Spake As a Dragon (55 page)

“
Yes, that is surely the
truth.”

Robert walks over to the old cannon,
“Lonnie this pile of cannonballs stacked next to the cannon
contains twelve-pound balls, agreed?”

“
Yes, twelve pound balls.
I agree Robert. As I said, I have fired many of them at the boys
from the North.”

“
Fine, pick up the one on
top and bring it over to me.”

Mr. Turney walked over to the stack
placed his hands on the ball and lifts, rather he tries to lift it.
He grasps the ball with both hands and expecting a weight of
slightly close to twelve pounds he groans, “Uh, something is wrong
Robert,” he says straining to lift the heavy cannon ball. “This
ball must weigh more than seventy or eighty pounds. I don’t
understand.”

“
Luke, take your pocket
knife and scrape off a little of that black paint. I believe Elder
Lindley and Lonnie would like to see what type of metal makes up
that ball.”

Doing as he was told Luke scratched
the ball with his knife blade. Even in the dim light cast by the
flickering flames of the two lanterns a glitter could be seen,
“Why...why...that is not iron. It looks like it might be
go...go...gold!” Exclaimed the flabbergasted Worshipful Master of
Lodge Number One.

“
Indeed Lonnie, it is
gold. These cannonballs are all solid gold, each weighing between
fifty to one hundred pounds. I’m just estimating, but I guess each
ball would require three or four bars of gold to make, and a bar of
gold weighs between twenty-five to thirty pounds. While imprisoned
at Point Lookout, one of my closest friends worked the gold mines
in northern Georgia before the War; he said a bar of gold weighed
twenty-seven and one-half pound. Luke, how about helping Lonnie
count the balls in the stack.”

“
No need Robert, I can
tell you a four stack of twelve-pounders contains thirty balls.
I’ve stacked too many, and my memory might not be as it once was,
but I’ll never forget that number!”

“
Okay, let’s say each ball
weighs at a minimum fifty pounds and Lonnie you say there are
thirty of them, I don’t need to cipher those numbers the answer is
one thousand five hundred pounds.

“
Why, there is almost a
ton of gold stacked right here!”

“
Yes Lonnie and it has
been here for the past seventy-four years! Hiding in plain sight,
and within the past hour Elder Lindley, Luke and myself found the
rest of the gold in the Meetinghouse. The gold had been melted and
cast into the church’s two bells and two gold
headstocks...”

Interrupting, Lonnie wanted to know
the description of a headstock. Robert explains Lonnie grunts and
nods his head.

Continuing, “I have no way of knowing
how much those bells and headstocks weigh, but guessing I would say
they must weigh at least the same as these cannonballs.”

“
Oh my, that’s another ton
and a half of pure gold,” William said rubbing the top cannon ball.
“What are we to do now?”

“
While waiting for you to
arrive Lonnie I gave this problem some thought. First, for the time
being, only the three of us are to know of our find. Even the hint
that the gold has been found would stir this town into a frenzy of
gold fever.”

“
Yes, yes I
agree.”

“
At least,” said Robert,
“the mystery of my Pappy John’s bible has now finally been solved!”
Bowing his head, “Thank you Grandfather for the 2K168
riddle.”

THE TREASURY
DEPARTMENT

“
Right now the men who
searched for the gold are telling their friends and family that my
days in the prison has warped my thinking and they are saying no
one should listen to me about the gold. That is good for us. Next
Elder Lindley we will need to devise a plan to remove the bells and
their headstocks from your belfry. To be perfectly honest I have no
idea how to do it, but I do know for over forty years you have been
a master carpenter in these parts. You have built houses, barns,
stores, bridges, you have built or supervised the building of
almost everything in this valley. Elder Lindley you are the perfect
man to come up with a way to remove the items from the belfry and
an excuse why they must be removed. The final task is my
responsibility. I must contact the Treasury Department of the
United States and find out what is to be the disposition of the
gold. I know what you all are thinking, I don’t want to give it up
either, but it is not ours to keep we must give it
back.”

Lonnie looked sadly at Robert,
“Robert, as you well know this is a poor town. Most folks around do
not have two half-dimes to rub together. This terrible War has left
us almost destitute and penniless. This gold could change our lives
for the good.”

“
Please, fellows I know
how much could be done with this gold. Much of it could be used by
a lot of needy people as you say. My son Matthew and his
father-in-law Mark Holmes need cash to buy supplies to prepare
artificial legs for the cripples of the War. No better use could be
made of some of the gold money. I could rebuild Scarlett. Nate and
Sary could build a home to live in peacefully for the rest of their
lives. Luke and Catherine could be helped too. I know Lonnie, I
could go on and on about the good deeds the money would do for my
family, and the same goes for yours and Elder Lindleys, but again
it does not belong to us. If we didn’t know to whom it belongs, it
might be different, but we know the owner is the United States
Treasury.”

GETTING RID OF THE
GOLD

Robert stands at the counter of the
Western Union office in Scarlettsville, with pen and paper in hand.
What is he to say? And to who is he supposed to send the
message?

The clerk approaches, “Can I help
mister? I can write it out if you need me to.”

“
Nah, I can read and
write, I just don’t know what to say or who I am supposed to send
the message to.”

“
Can you give me a hint,
maybe I can help you compose your message.”

This caused Robert to think – if I
send this out, this clerk is going to spread word all over town
about the gold. This is a bad idea. Looking up from the message pad
Robert said to the clerk, “You know I believe I will wait until
later.” He replaced the pen in its holder and walked out of the
telegraph office.
What to do? What to do?
He
thought.

