Hearts of Grey

by Earl E. Gobel

  “Now, when Sherman was just days away from Columbia, two guys that for now we’ll just call JB and DW, decides that if the Union Army was going to take what belonged to the people of the South, then they would beat them to the punch, so to speak.

  “I have here two letters that were written between these two guys. In these letters, they were more or less planning on stealing the treasures of the South and putting the blame on Sherman and the entire Union Army,” Grady told Mike who just sat there taking all of this in.

  “So they planned on stealing the gold for themselves? Wow, did they get away with it?” Mike asked.

  “What does your history books say? That alone should answer your question,” Grady told him.

  “Well, I’ll be. They did do it. But whatever happened to all of that gold?” Mike asked.

  “Well, first off, nobody ever said that it was gold. It’s always been assumed that it was, but there’s never been one shred of evidence either way. But I think you’re trying to get ahead of my story. So relax, we’ll get there soon enough.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just getting all caught up in this. This is truly interesting,” Mike replied.

  “You haven’t heard anything yet. But I’m about to hand you some papers, but you have to be very careful with them. After all, they’re almost one hundred years old, okay?” Grady told him.

  “Okay. Wow, a hundred years old?” he proclaimed.

  “Yeah, but just wait until you read these.

  “This first one was written February 10, 1865, just seven days before Sherman entered Columbia. It was written by a guy that we’ll call JB to a man that we’ll call DW. Yes, I do know their real names, but I’m saving that for later. Here, read this,” Grady told him as he handed him the hundred-year-old document.

  Michael took the letter and slowly started reading it.

  DW,

  I think that is apparently clear, as you so boldly stated as well, the South is in fact falling. And when it does fall, everything that we have, or the South has, will fall into Union hands.

  So it is extremely urgent that we move on this at once. Gettysburg was a disaster, Savannah has surrendered, and it’s clear that Lee is losing. The South will surely fall.

  So we need to act on this without haste. Sherman is coming. I know this and so do you.

  So time is one thing that we do not have.

  We must take what is ours to keep it out of the hands of the North.

  I also suggest that we set fire to certain buildings after Sherman’s arrival. The blame will fall on the North while providing cover for our actions.

  Your response is urgently requested.

  JB

  February 10 1865

  “So what do you think now?” Grady asked him.

  “Well, I’ll be damned. So they set the fires just to cover their tracks? Very clever,” Mike replied.

  “Well, we will never know exactly which fires were started by whom, but I bet ya that at least two of the fires were started by these two guys. And both of the fires were started in each of Columbia’s banks. They were the Bank of Charleston and the Commercial Bank of Columbia, both of which were burned to the ground. Now consider this theory of mine. You have over sixty-five thousand Union soldiers in the capital of South Carolina. Many of them are pretty drunk as the nighttime rolls around. They see the first sign of the first fire. What would you do if you happened to be one of those soldiers?” he asked Michael.

  “Putting myself into the state of mind that they must have been, I would probably start more fires. Especially if I thought for some reason that the first fires were set under Union orders,” Mike replied.

  “Very good deduction, son. So if what you just said is true, and we’ll never know if it is or isn’t, then these two guys would be the cause of the destruction of Columbia, and not an order from Sherman that never existed because it was never given in the first place. But remember that in the back of your head, and I’ll continue with the story.

  “Now a little bit of information for you to remember as well. Nobody in the South ever thought that Columbia would ever fall to the Union, or if it did, it would go unharmed like Savannah did. So there were a lot of people that sent their own personal property to Columbia for safekeeping. Hell, even other government officials sent their own property plus state property to Columbia as well. Anyways, in the second letter, written three weeks after Sherman had fled the city. They talk about what they have done and tells of the location of whatever it is that they took. Are you ready for this?” Grady asked.

  “What do you mean are you ready for this?” Mike asked.

  “Here, just read the letter. It will explain a lot,” Grady told him as he handed him the hundred-year-old note.

  JB,

  After having done what we have, God help us if we were wrong in our actions. We watched Columbia burn to the ground, and I cried. Such a beautiful city, and I feel like we’re to blame. But we did what we knew had to be done.

  Our cargo left Columbia as planned on eight covered wagons under the cover of darkness. It is hidden at a place called Matterson House. It will be safe there. Nobody will look for it there. And like we planned, Sherman and his troops are being blamed for everything.

  You and I are the only two people that know what we have done as all of the others have been eliminated. You and I are the only people alive that know where it is hidden. Guard this with your life.

  The following clues will lead you to the cargo’s location.

  Squares turned to diamonds,

  From the roof’s peak.

  Be careful of your steps,

  If it’s the treasure that you so seek.

  Please contact me by messenger, and I will meet you at Matterson House. Long live the South!

  Signed DW

  March 10, 1865

  Katie and Grady watched as Mike’s eyes grew in size as he read the letter and then read it again.

