Confederate Gold and Silver

by Peter F. Warren

  “But what about the last cannon?”

  “We will find it, relax. For now, let’s get moving on the photos.”

  ******

  Late that afternoon, after having several eight by ten photographs made up of the cannon inscriptions Paul had chosen, he dialed the office of Charleston’s mayor, the Honorable William Davis. After being put on hold a couple of times, and after speaking with two members of the mayor’s secretarial staff, Paul finally was able to speak with Edwin Henion. He was responsible, among other things, for who did and who did not get to see the mayor.

  “Mr. Henion, my name is Paul Waring. My two friends and I would like to make an appointment to see the mayor. We would only need fifteen to twenty minutes of his time.”

  “Mr. Waring, may I ask what you wish to speak to the mayor about?”

  “We would like to speak with him regarding the cancellation of the Civil War Anniversary Celebration.”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Waring, but the celebration had to be cancelled due to budgetary issues. Our struggling local economy, as well as our rising operating costs, has forced us to cancel the celebration so we can continue providing our residents with the services they expect the city to provide. The celebration’s cost was an expense we simply could not justify at this time. We even tried to host it with private funding, but our fundraising efforts fell far short of what we would have needed to raise. I’m sorry.”

  “Probably a very unpopular and tough decision the mayor had to make. I would suspect it might have an adverse impact on his upcoming campaign for the senate seat my friends and I know he is seeking.”

  “We’ve discussed that. It probably will have some negative impact, but the mayor hopes his constituents will remember the many other good things he has done for them and for Charleston when it comes time to vote.”

  “Mr. Henion, my friends and I want this Civil War celebration to be held. What if I was to tell you we have the means for the mayor to pay for this celebration; can you get us this meeting?”

  “I would need to know more about how you believe we could pay for this event. We’ve gone over the budget several times. We’ve even gone over our available discretionary funding a few times as well. We just cannot find any such means for the city to pay for this event.”

  “Mr. Henion, all we need is twenty minutes tops. You give us that time and we will give the mayor the means to pay for the celebration. All of this is legal and all of it is above board; it comes with no ethical problems at all. The best part for you is we don’t want anything in return. And one more thing, we have a funding source that’s not part of your budget. That source will pick up the tab for the cost of the entire celebration. How’s that sound?”

  “You have my attention.”

  “It’s really a simple formula. The mayor makes the celebration happen with the money the city will soon have. That makes him a hero to the people and a hero, perhaps most importantly, to your local business community as they, like the city, will benefit from the additional influx of tourist dollars. He has not only found a way for the city to host this celebration, but at the same time he has put tourist dollars in the pockets of your local business owners. Something we believe they will remember when it comes time to cast their votes. Besides being able to fund the celebration, we probably are also going to show him how he can pay to maintain a few of your parks and cemeteries better than you folks have been doing, again at no cost to the city. You are smart enough to know this will all equate to votes in his upcoming election. From that election he gets the job he wants and you get to ride his coattails in Washington for as long as you like.”

  “Want to tell me anything else?”

  “Yes, just two things. Neither my friends nor I are crazy. We will deliver proof to you in the twenty minute meeting where the money will come from to fund these projects. Interested?”

  “Anything else?”

  “Not until we meet with the mayor. I hope we can get a chance to meet each other as well. The mayor only has to make one promise to me and it’s an easy one for him to make. I can assure you of that.”

  “Always a catch, isn’t there? But OK, I’ll take a chance and I’ll give you your twenty minutes. The schedule for tomorrow is tight, but how about ten-fifteen in the morning? We can meet right here at city hall?”

  “Thanks for your help. We promise you a big surprise. See you then.”

  After Paul gave the news to Chick and Jayne about their meeting with Mayor Davis, he called Donna to give her the good news about finding the cannons. “I’m happy for you, Paul. I know this means a lot to you. I guess I am going to be living with a celebrity, huh?”

  “What? I always thought I was a celebrity in your eyes.” Paul teased her as she had been the celebrity back home, the one who had gotten her picture in the local paper on so many occasions when her bank had sponsored charity functions in town. She had been the face of the bank with so many people and civic organizations. They talked on the phone for another ten minutes about a few other pending issues at home, but as they talked he made sure Donna knew it was her casual observation of the inscription in the cannon’s mortar which had made the final portion of the discovery possible.

  “Paul, I wish I could be there, but I’m just glad you found what you were looking for. Call me tomorrow when you are done.”

  “I will, but I’ve got to go now. I have a couple of calls to make before the big day tomorrow. I’ll call you tomorrow when we get done with everything.”

  “Paul, wait, I’ve got a surprise for you. Guess who surprised us by showing up here today?”

  “Hopefully it’s Brian and Sean?”

  “Yep! They kept reading about their father becoming a big time treasure hunter and they wanted to come down to see what you have found. I guess their timing could not have been better, seeing what you have just found over the last two days.”