Columbia! Columbia that’s it. I
need to go to the state capitol and talk with those people. They
will know what to do with the gold.
He thought sticking his
foot into the stirrup of his saddle.

A quick trip back to Scarlett, Robert
picks up Luke, and they head to the South Carolina capitol of
Columbia. From Scarlett, the capital is only a forty-five mile
trip. The road from Scarlettsville to Columbia was first class;
therefore, the two men should make good time arriving there
sometime today.

The two Scarburg men walk their horses
down Assembly Street. They had been told on the edge of town the
South Carolina State House is located on the corner of Assembly and
Gervais Streets.

As Robert and Luke move toward the
State House, they are amazed at the total destruction the War had
leveled on the city. Most of the buildings along the grand avenue
they traveled are burnt and destroyed. Luke surveying the ruins
from the back of his horse commented, “Those Yankees!”

Robert responded, “No, those Damn
Yankees!” Robert figured after the War the State House would be
controlled and entirely run by Unionist. Anyone who held office
prior to the War, did not, or could not hold any position within
the state of South Carolina’s government now.

“
I’ve changed my mind,
we’re not going to the State House. If we turn the gold over to
these rascals, it will never make it back to Washington. They will
find a way to use it for themselves. No, we are heading the nearest
telegraph office. A message sent from here will do us no harm, the
clerk will not know where we are from.”

They trace the telegraph wires running
along Assembly to the Western Union office. Robert dismounts,
enters the room, approaches the counter in the telegraph office and
motions for the clerk. The clerk asked if he could be of help.
Robert responds, “Yes, I want to send a telegram.”

“
Jot’er down on this pad
and I’ll send’er off mister, or do you druther I jest tap it
out.”

“
Okay, tapping it out will
be fine.”

The clerk returns to his telegraph key
and keys in his station code. Turning to Robert, “Okay Mister, I’m
ready. Whom do we send this to?”

“
Send it to the President
of the United States, Washington, D.C.”

“
What? Did you say the
President of the United States?”

“
Yes! Something wrong with
your hearing?”

Shaking his head the clerk began to
key in the address. “Okay, what do you want to say to the
President?”

‘
Sir have found large
quantity of money belonging U.S. government. (stop) Believe from
Revolutionary War (stop) Request disposition instructions. (stop)
Awaiting reply. R. Smith. (stop)’
The telegraph operator keyed
the message leaned back in his chair to think about what he had
just done. He wanted desperately to ask Robert about the money, but
he had been taught the operator’s job was to send and receive
messages; they are not to become involved in the subject of the
transmissions. Rather than asking a question the operator directed
Robert and Luke to a bench to await an answer.

The folks in Washington must operate
efficiently; an answer was received almost immediately:

‘
R. Smith
(stop)

Columbia, SC
(stop)

What type money? (stop)
How much money? (stop)

J. Worthy
(stop)

Office Secretary of
Treasury’ (stop)

“
Sir, do you wish to make
a reply?”

“
Yes, send
this:

‘
Type – gold. Amount – One
and one-half tons.’

The operator sat with his mouth open.
“Send the response,” said Robert.

Within minutes another telegraph
message was received, the sender was the same as before the message
read:

‘
Thanks for considering
Treasury. (stop).

We do not buy output from
mining operations. (stop)

Take gold ore to nearest
assay office. (stop)

“
Hmm...send them this
reply:

‘
Not ore. Refined 24 karat
gold. Repeat have – 1-1/2 TONs. Relieve Gold from Revolutionary War
period. Request disposition.’

The operator had gone as far as his
regulations require, but he could not resist, “Mister, do you
realize you are saying to Washington that you have twenty-five
hundred pounds of pure gold?”

“
Yeah,” Said Robert, “We
thought it was a lot too.”

“
How much exactly is that
much gold worth?” The Western Union operator asked.

“
I don’t rightly know.
Hand me that pad and a pen. Now let’s see: 3,000 times 16 ounces is
48,000 ounces. Gold is selling today, I guess around 30 dollars an
ounce,” Quickly to the calculations, “Let’s see that would be close
to a 1.4 million dollars. Humm, I guess it is a lot. Wait a second,
gold is measured in Troy ounces, and a Troy pound of gold is only
12 ounces, so now we have,” Robert figured, “Just a tad over one
million dollars, or $1,080,000 dollars.”

The key on the telegraph machine began
clicking; a new message was coming in from Washington:

‘
Understand.
(stop)

We have no procedure to
accept proceeds from Revolutionary War time period.
(stop)

Money’s found belong to
finder. (stop)

“
Okay, mister operator
send this final message back to Washington:

‘
Understand U.S. will not
accept. Finders awarded custody?’ (stop)

A couple of minutes later a response
was received, it simply read:

‘
Correct, finders awarded
custody of gold. Thank you for inquiry.’ (stop)_

J. Worthy
(stop)

Office Secretary of
Treasury (stop)

Washington, D.C.
(stop)

The telegraph operator was almost in a
state of shock – the gold was theirs – it belonged to Mr. R. Smith.
The Government said so. He turns to Robert, “Is there anything more
I can do for you Mr. Smith?”

“
Yeah, just one – could
you please put that final response on one of your official yellow
telegraph papers.”

Standing on the sidewalk outside the
telegraph office Robert could not speak; finally, Luke said,
“Father, it is ours! It really is ours – officially. The Government
did not want it! What about that?”

Robert sat down on the edge on the
wooden sidewalk, leaned back against one of the posts and re-reads
the telegraph, “Yeap, that’s what this official telegraph paper
says. Now we just have to figure out how to divide it up
fairly.”