jones in The Tribune was great
piece of fiction, or as the major AYERS.
three lies in three lines. The matter
seems TO be about as Major Herbert
SAYS of it, Any intelligent and we'll
posted person may discern the fiction
In the Jones story about the great
seal, and perhaps the published story
of The Tribune did not mislead very
MANY of our wel1-informed Southern
people, though The Tribune man might
not have known any better. But still
we may neyer. know what became of
the confedefste' great seal"
The query may we'll be made: Did
the new great seal ever arrive in
Richmond, and was 1t in fact ever
actually delivered to the Secretary of
state, Hon. Judah p. Benjamin who at
that time, 1854, was the proper official
10 have and to keep the great seal
or was ii really ever delivered to Mr.
Davis. the President?" Major Her
bert argues in a way which seems TO
Indicate and to assume that the seal
was sent in package by the hand OF
Lieutenant Robert T. Chapman, by di-
rection of Commissioner Jason. from
London. Major Herbert also makes this
statement. to-wit: CAS- to the cost al
the seal, 1t is difficult to determine the
exact amount, Foley was a famous
SCULPTOR, whose work commanded
fancy prices, while Joseph S wyor
vas the chief engraver of Her Ma.
testy's seals, and therefore high
priced artist should say that TIL,
seal and the material for its futur,
use cost nearly $1,000"
Cost Only Eighty Guincns.
The exact cost of the seal can b
easily known by the reading of letter
from Mr.. Mason TO Secretary j. p. Ben
lUftAAAi. ~ ~ ltlAttT udlpu. London. Sen
tember %, 1863" at the close of II n
SAYS; The preparations Of the device
for the seal have already placed i
, charge OF Mr. Foley, II. A.. probably tn
most eminent sculptor in England an
viii take care that it is properly at
tended to-
In the next year, in another lette,
dated Paris, April u. 1854" Mr.. Maso
wrote to AR. BENJAMIN, the Secretar
of state, as follows:
Before ! left London called on M
wyon the artist employed to make III
Confederate seal referred to in my N,
Z, and paid him forty guineas, one-ha,
the cost of the seal, IN advance an
arranged that when 1t was ready
should be carefully packed. with n
press in n hos lined with tin, and n,
In charge OF Mr.. Hotae until 1t coul
be sent over He promised that
should he ready by the middle of MAY
So there now, you have the stat
nent Of Mr. Mason as to the cost Of II
seal. Forty guineas as half cost pa
IN advances; then eighty guineas as Il
total, and You have 1t, a guinea
English money was a gold coin of Il
realm. which was formerly minted as
current coin, but 1t was G!scontinu
shout the year 1877. The value Of
guinea was SB in United States none
70 eighty guneas would be $500 as.
cost Of the Confederate seal. 1t
hardly probable that the press a
other materials, ribbons, wax, et
would cost SO much as, or perhaps n
more than, the seal; SO II seems til
Major Herbert must be a little too hi
in his estimate or guess of $4,000 4
''the seal and the material for Its
ture use
Too Tishy for Truth.
agree with Major Herbert that 4
= whole story Of James II. Jones is It
hshy Ia ACCENT ! doubt IL Jim jon