Cindy and Drew,

Cindy, Drew is correct in that I mention Lee Tilley in Volume 2. There is more about the family in the endnote #7 on page 352 in that volume. In that note I also mention the softback book "The Tilley Treasure" by James B. King, Jr. published in 1984 at Point Lookout, Missouri by the School of the Ozarks Press. King's book has much more than mine, and I applaud James King's research about the Tilley family. I have no trouble believing that Union soldiers murdered the elder Mr. Tilley (Lee Tilley's father, I presume), probably while they were trying to get him to reveal where his money was hidden. Wilson M. Tilley's tombstone gives his date of death as 10 September 1864 (King's book shows a photo of the stone). I seem to recall that Mr. Tilley's farm was on bottom land of Roubidoux Creek, but its location was definitely on Fort Leonard Wood land. I wouldn't encourage anybody to go looking for it, because 1. Roubidoux Creek wanders across large portions of the fort, and 2. the Dept. of Defense is really sensitive about folks trespassing on gov't land after 9/11. Just a word to the wise should be sufficient.

Yes, Cindy, there was a treasure. It was found perhaps by accident during construction of Fort Leonard Wood in about 1940 or 1941. The man who found it left a calling card behind, signaling that he had indeed discovered the buried treasure. This was the largest calling card I ever heard of. Also, word of the discovery went around in the Pulaski County area just as America entered World War II. Unfortunately, King's book doesn't cover the discovery of the Tilley treasure, but King's book contains quite a lot about the Tilley family and Union records of the Tilley son's tribunal by the Union military.

You are correct that the Chitwoods were prominent in their zeal for the southern cause in that region, and I wouldn't doubt that Lee Tilley probably rode with them. I mention one of the Chitwoods in Volume 4, and two Chitwoods (who may not be of this area) on the northern side in Volume 3. Tilley was also involved with the Chilton family of that same region, and I wrote of them in Volume 1 and 2. I seem to recall there were messages about the Chitwoods some time back in this same forum, but I could be mistaken about that.

I did not write much about the Tilley family, because there is just so much I could include. I mention the Chiltons more than the Tilley family because the Chiltons were widely known for leadership in that region, and the deaths of some Chiltons were notable, too. I don't mean to take anything away from the Chitwoods, as they were leaders in the southern cause, as well. That is partly why I mention King's book. I mention the discovery of the Tilley treasure because it cleared up the folklore that grew about it after the Civil War. I leave the story of the discovery to somebody else, who would probably enjoy telling that part of the story. If nobody tells it after a day or three, I will. There's still a bit of mystery about it, but that certainly doesn't hurt a good story, does it?

Drew, thank you for the compliment. I do appreciate it.

Bruce Nichols