Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-02
Hooks TO SAVANNAH
TO SOLVE MYSTERY
"a. ID. Allen Has Cine in Case of Pic
ture on $40 Confcd-
crate Bill.
SIMILAR NOTE MADE THERE
Dntcd February I, 1899, and Issued
by Georgia Bank, This Design Is
q Exactly Same as That of One ol
September z, 1861.
by II. u. ALLEN.
of IinSfnn

On August 49, ISG2 AN AsSociat ed
81 Press dispatch from WaShinEt"m -.
= c., stated that tho government had on
hand n quantity OF Confederate money.
& which "came into possession OF the
Union army at the close Of the war
Y that the room It took up was needed
) for other uses, and that rather thah
destroy II. selection Of IN" notes
would he sent 10 such public libraries
ms would agree to preserve and diS-
play them as historical exhibits. IL
=. Illustrating an epoch in the history or
this country.
MY niece was the librarian NJ Shir-
ley, Mass. and sent her tho press
clipping, with the suggestion that she
npply for some OF the money Many
other libraries did the same. IN due
time Il came. and. after being held
n couple OF years. Was finally sent
to me by request Of TN" trustees, to
Zoe framed. Up 10 thts time. had
never seen Confederate bill There
were fourteen pieces in all, most or
them ragged and soiled. and some
with the edges Charrcd and burned by
fire. AS soon as looked them over.
discovered that there must ne a lot
more, so / gradually accumulated a
few. The study thon became so in
tercstinE that decided TO assemble
n full collection for the public library
OF Brookline, Mass. where ] reside.
and to arrange smaller exhibit for
the Shirley Library.
/ then conceived the idea OF exhibit
ing them in frames about three feet
square, under glass, ana 10 put under
each bin q typewrittcn historical note.
recitinE every fact OF interest that I
could find. l assumed that. Tor the
purpose OF a public display. one note
OF each kind would be sufficient, with
ont going into minor varieties, so |
have eighty-four bills In al. ! have
been at work on my historical notes for
moro than a year and Southern peo-
pie would be surprised at the amount
cf interesting history l have uncov-
cred.
ALI ACCOUNTED FOR
EXCEPT $40 BILL
l have every note accounted for ex
ccpt this $40 bill. AT the close OF the
war, curio and coin dealers bought a
lot or this money and brought 1t North.
The first thing they did was TO sort IL
o0t, arrange and classify It and then
issue catalogues with prices expecting
That Northern people would buy IL as
souvenirs. The expected happened ana
there was, and still is, n large sale for
It, The first catalogue issued gave the
name OF the party whose portrait APP
pears on the $40 bill as Williamson :.
Oldham. q Confederate States Senator,
representing Texas, and all catalogucrs
since have followed bl!ndly The por-
trait went unchallenged for fifty years
until July. 1915, when william West
Bradbee-. lie Milne street. Crawford.
y. j.. Issued q finely illustrated book
on Confederate and STATE Bills. which
covered his studies for many years. In
81 z-e i!s-el and described more bills
,aaa ever had bean known 10 exist.
and his book VIII be STANDARD author!ty
fos years - named Tho party on this
l,!l! - Inward =. ELuo.e, who was he
Treasurer Of me Confed~gAcy. ana
Whose personal signature appears on
ia@ early bills issuec ct Mou tssoTnery.
%la.. wAlcu was n. a-st headquarters
az ;us Gouteaer4ny. Mr.. Bradoeer gave
no proc: O.. hts ci:..rn. bur learned
that On 4 trip to Richmond In con
7ectioa with his scudies. IA rad met
party Of gentlemen who had served
;n the Treasury Department OF the CON
federacy. and tina; on being shown one
az the bills. one OF the party exclaimed.
"W!y. that It ~! old boss Ed fillmore"
! d!d not question the authority IN
the least but, partly out OF curiosity.
started n hunt 70 see II I could add
moro proof to his statement had a
circular printed .%:;h. Z. sine half-,one
picture OF the bills and sent out sev.
crai thousand. The South became very
much interested. ana ! began 10 get
letters by the score, untl now I have
more than 500. 3ty correspondents
t4-AhS 3I<A!lItu G act u! prominent SOutn 90
crneTS, but no one has sent any poal-
tive proof. as to who II IL. II can be
stated definitely that Il IS not Mr.. Old
ham. For proof OF this see - Com
prehensive History o, Texas" by Dud-
ley G. "ooten. vol. 2. page l44. +
also have letter from Mr.. Oldhnrn's
son, stating that the portrait, on the
bill Is not that Of his father next
learned OF Edward c, fillmore. Jr. (Box
JAP, Colurnbia, s. c.. and have a letter
from him stating that The portrait 10
not that OF mis- father Treasurer FL
more. My correspondents make the as
Eerton that the portrait IS one or the
other OF the following:
William L, Yhncey p NJ r. Hunter,
Alexander H Stevens. Andrew John
son, Governor watts IS. c.. Governor
Hamilton (TcXas), Thomas Corwin
(Oh1o). Patrick Henry, Edward Ev.rett
]. NJ. Mason, Hugh McCulloch. Howell
Cobb, Jefferson Davis, John ~ Reagan.
Senator Orr (S. ca, Franklin Pierce
Robert Toomns, Thomas y Hugor
George Il. Trenholm, Joau r. FLOYD
Richard Yates OliJ
TWO SAID TT WA,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IT IS a positive fact that / have Two
letters. both from the south. calling
the portrait that OF Abraham Lincoln.
All these good people cannot he right.
aiin dilii l4lticLbiE cons IRA lDtu TO say
that they are All wrong Now We
want the !dent.ty Of mis- party liked.
and there surely Should be somewhere
In the South. from Texas TO virginia
at least one person sufficiently wen.
Informed TO furnish this information
] have access to severn! large libraries
and have followed up closely an g,!r-
gestions sent me, and do!Ned into musty
volumes in Search OF pictures or en-
cravings TO settle the mystery bur
without avail. recently took a trir
TO Richmond. hoping 10 nnd tho secret
Visited the Confederate Museum, aur
: talked with scores Of people. Including
the veterans nj the Soldiers Home
They say IT tH William l. Yancey Thcy
do not prove II, and can't.
/ naturally thought that as the bill
was engraved, printed and issued ~
Dichmond. some one there would b,
sure to know. certainly stirred u,
the Richmond people. hut, much to M
regret, made no progress. On my wa,
home from Richmond IL occurred /,
me to call on the American Bank Not
(OnDany, Of New York. and tall thip,,