THE BEALE PAPERS, CONTAINING AUTHENTIC STATEMENTS REGARDING THE TREASURE BURIED IN 1819 AND 1821, NEAR BUFORDS, IN BEDFORD COUNTY, VIRGINIA, AND WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN RECOVERED. ~~~~~~~~~~ PRICE FIFTY CENTS. ~~~~~~~~~~ LYNCHBURG : VIRGINIAN BOOK AND JOB PRINT, 1885. Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1885, by J. B. Ward, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. THE BEALE PAPERS THE following details of an incident that happened many years ago, but which has lost none of its interest on that account, are now given to the public for the first time. Until now, for reasons which will be apparent to every one, all knowledge of this affair was confined to a very limited circle to the writer's immediate family, and to one old and valued friend, upon whose discretion he could always rely ; nor was it ever in- tended that it should travel beyond that circle ; but circumstances over which he has no control, pecuniary embarrassments of a pressing character, and duty to a dependent family requiring his undivided attention, force him to abandon a task to which he has devoted the best years of his life, but which seems as far from accomplishment as at the start. He is, therefore, com- pelled, however unwillingly, to relinquish to others the elucida- tion of the Beale papers, not doubting that of the many who will give the subject attention, some one, through fortune or accident, will speedily solve their mystery and secure the prize which has eluded him. It can be readily imagined that this course was not deter- mined upon all at once ; regardless of the entreaties of his family and the persistent advice of his friend, who were formerly as sanguine as himself, he stubbornly continued his investigations, until absolute want stared him in the face and forced him to yield to their persuasions. Having now lost all hope of benefit from this source himself, he is not unwilling that others may re- ceive it, and only hopes that the prize may fall to some poor, but honest man, who will use his discovery not solely for the promotion of his own enjoyment, but for the welfare of others. Until the writer lost all hope of ultimate success, he toiled faithfully at his work ; unlike any other pursuit with practical and natural results, a charm attended it, independent of the ul- timate benefit he expected, and the possibility of success lent an interest and excitement to the work not to be resisted. It would be difficult to portray the delight he experienced when THE BEALE PAPERS Page 4 accident revealed to him the explanation of the paper marked "2" Unmeaning, as this had hitherto been, it was now fully explained, and no difficulty was apprehended in mastering the others ; but this accident, affording so much pleasure at the time, was a most unfortunate one for him, as it induced him to neg- lect family, friends, and all legitimate pursuits for what has proved, so far, the veriest illusion. It will be seen by a perusal of Mr. Beale's letter to Mr. Mor- riss that he promised, under certain contingences, such as failure to see or communicate with him in a given time, to furnishing a key by which the papers would be fully explained. As the fail- ure to do either actually occurred, and the promised explanation has never been received, it may possibly remain in the hands of some relative or friend of Beale's, or some other person engaged in the enterprise with him. That they would attach no impor- tance to a seemingly unintelligible writing seems quite natural ; but their attention being called to them by the publication of this narrative, may result in eventually bringing to light the missing paper. Mr. Beale, who deposited with Mr. Morriss the papers which form the subject of this history, is described as being a gentle- man well educated, evidently of good family, and with popular manners. What motives could have influenced him and so many others to risk their health and their lives in such an un- dertaking, except the natural love of daring adventure, with its consequent excitement, we can only conjecture. We may sup- pose, and indeed we have his word for so doing, that they were infatuated with the dangers, and with the wild and roving char- acter of their lives, the charms of which lured them farther and farther from civilization, until their lives were sacrificed to their temerity. This was the opinion of Mr. Morriss, and in this way only can we account for the fact that the treasure for which they sacrificed so much, constituting almost fabulous wealth, lies abandoned and unclaimed for more than half a century. Should any of my readers be more fortunate than myself in discovering its place of concealment, I shall not only rejoice with them, but feel that I have at least accomplished something in contributing to the happiness of others. THE BEALE PAPERS Page 5 THE LATE ROBERT MORRISS Robert Morriss, the custodian of the Beale papers, was born in 1778, in the State of Maryland, but removed at an early age, with his family, to Loudoun county, Va., where, in 1803, he married Miss Sarah Mitchell, a fine looking and accomplished young lady of that county. In obtaining such a wife Mr. Mor- riss was peculiarly fortunate, as her subsequent career fully demonstrated. As a wife she was without reproach, as a gen- erous and sympathizing woman she was without an equal ; the poor will long remember her charities, and lament the friend they have lost. Shortly after his removal to Lynchburg, Mr. Morriss engaged in the mercantile business, and shortly there- after he became a purchaser and shipper of tobacco to an extent hitherto unknown in this section. In these pursuits he was eminently successful for several years, and speedily accu- mulated a comfortable independence. It was during this period of his success that he erected the first brick building of which the town could boast, and which still stands on Main street, a mon- ument to his enterprise. His private residence, the house now owned and occupied by Max Guggenheimer, Esq., at the head of Main street, I think he also built. There the most unbounded hospitality reigned, and every facility for enjoyment was fur- nished. The elite of the town assembled there more frequently than elsewhere, and there are now living some whose most pleasant recollections are associated with that period. The happiness of Mr. Morriss, however, was of short duration and reverses came when they were least