Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-03

OF the great silver seal which she car
ried about her waist. She had come up
by steamer and had not dared to re-
move her burden for single moment.
Only to her mother, Mrs. Bergman.
did she confide the secret at first. but
years after. when the Confederate pa
pers were taken to Canada, the seal
went with them.
William j. Bromwel1, husband of Mrs
Alice Bromwell, chief clerk of the state
department of the Confederacy, heard
with trepidation of the approach of the
Federal troops on Richmond. hurriedly
secured all of the state papers he could
care for, put them in boxes and stored
them In an old barn, so dilapidated a
structure that 1T was beyond suspicion.
Mrs. Bromwell accompanied him upon
his mission and assisted him in packing
the papers. While so doing she came
across the great seal. This she quickly
that time, where she could carry it
without fear of detection. 1t was easily
secreted owing to the fashion of hoop
skirts and crinoline in vogue in the
COS.
Shortly after the close of the war Mr.
Bromwell came to Washington to live
and practice law, becoming a member
of the firm of Isaac NJ Morris &, Co. He
kept track Of the Confederate papers
and had them brought to the capital.
The trunks containing them were dis
tributed among women loyal to the
Confederacy and were taken to their
homes. where they were stored with
other trunks.
John T. Richardson. who compiled the
diplomatic correspondence of the Con-
federacy, is credited with saying that
the letters from Col. Pickett as COM
missioner to Mexico are second to none
in the collection except the correspond
ence of Mason and Slideu. When Mr.
Bromwell looked about for some one to
whom he could intrust the negotiations
for the sale of the papers to the United
States government he naturally chose
Col. Pickett, who had held positions of
trust with the Confederacy, had been
West Point man and whose father Col.
James Pickett. had held diplomatic posi-
tionS with the government before the
civil war. Through the efforts of Col.
Pickett. who acted only agent. these
papers SO Economically guarded were
sold to the United States government
for $4,000.
Romance as we'll as historic interest
attaches to the sale of the papers,
which have since become known as the
Confederate archives in the State De-
partment. and it is inseparable from the
history of the great seal
A list or catalogue of the papers was
given to the proper official. and he was
was done because the United States was
sole heir-at-law or residuary legatee
of the Confederate states. and for this
reason the papers were kept hidden by
Mr.. Bromwell. as otherwise the gov
eminent would undoubtedly have seized
them. And it was after the negotia-
tions were complete that the papers
were taken to Canada and out of the
Jurisdiction of the United States.
1t was to Rear Admiral Thomas o.
Selfridge, U. S. N. that the important
task of going to Canada to verify the
listed catalogue and bring the Con-
federate papers back to Washington
was intrusted.
Probably the only highly humorous
feature of the entire transaction lies
in the fact that the United States
agent accompanied Col. Pickett, the
gallant Confederate ex-officer. to
Canada. and they smoked, drank and