Confederate Gold and Silver (33 page)

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.

On Saturday afternoon Paul took Donna for her first ride on the boat. On the way to the marina they stopped and picked up a couple of grinders from one of the several Subway Restaurants along Highway 17. Besides towels, sun tan lotion, and other necessities for the day, they brought along a cooler of drinks for them to wash their food down with. Once on the boat they slowly cruised north on the Waccamaw River and then turned around, heading south after they had passed the point where U.S. 501 crosses over the river. Even from where they were on the river, they could hear the traffic on the bridge as it passed high above them. This day was like many during the summer as today the bridge again served as a main artery for visitors coming and going to Myrtle Beach. Seeing the bridge from a different viewpoint for the first time, Donna marveled at its size where it spanned the river.

The lazy day on the river was proving to be a rare treat for them as they had been so busy since moving to South Carolina they really had not spent much time together just relaxing. Donna did not want this day to end. Relaxing in the afternoon sun, she hoped they would spend many more days cruising on the river, just the two of them. Paul’s boat was turning out to be a treat for her to enjoy as well.

During the time Paul spent over the next couple of days with his discovery, he spent much of it trying to interpret the hidden meanings he thought were contained somewhere within the four letters he had found. He concentrated especially on the one Captain Francis had written to President Davis. “What is he trying to tell Davis in this letter? It’s obvious he hid some of the gold and silver in North Carolina, at least that’s what I think he is saying, but he is so vague in where he hid it. It could be almost anywhere. And why did he leave some of the gold and silver with Governor Allston’s children and not with the governor himself? If he did leave it with the children, what did they do with it and where is it now?” The questions which raced through his mind were many. Again, it was only the answers to the questions that were few. The more he read, the more questions he had, but still he could not crack what it was that Francis was trying to explain in his letter. He even spent a few hours one evening just sitting in his garage trying to put some logic together in his thought process to help him have a sense of where the money could possibly be buried in North Carolina. But the more he worked at the clues, the further his mind seemed to push away any logic he mustered from the letters he read and reread a countless number of times.

Three days after Chick and Paul played golf, they all met for breakfast to talk about what information Jayne had found on the bayonet and the saber. By now, Paul had spent several hours pouring over the letters in his garage. After meeting them at the Waccamaw Diner for breakfast, Paul was planning to show them the location where he had found the soldier’s remains.

Arriving before the others did, Paul sat in his favorite booth waiting for them. While he was by himself, Betty came over with a pot of coffee and tried to squeeze a few tidbits of information from him regarding his discovery. As she poured his coffee for him, he only gave her back answers to her questions based on information which had already been contained in the newspapers. She soon realized her curiosity was not going to be satisfied that morning.

“OK, OK, I get the message. When you are ready you will tell me, right? But remember, you promised!”

Paul nodded to her and then took his first sip of coffee to help him start the day. Waiting for the others to arrive, he moved the other coffee cups off to the side of the booth and then spread out the day’s
Myrtle
Beach
Times.
It had been left on the nearby lunch counter by a previous customer. Casually he looked to see how the Yankees had done against the Red Sox the night before. He was pleased to see the Yankees had beaten Boston for the second night in a row. They were now four games up in the division standings over the Sox. He had almost gotten through going over the Major League box scores when Chick and Jayne sat down in the booth opposite him.

After placing their orders for the blueberry pancakes Paul had highly recommended, Chick asked the question which had been bugging him for the past few days. “OK, when we played golf the other day I promised myself I would not ask you this, but today is different. Was that the soldier’s gold watch you were teasing us with the other day when you drove off?”

“Might have been, but you know the ground rules by now. I give you some information, like I did the other day with the coins and the other two items, and then you tell me what you have found out about them. Then I decide if I am going to tell you more.” Paul knew for now he held the high cards in the deck. He also knew Chick, likely for no other reason than to satisfy his own curiosity, wanted to know more about his discovery and what those cards were that he was holding.