Thomas J. Beale - Lynchburg Letter to Robert Morriss | 1 lyrics

Lynchburg, January 4th. 1822. My Dear Friend Morriss:—You will, doubtless, be surprised when you discover, from a perusal of this letter, the importance of the trust confided to you, and the confidence reposed in your honor, by parties whom you have never seen, an whose names even you have never heard. The reasons are simply and easily told: it was imperative upon us that some one here should be selected to carry out our wishes in ease of accident to ourselves, and your reputation as a man of the sternest integrity, unblemished honor, and business capacity, influenced them to select you in place of others better known, but, perhaps, not so reliable as yourself. It was with this design that I first visited your house, two years since, that I might judge by personal observation if your reputation was merited. To enable me the better to do so, I remained with you more than three months, and until I was fully satisfied as to your character. This visit was made by the request of my a**ociates, and you can judge from their action whether my report was a favorable one. I will now give you some Wen of the enterprise in which we are engaged, and the duties which will be required of you in connection therewith; first a**uring you, however, that your compensation for the trouble will be ample, as you have been unanimously made one of our a**ociation, and as such are entitled to share equally with the others. Some five years since J, in connection with several friends, who, like myself, were fond of adventure, and if mixed with a little danger all the more acceptable, determined to visit the great Western plains and enjoy ourselves in hunting buffalo, grizzly bears, and such other game as the country would afford. This, at the time, was our sole object, and we at at once proceeded to put it in execution. On account of Indians and other dangers incident to such an undertaking, we determined to raise a party of not less than thirty individuals, of good character and standing, who would be pleasant companions, and financially able to encounter the expense. With this object in view, each one of us suggested the matter to his several friends and acquaintances, and in a few weeks the requisite number had signed the conditions, and were admitted as members of the party. Some few refused to join us, being, doubtless, deterred by the dangers, but such men we did not want, and were glad of their refusal, The company being formed, we forthwith commenced our preparations, and early in April, 1817, left old Virginia for St. Louis, Mo., where we expected to purchase the necessary outfits, procure a guide and two or three servants, and obtain such information and advice as might be beneficial hereafter. All were done as intended, and we left St. Louis the 19th May, to be absent two years, our object point being Santa Fe, which we intended to reach in the ensuing Fall, and there establish ourselves in winter quarters. After leaving St. Louis we were advised by our guide to form a regular military organization, with a captain, by the members, to whom should be given sole authority to manage our affairs, and, in cases of necessity, ensure united action. This was agreed to, and each member of the party bound himself by a solemn obligation to obey, at all ties, the orders of their captain, or, in event of refusal, to leave the company at once. This arrangement was to remain in force for two years, or for the period of our expected absence. Tyranny, partiality, incompetency, or other improper conduct on the part of the captain, was to be punished by deposing him from his office, if a majority of the company desired his dismissal. All this being arranged, and a set of laws framed, by which the conduct of the members was to be regulated, the election was held, and resulted in choosing me as their leader. It is not my purpose now to give you details of our wanderings, or of the pleasures or dangers we encountered. All this I will reserve until we meet again, when it will be a pleasure to recall incidents that will always be fresh in my memory, About the first of December we reached our destination, Santa Fe, and prepared for a long and welcome rest from the fatigues of our journey. Nothing of interest occurred during the winter, and of this little Mexican town we soon become heartily tiered. We longed for the advent of weather which would enable or resume our wanderings and our exhilerating pursuits. Early in March some of the party, to vary the monotony of their lives, determined upon a short excursion, for the purpose of hunting and examining the country around us. They expected to be only a few days absent, but days pa**ed into weeks, and weeks into a month or more before we had any tidings of the party. We had become exceeding uneasy, and were preparing to send out scouts to trace them, if possible, when two of the party arrived, and gave an explanation of their absence. It appears that when they left Santa Fe they pursued a northerly course for some days, being successful in finding an abundance of game, which they secured, and were on the eve of returning when they discovered on their left an immense herd of buffaloes, heading for a valley just perceptible in the distance. They determined to follow them, and secure as many as possible. Keeping well together, they followed their trail for two weeks or more, securing many and stampeding the rest. One day, while following them, the party encamped in a small ravine, some 250 or 300 miles to the north of Santa Fe, and with their horses tethered, were preparing their evening meal, when of the men discovered in a cleft of the rocks something that had the appearance of gold. Upon showing it to the others it was pronounced to be gold, and much excitement was the natural consequence. Messengers were at once dispatched to inform me of the facts, and request my presence with the rest of the party, and with supplies for an indefinite time. All the pleasures and temptations which had lured them