Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-02-20
CONFEDERATE TREASURE
Here is Strange Story Of War
Time Mystery.

Here is Strange Story Of War
Time Mystery.
Scores of tales have been told Of the
disappearance Of the gold and silver
taken away by President Jefferson
Davis and his official family when the
| Confederate government abandoned
Richmond, but for half century seek
ers after historical facts have been
unable to clear up the mystery. Large
sums of money were spent by the bank
to which the cash belonged in vain ef-
forts to find the guilty men. Probably
the reason the secret was kept so long
is that the friends Of the looters had
no particular desire to expose them.
| Anyway, it seems that nobody cared to
| tell a lucid, detailed story Of the incl
dent until Judge Lewis Shepherd,
lawyer of Chattanooga, who served
through the war in the Confederate
army, appeared in print the other day
in an interview given Mrs. l.. M.
| Cheshire, special correspondent Of the
Nashville Banner. Mrs. Cheshire says
Judge Eakin, another prominent Chat
tanoogan, vouches for Judge Shep-
herds story. We have seen no denial
of it, or further confirmation, and give
it for what it may be worth. Here Is
the Tennesseean's account Of the af-
fair:
When the Confederate government
abandoned Richmond as it's capital all
its archives and treasures were SENT
under strong military escort. to Char-
lotte, N. C. The banks Of Richmond
sent away their treasure under protec-
ton of the same escort; President Da-
Wis and his cabinet also came to Char
lotte and established temporary head
quarters.
Before they reached Charlotte, Rich
mond and Petersburg had fallen ana
| Gen. Lee had surrendered, and In
| very few days Sherman and Johnston
had agreed upon armistice by their
celebrated paper under which 1t was
proposed that peace should be made
and that the seeding states should re-
sumo their relations to government.
This treaty, If 1t had been carried out,
would have obviated reconstruction,
under what is known as the Recon-
| struction Acts of congress, for 1t COW
| cred the entire subject Of restoration
Of peace and return Of the southern
states to the Union, and Of their sena-
tors and representatives to congress.
| This armistice was repudiated by
President Johnson and his cabinet, on
the ground that these military COM
| manders had exceeded their powers in
| undertaking to settle the terms on
which the erring states might resume
their political functions with the gen.
eral government.
1t may be admitted that these gen.
erals went little further than they
had the right to go. but it can not be
denied that they displayed a profound
craftsmanship in their comprehensive
yet terse settlement Of question
which afterward so sorely disturbed
congress, so nearly caused the convic-
tion upon impeachmet Of the president.
and so completely bankrupted the
southern states.
Mr.. Davis, being advised that Presi-
dent Johnson had brought an end to
the armistice and repudiated the S'her
man Johnston treaty, Immediately be-
gan efforts to prevent the capture Of
himself and the treasures Of the Con-
federacy. The gold and silver Of the
| Confederacy and that Of the Richmond
banks were loaded into wagons, and
the president Of the Confederate states
with his cabinet ministers, started
south with it, guarded by three bri-
gades Of cavalry-Dibrelps, Vaughan's,
and Dykes. When we arrived at
Washington, Ca, it became apparent
to Mr.. Davis that he could not with
such retinue escape the vigilance Of
the Federal cavalry, which was rapidly
closing in on him from every direction,
so the money kegs and boxes belong
ing to the Confederate government
were opened and the silver divided
among the boys, each without regard
to rank, receiving $26.50, and they
were granted indefinite furloughs. Mr..
Davis and his family pushed on fur
ther south, and was few days after
ward captured by the Federals.
Meanwhile the officers Of the banks
sought the aid Of the Federal COM
mander to return their specie to Rich
mond. and from them obtained a per-
nit and also guard Of soldiers to pro-
tect it on its return trip. Some Of the
officers and men Of Vaughan's brigade
became apprized that train Of specie
was being carried north under Federal
escort, and they jumped to the conclu-
sion that it was the property Of the
Confederate government which the
Federals had captured. They conclud-
ed that their four years Of hard service
for the Confederacy entitled them to
share of this gold and silver, provided
they could succeed in securing 1t from
the Federal guard. With them the war
was not yet over, and they acted upon
the idea that anything is fair in war.
They organized an expedition with the
view of capturing this money, and fol-
lowed the train until a favorable op-
portunity Of attack presented itself.
They charged the train, captured and
disarmed the guard, and proceeded at
once to knock the heads out Of the
kegs and the lids Of the boxes contain
ing the coin and to fill their forage
sacks with ten and twenty-dollar gold
pieces. Several Of them got away with
as much as 100000; some were con-
tent with $4,000, and still others with
less amounts, depending upon the car
rying capacity Of their sacks and sad
bags
One man began to fill his sack out
of the first keg he came to, which prov
ed to be keg of silver. He was hap
py when he lugged off his bag Of sill
yer dollars, but when he met his COM
panions later in the rendezvous, where
they stopped to count money, he found
that he had only about $4,000, while his
companions had secured several times