“Yeah, sure, but if I want something discussed privately she has to put the pen down and nothing gets written about that part of the conversation, understand?”
“No problem.” Jayne nodded her head in agreement to the ground rules Paul had just laid out.
Paul had allowed Steve to set this meeting up with Chick as he realized he needed someone he could trust and work with. While he likely had the clues to find the missing treasury, Paul knew having someone else helping him to decipher those clues might lead to other ideas about what they meant. He knew early in their conversation he had found the person he needed to help him. Now he was about to reel Chick in without him having a chance to say no. As they walked to his truck, he asked Chick if he had ever heard the story about the missing Confederate treasury.
“Oh, sure, I think most people have heard about that legend. In fact, I think it’s probably a true story and not one that was made up. I think the money; actually it was gold and silver, is still hidden and probably buried some place just waiting for someone to find it. In fact, I actually did some research into the legend several years ago. From what I could tell after reviewing a few Confederate documents, and from reading some letters which had been written by both President Jefferson Davis and his Secretary of the Treasury, a guy by the name of Memminger, I believe the documentation I reviewed proves the money did actually exist. My feeling is the same one many others have. I believe the money was being transferred from Richmond to some place further south so it did not fall into the hands of the advancing Union army. It was during the time it was being moved when the treasury went missing. Who had it and what happened to it is the mystery which exists to this day. I can’t help you there.”
“So what’s your best guess on where the money might be, if in fact it did exist?”
“Like I said, I have no doubt it existed. Whether it still exists, or if it was stolen, or lost, or captured by the Union army, I can’t tell you. That’s a tough question to answer, but if it still exists my guess would be the money is likely buried along the eastern shore area of either North or South Carolina. The Union army was advancing south and had focused a great deal of their efforts along the train routes in both of those states. They were ripping up tracks and destroying railroad equipment to hurt the Confederacy’s efforts of resupplying their armies in Virginia. So my guess is whoever had it likely steered clear of where the Union army was operating. That’s why I believe it’s probably buried somewhere along the eastern edges of either of those two states. It probably will turn up in Texas or in some other location which makes no sense, but I don’t think so. One thing I do believe is that I doubt the Confederacy would have chanced shipping it south by boat. Trying to ship it to Atlanta or possibly to either New Orleans or Mississippi by boat would have been a big risk to take because of the Union blockade. The money would have been lost forever if their boat was either sunk or seized. The South would not have risked losing it like that. My guess is the money was being shipped by rail, or by wagons, or maybe both, and likely it was disguised as it was being shipped to cut down on the chances of people trying to steal it. War and money makes people do crazy things at times, even to people on your side.”
Paul listened intently to Chick’s thoughts on the missing money and now he stood quiet for a few minutes in the parking lot as he digested what Chick had told him. As he did, he mentally compared the opinions Chick had expressed to the contents of the letters he had read. Letters he had not yet told Chick about.
“Chick, we do not know each other very well yet, but I’m here because our mutual friend told me I can trust you. I hope I can and I hope we might become friends.”
“Well, I guess it will have to depend on how many strokes you are going to give me when we play golf, won’t it?”
Paul smiled as he knew Chick had attempted to bring some levity into their conversation. “That’s a good answer, but I’m probably the one who will need the strokes. My game is terribly rusty; it’s been on the back burner far too long.”
Deciding it was the right moment; Paul took his conversation with Chick a bit further, teasing him with pieces of information others had yet to learn. “What if I told you I found several more items besides the soldier’s clothing and his remains, items the authorities don’t know about yet; would that interest you? And if I tell you about them, can I trust both of you to respect my decision to keep them to myself for now?”
Chick had not yet responded to Paul’s question when Jayne dropped the pen she had been taking her notes with. It bounced off the asphalt parking lot and landed near her feet. It was obvious his statement had taken her completely by surprise. Her other reaction was to cover her mouth with the hand which had held her pen. She then uttered two words very softly. “Oh, my!”
“Paul, I think you probably know the answer to your question already, but the answer is obviously yes. I will tell you friends and I have talked about the discovery you made after we read about it in the paper. We did discuss whether you might have kept a souvenir or two, if any were found with the remains. If you did, then you have to decide whether you should have them or whether they should be shared with others who also have an interest in the Civil War. It’s a moral issue you have to wrestle with. But the answer to your question is yes; you can trust us to keep your secret quiet. It sounds like you might be interested in doing some digging, both literally and figuratively perhaps, on the items you have found. If that is the case then I certainly can understand why you kept them. One thing though, if it’s me who has those items in my possession, when I am done with them I would turn them over to the relatives of the dead soldier, that’s if they can be found, or to the South Carolina Historical Society, or to some other historical group, or perhaps even to some school.”
Chick paused for a moment so he could get a read on how Paul took what he had told him. “Now, if you care to show us what you have found, I would be very interested in looking at whatever it is you have. Until you tell us we can talk about the items, I promise neither of us will tell a sole about what you have found.”