expected. Heavy purchases of tobacco, at ruinous figures, in anticipation of an upward market, which visions were never realized, swept from him in a moment the savings of years, and left him nothing save his honor and the sincere sympathy of the community with which to begin the battle anew. It was at this time that Mrs. Morriss exhibited the loveliest traits of her character. Seemingly unmindful of her condition, with a smiling face and cheering words, she so encouraged her husband that he became almost reconciled to his fate. Thrown thus upon his own resources, by the advice of his wife, he leased for a term of years the Washington Hotel, known now as the Arlington, on Church street, and commenced the business of hotel keeping. His kind disposition, strict probity, excellent management, and well ordered household, soon rendered him famous as a host, and his reputation extended even to other States. His was the house par excellence of the town, and no fashionable assemblages met at any other. Finding, in a few THE BEALE PAPERS Page 6 years, that his experiment was successful and his business remu- nerative, he removed to the Franklin Hotel, now the Norvell House, the largest and best arranged in the city. This house he conducted for many years, enjoying the friendship and coun- tenance of the first men of the country. Amongst his guests and devoted personal friends Jackson, Clay, Coles, Witcher, Chief Justice Marshall, and a host of others scarcely less dis- tinguished, might be enumerated. But it was not the wealthy and distinguished alone who appreciated Mr. Morriss ; the poor and lowly had blessings for the man who sympathized with their misfortunes, and was ever ready to relieve their distress. Many poor but worthy families, whose descendants are now in our midst, can remember the fact that his table supplied their daily food, not for days and weeks only, but for months at a time ; and as a farther instance of his forbearance and unparalleled generosity, there are now living those who will testify to the fact that he permitted a boarder, in no way connected with him, to remain in his house for more than twenty years, and until he died, without ever receiving the slightest renumeration, and that he was never made to feel otherwise than as a favored guest. In manner Mr. Morriss was courteous and gentle ; but when occasion demanded, could be stern and determined, too ; he was emphatically the master of his house, and from his decision there was no appeal. As an "old Virginia gentleman," he was sans peur et sans reproache, and to a remarkable extent possessed the confidence and affection of his friends. After a checquered and eventful life of more than eighty years, passed mostly in busi- ness, which brought him in contact with all classes of people, he died, lamented by all, and leaving not an enemy behind. His death, which occurred in 1863, was just two years subse- quent to that of his wife. It can be truly said that no persons ever lived in a community for such a length of time who accom- plished more good during their lives, or whose death was more universally regretted. It was the unblemished character of the man, and the uni- versal confidence reposed in him, that induced Beale to entrust him with his secret, and in certain contingencies select him for a most important trust ; that his confidence was not misplaced, every one remembering Mr. Morriss will acknowledge. It was in 1862, the second year of the Confederate war, that Mr. Morriss first intimated the possession of a secret that was destined to make some persons wealthy. At first he was not very communicative, nor did I press him to reveal what he seemed to speak of with reluctance ; in a few weeks, however, his mind seemed changed, and he voluntarily proffered his confi- THE BEALE PAPAERS Page 7 dence. Inviting me to his room, with no one to interrupt us, he gave me an outline of the matter, which soon enlisted my interest and created an intense longing to learn more. About this time, however, affairs of importance required my presence in Richmond, and prevented further communication between us until after my return, when I found him ready to resume the interesting subject. A private interview was soon arranged, and, after several preliminaries had been complied with, the papers upon which this history is based were delivered into my possession. The reasons which influenced him in selecting me for the trust, he gave, and were in substance as follows : First : Friendship for myself and family, whom he would benefit if he could. Second : The knowledge that I was young and in circumstances to afford leisure for the task imposed ; and finally, a confidence that I would regard his instructions, and carry out his wishes regarding his charge. These, and perhaps others, he gave during our frequent conversations upon the subject, and doubtless believed he was conferring a favor which would redound greatly to my advantage. That is has proved otherwise is a misfortune to me, but no fault of his. The conditions alluded to above were that I should devote as much time as was practicable to the papers he had given me ; master, if possible, their contents, and if successful in deciphering their meaning and eventually finding the treasure, to appropriate one-half of his portion as a remuneration for my services ; the other half to be distributed to certain relatives and connexions of his own, whose names he gave me ; the remainder to be held by me in trust for the benefit of such claimants as might at any time appear, and be able to authenticate their claims. This latter amount, to be left intact, subject to such demands, for the space of twenty years, when, if still unclaimed, it should revert to myself or my heirs, as a legacy from himself. As there was nothing objectionable in this, the required promise was given, and the box and the contents were placed in my possession. When the writer recalls his anxious hours, his midnight vigils, his toils, his hopes and disappointments, all consequent upon this promise, he can only conclude that the legacy of Mr. Mor- riss was not as he designed it--a blessing in disguise. Having assumed the responsibilities and consented to the requirements of Mr. Morriss, I determined to devote as much time to the accomplishment of the task as could be consistently spared from other duties. With this purpose in view, I requested from Mr. Morriss a statement of every particular connected