Butts County GaArchives News.....$7000 Unhoarded January 19, 1900
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Don Bankston http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00024.html#0005864 December 7, 2007, 8:15 pm

Jackson Argus – Butts County January 19, 1900
$7000 Unhoarded

From the Atlanta Journal

A rusty old safe in a lonely three room farm house on the Mayson and Turner’s 
ferry road has been hugging thousands of dollars in greenbacks and gold within 
its iron bosom for more than half a century.  Yesterday morning the doors of 
the safe were swung back on the creaking hinges and the horde of wealth was 
exposed for the first time to the wondering gaze of the heirs to the fortune.  
Later it was removed in bags to the big safety vaults of the Neal Loan and 
Banking company.

The money, nearly $7000 is the accumulation of years of honest toil and frugal 
living by Edward Elliott, who died in December at the ripe old age of 81 
years.  He was a farmer and owned two hundred acres of rich land in the 
vicinity of the city dumping grounds, two miles and a half from the union 
depot.  He inherited the land from his father and lived in the little farmhouse 
close to the public road since his boyhood days.

His wife, who survives him, and who is principal heir to the fortune, perhaps 
is 79 years of age.  Since the death of her husband she has lived almost alone 
in the cottage with the iron safe and its precious contents, her only companion 
being a granddaughter 16 years of age.  She did not know until yesterday that 
the safe held the big store of gold, though she knew her husband had saved 
money during his lifetime.

On the advice of her lawyer, who feared that the current rumors of the deceased 
farmer’s savings might tempt evil persons to crime in search of the wealth, she 
sent for an official of the bank yesterday and in the presence of the attorney, 
and several relatives opened the safe, the combination of which had been left 
to her by her husband at his death.

The sight which met the eyes of the party when the doors cracked back was 
starting.  Gold, rich yellow pieces of it, filled every drawer.  There was 
enough to delight the soul of any gloating miser and cause him to run his 
fingers through the pile and whisper, “Ha,ha, my pretty boys, and you are mine, 
mine, mine!”  Gaspard would have reveled in it.  Greenbacks were piled in the 
pigeon holes, Silver pieces were in a box in the large compartment of the safe.

I didn’t dream there was that much money in there, was Mrs. Elliot’s comment.

The little hand satchel which had been brought out by the bank official in 
which to convey the money to bank was discarded at the sight of the wealth and 
bags were procured.  The gold and silver was counted carefully and raked into 
the sacks.  When the count of the greenbacks began it was discovered that they 
were stuck together from age.  Papers in the safe showed that some of the money 
had been lying there since the early fifties.  The atmosphere of thee safe was 
impregnated with veritable money musk.

When the attorney and the bank officials had reached the bank and the wealth 
was safely stored in the vaults they heaved a sigh of relief, glad to be rid of 
the heavy burden and to see it safe within the steel walls.

Jackson Argus – Butts County
Week of January 19, 1900


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