Any doubts Paul had about whether he could trust Chick were a memory after he heard the answer to the question he had asked of him. He had no intention of keeping the items he had found and had planned to do just what Chick had suggested when he was done with them. He just wanted them for his own while he looked into the mystery of the lost Confederate treasury. Then he would decide what to do with them.
Feeling confident he could trust both of them, Paul reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief he had wrapped two gold coins in. As he unfolded the handkerchief, they saw it had protected an 1862 gold dollar and an 1862 three dollar coin. He placed them in the palm of his right hand for Chick and Jayne to see.
“May I?” It was all Chick asked before taking the gold coins to examine closer. After he had spent time examining them one at a time, he handed the coins to Jayne so she could look at them. Handing them to her without looking at Paul, Chick asked him if the coins had been found in the soldier’s clothing or on the ground near the remains. Before he could answer Chick’s question, Jayne nearly dropped one of the coins in the parking lot. She had been examining the coins and taking notes at the same time. After already having dropped her pen and now nearly dropping one of the coins as well, Paul’s first impression of Jayne now also included the thought that she was a little clumsy as well.
“Chick, to answer your question, yes and yes. One I found on the ground and one I found in some clothing, but not in the clothing the authorities have in their possession.”
“So you did find more clothing! Most likely the soldier’s uniform I’m guessing or at least parts of it, correct? What else did you find?”
Paul took the two coins back from Jayne, wiped off any oils which might have been transferred onto them when they had been handled, and then wrapped them back up in his handkerchief. Then he placed the coins back
in his pocket. By this time the section of the Student Parking Lot where his truck was parked was beginning to fill up with more students who were arriving for their summer semester classes. “Tell you what, walk over to the corner of the parking lot and I’ll bring my truck over there. We can talk some more over there. That way the whole world is not seeing what is going on.”
Backing his truck into the corner of the lot, Paul could not help but to think it looked like the three of them, with their somewhat furtive movements, were consummating a drug deal in the parking lot. As he got out of his truck, he heard Jayne giggle as she spoke to Chick. “This is so exciting!” They both shot her puzzled looks, but the looks did not dampen her excitement. “Well, at least to me it is!”
Paul reached around the back of the truck’s front seat and pulled out a folded up blanket. Placing it on the hood of his truck, he unfolded the blanket so it revealed the objects he had carefully protected and hidden from view. After unfolding it, he then stepped back so they could look at what had been hidden within the blanket. Lying there was the saber and the bayonet he had found with the remains of the soldier. Chick examined them without touching either of them at first, simply asking where they had been found.
“They were with the remains. To be precise, I actually found them inside the same tree where I found the soldier’s remains. As you can tell, the bayonet has likely been exposed to the weather for a longer period of time. I’m guessing that’s why it’s in a somewhat poorer condition, but its condition could also be from the quality of the steel it had been made from. You can see the saber is in far better condition.”
Paul then surprised Chick by pulling out a pair of white lightweight cloth gloves from his truck. He handed them to Chick so he could put them on before picking up the two items. “Just to be safe, I hope you understand.”
“No problem, it’s a good idea actually.”
After handling both items Chick commented on their conditions, agreeing the saber was in far better shape than the bayonet. “Two real nice finds. Especially when you, and not to be morbid, but when you have a body to put them with, if you know what I mean. You know whose they were is probably a better way of phrasing it, I guess. They both are definitely Civil War period items and likely would fetch a few hundred dollars if they were up for sale; especially the saber, that’s in very good condition. Any collector or any museum would be proud to own these two items. Nice find!”
After Chick had set both of the items back down on the blanket, Jayne went to write down a description of the items, especially the manufacturer’s name that was still clearly visible in the saber’s blade, but Paul blocked her from doing so. “Chick, you have to understand, and I’m certain you do, that until I get done investigating certain things, these items included, I need to be protective of them. I still don’t know why I am showing them to you, but you two are the only ones to have seen these items besides my wife and me. These items, along with a few others I have in my possession, are being kept away from my house so no one can steal them from me. I know that thought may have already entered some people’s minds, especially those people, like you and your friends, who may think I have found some items which I have not yet turned over to the authorities. What I am trying to do, possibly with your help, is to unravel some clues. So I guess what I am trying to say is if I let Jayne take some more notes, what is it you two, and that’s if you are interested in helping me, can bring to the table to help me unravel some clues I might have?”
Chick understood completely the hesitancy Paul had in trusting him regarding his discovery of the soldier’s remains and with these artifacts. His answer to the question was an honest and simple one. “At this time I don’t know how I can help you as I think there is more to the story than what you are telling us, but I am honored by what you have shared with us so far. I can tell you that my background is in American History, and apparently like you, Jayne and I both have a strong appreciation for preserving the history of the Civil War. One of our interests is researching the history of specific points of the war. If you need research done, and if you want some help doing field work, then I guess we are here to work with you. We both know this is your show and that you make the rules. This is a self-serving statement, but as I told you earlier, you can trust us. I hope Steve told you that as well. I would suggest you let Jayne take down a few notes on these two items, and let her take a couple of photos as well, then give us a couple of days and we will get back to you on what we find. That should prove to you we can be trusted.”