  “The treasure is here, in this house?” he asked.

  “Well, I don’t think that it’s in this house, but, yes, I do believe that the entire fortune of the South is here somewhere on this land,” Grady explained.

  “Holy shit! Do you know what this means? You’re right, this will rewrite history. This is fantastic,” Mike explained.

  “Indeed it does. We told you that it would be unbelievable,” Grady told him.

  “Unbelievable is an understatement,” Mike proclaimed.

  “Well, there’s more to the story if you still want to hear it,” Katie told Mike.

  “There’s more? Hell yeah, I want to hear it,” he told them with so much excitement in his voice that he reminded them of a little boy in his first toy store.

  “Okay but you’ll have to calm down a bit, okay?” Grady told him as he continued to explain everything to him.

  “Now, we know for a fact who JB and DW were. We have their names on other documents to back it up.

  “DW is, or was I should say, the president of the Bank of Charleston. His name was Dwight Watkins.

  “But JB was the president of the Commercial Bank of Columbia. His name was Jason Barnes,” Grady told him as he waited for a response from Michael. He didn’t have to wait very long.

  “Barnes? As in Susie Barnes? Are you serious?” he asked.

  “Very serious. That’s why we couldn’t tell you anything until we confirmed the facts. But Jason Barnes was Susie’s great-grandfather,” Grady told him.

  “Is that possible? I mean the Civil War was a long time ago, and—” Mike was saying as Grady cut him off.

  “Yes, Michael, it is possible and it’s a fact. This is 1955, and Columbia was burned in 1865. Do the math. It’s only ninety years ago.

  “The facts speak for themselves,” Grady told him.

  “Wow, only ninety years ago. Doesn’t seem like it. I mean, it should be more, shouldn’t it?” Mike asked.

  “Mike, America isn’t even two hundred years old yet. So ninety years ago isn’t all that long ago.
Really,” Katie told him.

  “I guess you’re right, but I’m in total shock. Wow, Susie’s grandfather ripped off the South? You know, I think you might be right. Our tiff with Susie isn’t over, is it?” he said as he looked at Katie.

  “No, I don’t believe it is. I’m sorry,” Katie told him.

  “Mike, would you like me to go on, or would you like to take a break?” Grady asked him.

  “No, I’m fine. Please go on,” he answered.

  “Very well. Okay now, as ironic as this may sound, Jason Barnes was killed exactly thirty days after Columbia burned. He was protesting Sherman’s actions that he knew weren’t true when the last remaining wall of the bank, the South wall, fell on him. Talk about blind justice. But Dwight Watkins caught the fever a few weeks later. Dwight and my grandfather were the best of friends. So he summoned my grandfather to his deathbed where he told my grandfather everything. Well, almost everything. He gave him a huge safe and told him that the proof of everything was locked inside. But he died before my grandfather could get the combination to the safe. The only bit of information that my grandfather was able to save was the riddle,” Grady told him.

  “So it took you all this time to open the safe?” Mike asked in a tone of complete puzzlement.

  “We’re not talking about a little safe, Michael. This thing weighs in at almost a ton and a half. And talking about tough? We must have beaten that damn thing silly for years. Never left a single mark on the damn thing. And considering what was supposed to be inside of this massive thing, we couldn’t use dynamite out of fear of destroying what was inside,” Grady kept on going until Mike stopped him.

  “So how in the world did you get it opened then?” Mike interrupted.

  “Katie opened it,” he replied.

  “Katie opened it. But how?” he asked.

  “I was sitting there one day talking to my daddy, and I was turning the dial this way and that way, and all of a sudden it went click. So I pulled down on the handle, and presto, just like that, it opened,” Katie explained.

  “You’re kidding?” he asked her.

  “Nope, afraid not. That’s exactly how we got it open. Ninety years of beating on this darn thing and nothing. Little Katie turns the dial for a mere ten minutes, and it pops open. Don’t figure, does it?” he asked.

  “But I do have a confession to make, Michael,” Katie told him.

  “A confession? About what?” he asked.

  “Do you know who my great-grandfather was?” she asked.

  “It wasn’t Barnes, was it?” he answered.

  “Oh, hell no. But I know how you feel about the South and where your loyalty lies. But we can’t have any secrets if we’re going to be together, can we?” she asked him.

  “No, but I would hope that you would trust me enough to tell me anything,” he answered.

  “Well, I do really, but I wanted you to hear everything before I popped it on you,” she told him.

  “So who’s your great-grandfather, General Sherman?” he asked half laughing.

  “Well, yes, as a matter of fact, General Sherman was in fact my great-grandfather. Lucky guess,” she told him as she waited for a response.

  “But you said that you were raised in Mobile?” he told her.

  “I was. But he was related to my mother’s side of the family,” she explained.

