The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-04-13
THE GREAT SEAL AGAIN

Last nights Associated Press dis
patches corrected the assertion made
Friday that the death of James Jones
negro body servant of Jefferson Da-
Wis. has. removed the possibility of as
pertaining the. whereabouts of The
Confederate Great Seal, the correc-
ton being in the form of a positive
statement from Richmond that The
Great Seal was in the Confederate
Museum there and that it had been
identified by J. and, S. Wyon, of Lon:
don, who made it for the Confederate
States government. It is further stat
ed that the Jones story had long been
as a myth in Richmond, A.
/ Yesterdays North Carolina papers
had long stories on this James Jones
who, it appears, was a native OF North
ICarolina::' The Greensboro News play
ed it up strong under headlines Car
iries To His Grave Secret"of the Seal
of Confederacy." Adding later in it's
headlines that. he was faithful, to- the
last, would be: buried in Raleigh and
so on Jones; one learns from reading
this long sketch, was a native Of War
rem county-that is where they hadI
so much trouble some months ago.
and after a brief experience in Raj
eigh, turned Republican and went to
Washington where he had held on for
years as a messenger in the Senate's
stationery room. The News said
"Throughout, his long life Jones
would never reveal what become of
the C~onfederacy's Great Seal. "Marse
Jeff" had hid it and had told James
never to tell where-and he never
did. Veterans of both sides, news?a-
permen by the dozens, curio hunter
and what not besought him time after
time to- tell but he never would tell.
The reason evidently was Of the
best. He never told because he had
fnothing to tell. =" -.
Our reference yesterday afternoon
Ito one theory of its fate was mate be-
fore the correction came from Rich
mond and was based onTa statement
fin a letter written by the late Col.
w. H. Parker, of Abbeville, and fur
Their backed up by a statement in a
sketch of Hon. Judah P. Benjamin
that he was the man who actually did
the defacing of the seal and dropped
it in Savannah river. If, however,
the seal is in the Confederate Muse
UNI in Richmond and it evidently is
there, there is an end not only of the
James Jones story but also of the
defacing and dropping into the river
story. -.
1t may be of some interest to recall
more Of the statement by the late Col.
W. H. Parker, one of the most estin-
able of men. and one who was noted
for his extreme care and caution in
making statements. The late w. P.l
Calhoun, Esq., Of Abbeville, started
quite a controversy some years ago
in putting forward Abbevi!le's claim
as the last meeting place Of the Con-
federate cabinet. The claim was dis
puted by Washington, Ga. In the mass
If evidence collected by Mr.. Calhoun
was a letter from Col. Parker or rath-
ed s'Mr. Parker as most Of his old
friends and clients in this section
called him.
According to MI. Parker, President
Jeff Davis was entertained in the
home of Hon. Armistead Burt while
the members of the cabinet who were
with him, viz: MI. Benjamin, Mr..
Mallory, Mr.. Reagan and Gen. Breck-
enridge were entertained in the home
of Mr.. T. C. Perrin, prominent. law.
yer of the Abbeville Bar and at one
time president of the GreenYille. and
Columbia railroad. Mr.. Parkers1
statement on the Great Seal is, in his
own words, as follows:
~ have heard from Mr.. Perrin and
members Of his family that the dis
posal of the Confederate Seal of
State was discussed at his house sf-
forwards ,(after the last meeting of