to the plains were now forgotten, and visions of boundless wealth and future grandeur were the only ideas entertained. Upon reaching the locality I found all as it had been represented, and the excitement intense. Every one was diligently at work with such tools and appliances as they had improvised, and quite a little pile had already accumulated. Though all were at work, there was nothing like order or method in their plans, and my first efforts were to systematize our operations, and reduce everything to order. With this object, an agreement was entered into work in common as joint partners, the accumulations of each one to be placed in a common receptacle, and each be entitled to an equal share, whenever he chose to withdraw it—the whole to remain under my charge until some other disposition of it was agreed upon. Under the arrangement the work progressed favorably for eighteen months or more, and a great deal of gold had accumulated in my hands, as well as silver, which had likewise been found. Everything necessary for our purposes and for the prosecution of the work had been obtained from Santa Fe, and no trouble was experienced in procuring a**istance from the Indians in our labors. Maters went on thus until the summer of 1819, when the questions of transferring our wealth to some secure place was frequently discussed. It was not considered advisable to retain so large an amount in so wild and dangerous a locality, where its very possession might endanger our lives; and to conceal it here would avail nothing, as we might at any time be forced to reveal its place of concealment. We were in a dilemma. Some advised one plan, some another. One recommended Santa Fe as the safest place to deposit it, while others objected, and advocated its shipment at once to the Stales, where it was ultimately bound to go, and where alone it would be safe. The idea seemed to prevail, and it was doubtless correct, that when outside parties ascertained, as they would do, that we kept nothing on hand to tempt their capability, our lives would be more secure than at present. It was finally decided that it should be sent to Virginia under my charge, and securely buried in a cave near Buford's tavern, in the county of Bedford, which all of us had visited, and which was considered a perfectly safe depository. This was acceptable to all, and I at once made preparations for my departure. The whole party were to accompany me for the first five hundred miles, when all but ten would return, these letter to remain to the end of the journey. all was carried out as arranged, and I arrived safely with my charge. Stopping at Buford's, where we remained for a month, under pretense of hunting, &c., we visited the cave, and found it unfit for our purpose. It was too frequently visited by the neighboring farmers, who used it as a receptacle for their sweet potatoes and other vegetables. We soon selected a better place, and to this the treasure was safely transferred. Before leaving my companions on the plains it was suggested that, in case of an accident to ourselves, the treasure so concealed would be lost to their relatives, without some provisions against such a contingency. I was, therefore, instructed to select some perfectly reliable person, if such an one could be found, who should, in the event of his proving acceptable to the party, he confided in to carry out their wishes in regard to their respective shares, and upon my return report whether I had found such a person. It was in accordance with these instructions that I visited you, made your acquaintance, was satisfied that you would suit us, and so reported. On my return I found the work still progressing favorably, and, by making large accessions to our force of laborers, I was ready to return last Fall with an increased supply of metal, which came through safely and was deposited with the other. It was at this time I handed you the box, not disclosing the nature of its contents, but asking you to keep it safely till called for. I intend writing you, however, from St. Louis, and impress upon you its importance still more forcibly. The papers enclosed herewith will be unintelligible without the key, which will reach will you in time, and will be found merely to state the contents of our depository, with its exact location, and a list of the names of our party, with their places of residence, &c. I thought, at first, to give you their names in this letter, but reflecting that some one may read the letter, and thus be enabled to impose upon you by personating some member of the party, have decided the present plan is best. You will be aware from what I have written, that we are engaged in a perilous enterprise—one which promises glorious results if successful—but dangers intervene, and of the end no one can tell. We can only hope for the best, and persevere until our work is accomplished, and the sum secured for which we are striving. As ten years must elapse before you will see this letter, you may well conclude by the time that the worst has happened, and that none of us are to numbered with the living. In such an event, you will please visit the place of deposit and secure its contents, which you will divide into thirty-one equal parts; one of these parts you are to retain as your own, freely given you for your services. The other shares to be distributed to the parties named in the accomplishing paper. These legacies, so unexpectedly received, will at least serve to recall names that may be cherished, though partially forgotten. In conclusion, my dear friend, I beg that you will not allow any false or idle punctilio to prevent your receiving and appropriating the portion a**igned to yourself. It is a gift not from myself alone, but from each and every member of our party, and will not be out of proportion to the services required of you. I trust, my dear Mr. Morriss, that we may meet many times in the future, but if the Fates forbid, with my last communication I would a**ure of the entire respect and confidence of Your friend, T. J. B.