  Paul talked to his boys on the phone for the next half hour and briefly filled them in on what had been going on over the last two days. Then, with some reluctance on Donna’s part because she was going to be left out due to work commitments, he made plans for the boys to drive down to Charleston the following morning to meet him after he got done with meeting with the mayor. “Guys, I will call you after the meeting and we will figure out where to meet. It will be great to have you here for this. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

  Finished with his phone call, Paul had Chick contact Bobby Ray and Pete while he made his last two phone calls. “Tell those two to get their butts down here tonight and that it’s important. You can tell them dinner is on me. That will get them down here for sure. At least it will get Bobby Ray down here as he never misses out on a free meal.”

  The next phone call Paul made was to his good friend, Steve Alcott, the person who had indirectly made it possible for him to find the remains of Captain Francis. “Steve, the meeting is all set for tomorrow. Can you have him here by ten? The meeting is at City Hall. I will meet you both in the lobby by ten.”

  “We will be there by ten. I’ll have him with me, even if I have to drag him there. Paul, you have done a fabulous job with all of this, I’m proud of you!”

  Paul then joked with Steve about what he had discovered. “All of this was made possible because of that lousy boat you sold me! Honestly, it was simply a lucky find which anyone could have made. I just happened to find him, that’s all.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Then Paul made his last phone call before he called it quits for the day. He wanted to get back to the hotel to take a shower and relax before they had dinner, but he had made a promise to a friend that he would call him. After dialing the number, the phone rang twice before it was answered. “Duke, it’s Paul, we’ve got some great news for you. Hey, but listen, just to play it safe I want this conversation to be a simple one be
cause we are talking on cell phones. You need to come down to Charleston tomorrow for the day and perhaps even for the following day as well. It’s important for you to be here and to be a part of it. Understand what I am telling you?”

  “Paul, I’ll be there, but I’m afraid it won’t be until sometime late in the afternoon. I’ve got a meeting already set up with a buyer and I can’t change it, it’s too important for our company’s future.”

  “No problem, we understand. But you need to be here for this. I want you to meet some people, so get here as soon as you can.”

  “I’ll see if my buddy will fly me down on his Cessna. He flies into Charleston all the time so it shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll let you know. Hey, tell me, did you get it?”

  “Tomorrow we will. It’s probably yours and the cemetery combined, at least.”

  “Well, I’ll be! You done good for a Yankee! I’ll see you folks tomorrow sometime.” Paul laughed as he ended the call with Duke. He looked forward to seeing his new friend.

  ******

  The following morning could not come quick enough for the three of them as they each had spent a restless night tossing and turning in their hotel beds after their second long day of cannon hunting. Awake early and eager to get started, they entered the lobby of Charleston City Hall a few minutes before ten in the morning.

  Already waiting for them in the lobby was Steve Alcott. With him was the guest he had been asked to bring. Paul first greeted his friend, thanking him for being able to make it on such short notice. He greeted Steve’s guest next. “Good morning, Your Honor. My name is Paul Waring; it’s a pleasure to meet you. These are my good friends, Chick Mann and Jayne Ewald.”

  “Mr. Waring, I’m not sure how I can be of assistance to you, but as a favor to my good friend I am here with you today. I guess I am also here out of my own curiosity and because Steve told me you were going to fuel my passion for the Civil War with some kind of announcement. I’m eager to hear what you have to say.”

  “Your Honor, we are going to do so very soon, I promise. You will also understand very shortly why I have asked for you to be here. What my friends and I are going to tell the mayor will make all of this very clear. But first, I’m going to ask Steve and you for one more favor. Let us get into see the mayor first and then I will come out to get you both. Steve, is that OK?”

  “That’s fine. Just remember our guest has other obligations later this morning.”

  After taking the elevator up to the second floor they found the mayor’s office. The hallway door was marked Office of the Mayor. On the door above the black painted letters was a painted seal of the city of Charleston. Within minutes they were introducing themselves to Edwin Henion, the mayor’s Chief of Staff. Soon he escorted the three of them into one of the small wood paneled conference rooms which sat off the mayor’s main office.

  On the walls of the small conference room hung several paintings of Charleston’s past mayors. Small brass plates on the picture frames identified the mayors by name and by the dates they had served in office. Henion interrupted Paul as he looked at the photos of the previous mayors. “I have to tell you, Mr. Waring, the mayor and I are very interested in hearing what you have to say. The mayor has a busy day ahead of him, but you will have his full attention while he is here. Before he comes in, do you have anything else to tell me beyond what we have discussed already?”

  Paul just smiled at the attempt Henion made to gather some additional information from him. “I think its best we discuss the rest of what we have to say with the mayor present.”

  It took a couple of minutes, but soon Mayor William Davis entered the room. Immediately he was shaking hands with the three of them. It almost seemed as if the mayor was making a campaign stop seeking their votes. Paul could quickly tell the mayor was a high energy person who tried to dominate the room with his personality. “Good morning, folks. I am pleased to meet each of you. Edwin tells me you may have a partial remedy to some of our financial concerns. For the record, I want the Anniversary Celebration for the Civil War to be held and I want it held here in Charleston, but I’m afraid we just cannot afford it right now. I’m all ears though, so tell me how you can help us. Please, have a seat.” Mayor Davis directed them to several leather chairs seated around a large oak conference table.

