The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-03-12
MYSTERY OF CONFEDERATE
TREASURE EXPLAINED
Here is Strange Story of War Time Mystery.
Treasure Taken From Richmond by
President and Official Family

Scores of tales have been told OF
the disappearance of the gold and
silver taken away by President JET
ferson Davis and his official family
when the Confederate government
abandoned Richmond, but for half
century seekers after historical
facts have been unable to clear up
the mystery. Large sums of money
we're spent by the and to which
the cash belonged in vain efforts
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 incident until Judge Lewis
Shepherd, a lawyer of Chattanooga,
Who served through the war in the
Confederate army appeared in print
the other day in an interview given
Mrs. L. NJ. Cheshire special corre-
spondent of the Nashville Banner.
Mrs. Cheshire says Judge Eakin,
another prominent Chattanooga,
vouches for Judge Shepherds story.
We have seen no denial of 1t, or fur
ther confirmation and give it. for it
may be worth. Here is the Tennes-
seean's account of the affair:
When the Confederate government
abandoned Richmond as its capital
all its archives and treasures were
sent under strong military escort, to
Charlotte, N. C. The banks of Rich
mond sent away their treasure under
protection of the same escort; Presl-
dent Davis and his cabinet also came
to Charlotte and established Temporal
ry headquarters.
Before they reached Charlotte,
Richmond and Petersburg had fall
len and Gen. Lee had surrendered,
and in very few days Sherman
and Johnston had agreed upon ar
mistice by their celebrated paper
under which it was proposed that
peace should be made, and that the
seeding States should resume their
treaty, if it had been carried out,
would have obviated reconstruction,
under what is known as the Recon
struetion Act Of Congress, for it
covered the entire subject of restor-
alton of peace and return Of the
Southern States to the Union, and OF
their senators and representatives
to congress. This armistice was re-
pudiated by President Johnson and
his cabinet, on the ground that these
military commanders had exceeded
their powers in undertaking to set
tie the terms on which the erring
States might resume their political
functions with the general govern
ment
1t may be admitted that these gen
erals went a little further than they
had the right to go, but it can not
be denied that they displayed pro-
found craftsmanship in their COM
prehensive yet terse settlement OF
a.question which afterward so sorely
disturbed congress, so early caused
the conviction upon impeachment of
the president, and so completely
bankrupted the Southern States.
Mr.. Davis, being advised that
President Johnson had brought an
end to the armistice and repudlat-
ed the Sherman-Johnson treaty be-
gan efforts to prevent the capture
of himself and the treasures of the
Confederacy. 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 brigades of cav
alry-Dibrell's Vaughan's, and
Dykes. When we arrived at Wash
ington, 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 belonging to the Confederate
government were opened and the
silver divided among the boys, each
without regard to- rank, receiving
$3.50, and they were granted in
definite furloughs. Mr.. Davis and
his family pushed on further south.
and was few days afterward cap
tured by the Federals.
Meanwhile the officers of the
banks sought the aid of the Federal
commander to return their specie