Paul thought about what Chick had said for a moment, weighing the pluses and minuses of having them help him with his needs. “OK, that sounds reasonable.”
“But Paul, I will tell you if you want our help, then I want two things in return. One is that I may want your permission to write a paper on what we will be doing with you, as writing such a paper will give me some additional standing in the historical community I work within. Secondly, as I’ve mentioned Jayne is going to need to write a paper for school next year so she will need your OK to document our involvement in this with you. This is a rare opportunity for her to show her direct involvement in such a historical find. Her writings, supported by photographs and videotape, would help her complete her course requirements. I would appreciate your approval with that need she has. We would even go as far as to give you some editorial control on the papers we write. For now, I just want your OK for us to proceed with those needs we have. Certainly we would give you full credit for the discovery you have made. Does that sound acceptable to you?”
“That sounds fine. I guess I will have to trust you both. You will also have to trust me to some degree. Is that OK with both of you?”
Without looking at each other, Chick and Jayne both nodded their heads at what Paul had just said. “Paul, I promise, and I know talk is cheap, but neither one of us will ever cross you. This means too much for our careers to jeopardize your trust in us.” Paul just nodded his head at Chick’s comment.
With Paul’s blessing, Jayne copied down the markings she observed on the saber. The markings had apparently been engraved into the saber when it had been made years ago. They were simple ones and were found in two places on the saber. One marking read ‘B.G. & M’; it was on the blade near the handle. The other marking, also near the back end of the handle, displayed the number 38. Looking at the saber as she took her notes, Jayne estimated its blade length to be approximately twenty-two inches long.
The bayonet, crude and rough in its appearance, had apparently been made for a musket of some sort as it had a locking ring on one end of it. Chick believed the locking ring had been used to fasten it to the end of a musket when it would have been needed. The bayonet had no manufacturer’s markings on it they could find. Looking at it as she took her notes, Jayne estimated the bayonet, which was slightly shorter in size than the saber’s blade, to be twenty to twenty-one inches in length. After she finished taking her notes, Paul wrapped the items back up in the blanket.
Closing her notebook as Paul secured the two items behind his seat; Jayne asked him a follow-up question regarding the bayonet. “You didn’t find a musket or a rifle when you found the soldier?”
“Nope, not even the hint of one. Strange, huh?”
Paul and Chick then made plans to meet again in a few days so Jayne could take some additional notes on the other items he had found and to photograph them as well. Chick then asked him if he would allow them to see the area where he had found the soldier’s remains so they could document the location. At the same time, Chick also presented a new thought for Paul to consider. “We have a lot of things going on here, but I’m already thinking this story could make a great documentary. Paul, just think about that over the next couple of days and we will talk. I have a friend who has made a couple of short films. He has a wealth of experience with video equipment. We could be onto something here. Just think about it, OK?” Chick’s comments
received no immediate response back from Paul.
Agreeing to soon take them to where he had found the remains, they then exchanged cell numbers with each other and agreed to meet in a few days to talk further. After talking about matters other than his discovery, Paul and Chick decided they would meet on Friday morning at The Links to play a round of golf. Without speaking about it, they each knew this would be a way for them to get to know each other a little bit better.
As they were preparing to go their separate ways, they paused to shake hands with each other. As they did, Chick looked Paul in the eyes and asked the question he had waited for the right moment to ask. “Are you going to tell me what else you found that day?”
Paul feigned a mock sense of hurt to the question Chick had asked him. “What? You think I found more than what I have already shown you?” Chick did not respond to Paul’s rhetorical question, choosing instead to just smile back at him. Then he and Jayne turned to walk back towards the Student Center.
After making sure the items he had placed behind his seat were secure, Paul started his truck and drove towards Chick and Jayne as they walked across the parking lot. Approaching them, he drove slowly in order to give himself time to open the console between the two front seats. Then he gave the truck’s horn two quick beeps to get their attention. As they turned to look at him, he slowly drove by them as he dangled the soldier’s gold pocket watch from his right hand, teasing them with another item he had found. Despite their attempts to wave him down so they could look at the watch, he did not stop. He knew he had gotten their attention and that was all he wanted. From their reaction to seeing the watch, Paul was pleased it had worked so well.
******
Over the course of the next couple of days, Paul spent time relaxing, trying to get the all consuming thoughts of the missing Confederate gold and silver out of his mind. He played golf a couple of more times, including a second time with Chick so they could continue to get to know each other a little more. For Paul to feel comfortable with him, he needed to know he could trust him.
Confederate Gold and Silver Page 24