I'm so glad you found this article. This story is well known in the county and the info in the article confirms some facts and exposes some rumors. I wrote about this in _Old Times_. Thus: "Sheriff Hyatt related the following story: During the last of the Civil War an attempt was made to send United States currency to Pine Bluff for safekeeping by residents of Mount Tabor. The money was placed in individual sacks which were tagged with each owner's name. These were packed in a blue granite wash basin and loaded on a wagon, with two men assigned to take it to Pine Bluff. As they neared the Claude Lock place, they met a rider who told them the Yanks were coming. They quickly buried the gold by a big pine stump. After the Yankees left, a search was made for the money but it was not found. In about 1949 [date wrong], when Lock was clearing new ground on the Old Military Road he bulldozed up the blue granite basin. It contained $22,000 [the amount got exaggerated through the years!] in gold coins. Gold being illegal at that time, he turned it in to Union Bank for face value." > Monticello, April 11, 1920 - Two cans comtaining gold, said to be worth between $4,000 and $5,000, were unearthed by Claude Lack while plowing in a 20 acre field near Monticello, according to reports received here. Lack was preparking the ground for spring planting, when his plow came in contact with an immovable object, it is said. Wishing to avoid further inconveniences from the obstacle, the plowman dropped his lines, obtained an iron bar and removed the hidden cans. He was considerably amazed when he found they contained gold. It is believed the gold was buried during the days of the Civil War. > > [I cracked up when I read this one. I have a casette recording of my aunt, Inis Williams Humprhies, telling this same story. The way she described it the gold was found by Mr. Lack in the Mt. Tabor area] > >