  “Mayor, I promise you we are going to show you how you can host this celebration without spending any city dollars. But first, I need a minute, please excuse me.” After being seated for only a few moments, Paul stood up from the table and walked to the door leading directly out into the main hallway outside of the conference room. Opening the door, he saw Steve and the Judge seated on a bench in the hallway. Quickly he motioned for Steve and his guest to join them.

  As soon as the three of them entered the conference room, Mayor Davis stood up. He had immediately recognized his good friend, Steve Alcott, as he walked into the room. As they greeted each other with warm smiles and firm handshakes, it was apparent to Paul that Steve and the mayor were as good of friends as he had mentioned they were. He had told Paul that several years ago they had been partners in a few small real estate ventures before the mayor had moved back to Charleston to run for office, taking advantage of his family name which was still quite prominent there. While the Davis name was a common old Southern name, to the dismay of Mayor Davis and his family they had found no blood connection to the former President of the Confederacy.

  “Steve, good morning! It has been far too long since we have seen each other. Edwin did not tell me you were going to be here. Obviously you are going to be part of this meeting, but I’m not sure why. My guess is that it will be made clear to me soon enough.”

  “Yes, it will. You will be very pleased by what you hear, but I’ll let Paul and his friends, who are all good friends of mine, explain it to you. I suggest you listen closely to what they have to tell you. But first, I need to introduce a good friend to you. Mr. Mayor, this is Judge Howard Nathan Morgan, of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Judge Morgan is here as a favor to Paul and I. I hope you do not mind?”

  “Of course not! Your Honor, it is indeed a pleasure. I have heard your name mentioned many times by several friends of mine who are members of the South Carolina Bar. I can assure you that you are held in the highest regard by each of them. I have to assume many of them are mutual friends of ours, but that is for us to discuss another time perhaps. Judge Morgan, Steve, please, have seats at the table next to where I am sitting. My interest is piqued even more about this meeting now that both of you are here.”

  As Paul pulled out chairs for Judge Morgan and Steve to sit in, he caught the mayor and Edwin Henion exchanging puzzled looks at each other. “Mr. Mayor, I apologize for not telling Edwin that Judge Morgan and Steve were going to be here, but I needed to keep that close to the vest until today. I assure you that no disrespect was intended.”

  As he sat down, Paul could see the faint smiles which now crossed the faces of Chick and Jayne. They knew he had just shown the mayor two of his high cards. The mayor would soon have to abide by what Judge Morgan would tell him; if he didn’t his chances for the senate seat he coveted so badly were likely going to be doomed. Paul had realized by having Steve and Judge Morgan present for the meeting their presence would add some much needed credibility to the presentation he was about to make.

  “Nice touch introducing Judge Morgan into the meeting,” Chick thought to himself, “now he has him.” He tried, but he could not make the faint smile disappear from his face.

  Paul then got things moving by addressing Mayor Davis. “Mr. Mayor, thanks again for taking the time from your busy schedule to meet with us. I’m not sure if you have ever heard my name before, but recently my friends and I have received a fair amount of unwanted media attention from several news stories that talked about the remains of a Civil War soldier I recently found up in Murrells Inlet. I foun
d the soldier’s remains inside a large oak tree alongside the Waccamaw River. A discovery my good friend here deserves some credit for, whether directly or indirectly I’m not sure yet, but that’s only part of the reason why we asked to meet with you here today.” Paul had given a nod of his head in Steve’s direction as he spoke with the mayor.

  “Yes, yes, I knew I recognized your name from some place. A very fascinating story, I followed it very closely in the papers. Is this why we are meeting here today?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  Paul saw he also now had the close attention of Judge Morgan. The Judge had shifted slightly forward in his chair so he could hear every word from where he sat at the conference table. For the next several minutes, Paul painted a picture of what he had found on his trips to the site where he had found the soldier’s remains. He intentionally did not tell them all of the details, but he did tell them about the letters he had found from both President Davis and Secretary Memminger. He also told them about the letter Captain Francis had written to his father. He purposely did not tell them about the letter Francis had written to President Davis or of the clues the letter contained as he had yet to receive the commitment he was seeking from the mayor.

  “Mr. Mayor, are you aware of the legend, or the myth, or perhaps even the story, it depends on how you want to describe it I guess, regarding the Confederate treasury which disappeared during the Civil War after it had been moved out of Richmond?”

  “Of course I am! Every person, at least those my age, who has been born in the South has heard that story. No one knows for sure whatever happened to the money or if the story is even true, but it’s a well-known story that’s for sure.”

  “It’s not a story, it really happened.”

  Paul was looking directly at Mayor Davis as he answered him, but he quickly glanced back at Judge Morgan. The Judge now leaned back in his chair waiting for the discussion to continue. His years of courtroom experience had taught him when to interrupt a conversation and when to sit and listen. Now was a time to just listen.