  “Really? Wow, that’s weird. I mean, what are the chances of that?” he asked

  “So are you okay with that? I know that you’re southern born and raised, and like a lot of other southern folk, you’re more than likely forever loyal to the Confederacy. So knowing that Sherman’s blood run through my veins, that doesn’t bother you. Not at all?” she asked.

  “Sweetheart, it doesn’t change a thing. I still love ya. I’m in love with you for who you are, not for who your great-grandfather was or wasn’t,” he told her.

  “Good. I love you too,” she replied.

  “Are you two lovebirds done? I’d like to finish this story sometime before morning,” Grady asked them.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Grady. I thought that you were done. Please continue, sir,” Mike said as he sipped from his glass of tea.

  “We’re not the only ones that are looking for this treasure. My brother, Jack, took off some ten years ago in search of it. But all he had was the riddle. We never heard from him again. Jack was his given name, but everyone just called him Rings because he wore two rings on every finger. I told you this because someone went through this house searching for something. Was it the treasure? I don’t know. Was it my brother, Jack? Don’t know that either. But until we find it, I want to warn the both of you to watch your backs, okay?” Grady asked the two of them.

  “Someone else, huh? Could it be Barnes?” Mike asked.

  “It could be, I guess, but I really can’t say for sure,” Grady answered.

  For the next couple of hours, the three of them looked over a stack of documents that Grady had found in the safe after Katie opened it. Nearly every paper bore the stamp of the Confederacy and was dated during the Civil War period. Among the stack of papers were several early etchings of Matterson House. Apparently, they were done throughout the entire building process. One picture showed the meadow that Matterson House currently sat on, but there was no building there. The next several pictures showed various stages of the construction process, from the bare frame all the way up to its completion in 1831. The last pictured showed Matterson House fully completed with about sixty people standing in front of the house. No notations were found that would tell them who these people were, but Grady assumed that it was the people that actually built Matterson House.

  These etching of Matterson House would serve as a picturesque journey into the past when the huge cotton plantations were the talk of the South. The huge towering pillars of white, numbering six in all, welcomed the guests as they strolled up onto the huge wooden porch. Huge etched double glass doors lead into the parlor. Once inside, the guest would be welcomed by two spiral staircases with one leading off to the right while the other to the left. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling two stories above. White marble floors with streaks of gold reached out from beneath the feet of the guest. Polished mahogany banisters followed the red carpets up the staircase to the floors above. In all, Matterson House had fourteen bedrooms, servant quarters, and a kitchen capable of cooking enough food for an entire army, which it had more than once. But most of all, Matterson House had one thing that most houses could never measure up to.

  Matterson House had class, a symbol of Southern pride that will live as long as that house stood.

  And for the very first time, Michael could understand what Grady had meant when he told him that this house had a history, some of it still unwritten to this day.

  Before them, stretched out on the huge oak table, lay almost one hundred years of history. Document after document, from some military plans to old Confederate newspapers, all of these items retrieved from the old safe were worth a small fortune in and by themselves.

  History has a way of coming back to bite you in the ass. And with the wealth of information these documents held, the South could come back with a vengeance.

  “So do you mind if I ask a silly question?” Michael asked them.

  “No, not at all. What’s on your mind?” Grady told him.

  “What do you plan on doing with this treasure if you do in fact find it? It has to be worth a lot of money,” he asked.

  “This isn’t about the money, Michael. The money belongs to the South. And it will be returned to the South. Katie and I are just trying to right a wrong. Katie’s great-grandfather has been blamed for this for nearly one hundred years. It’s time for the record to be set straight. We have a list of people who had their wealth in these two banks. And if possible, I mean if we can find the heirs to these people, we would return it to them. But there’s something else that you need to see, but this will require your absolute promise of secrecy,” Grady told him.

>   “Sure, I mean on top of this, what’s one more secret?” he answered.

  Grady handed him a stack of papers. It was a list of depositors for one of the banks. Michael took the list and studied it.

  “Okay, what is this?” he asked.

  “Look at it, Michael. You can read, can’t you?” Grady told him.

  Michael studied the stack of papers. Then he saw what they had wanted him to see. The list was alphabetical and under the Gs, there it was—Gibbes, Anthony G., Total Deposit: $50,000.00

  “Do you mean?” Michael asked.

  “Yes, it does. If we find the treasure intact, your parents could receive some money from all of this. That’s your great-grandfather listed there. And like we said, we want to right a wrong by returning the money to the rightful heirs of those that suffered from the theft in the first place. But like I said, we have to find it first,” Grady told him.

  “Okay, let’s say that it is here. And we find it intact. And you do as you say you are going to do. You return it all to the rightful heirs, and there’s nothing left. What are you getting from all of this?” he asked.

  “Good question. First off we’re not in this for the money. I already have plenty of money. But we’re doing this just because it needs to be done. Period. No other reason, and I give you my word on that. Oh, I’m sure that we’ll get some type of compensation, but that’s not our motivation here,” Grady told him.