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Earlier that morning, Georg and the Confederate spies, pulling a handcart, infiltrated the perimeter surrounding the Treasury Building. Lying in the handcart was an unconscious Robert Lincoln underneath piles of burlap bags. Georg informed the soldiers on guard duty that they were sent from Police Superintendent Kennedy’s office with food and supplies. After unsuccessful attempts to contact City Hall, the guards allowed them to pass without question. Proceeding through the perimeter, the Confederate spies entered through the side door of the building. It was still guarded by only one sentry.
“Orders, please!” The soldier on duty demanded.
Georg fumbled through the pockets of his uniform while the Confederate lieutenant slipped behind the sentry. He knocked him unconscious with the butt of his revolver and tied him up. The spies went into the building and Georg discovered a hand-crank elevator leading to the basement vault.
As they descended onto the basement floor, another startled sentry shouted: “Who goes there?” He raised his rifle and pointed it at them.
“We are policemen sent by Superintendent Kennedy to guard the vault,” Georg lied as he opened the door of the elevator. The sentry relaxed and placed his rifle on the ground.
Georg suddenly produced his pistol and ordered him to raise his hands. But the guard refused and reached for his rifle. Georg shot him dead. He snatched the keys to the vault from the guard’s belt. Georg and his men entered the vault and were dumbfounded when they saw the number of gold bars stacked on the shelves. Georg quickly identified the gold bullion belonging to the British government.
“Hurry, only load the handcart with as many bags of gold bars you can carry from this shelf!” Georg ordered his men. He pointed at the gold bars imprinted with the Great Seal of Queen Victoria. Several of the men grumbled as they looked around at the rest of the gold bullion.
Georg whispered harshly, “I will stand guard! Now hurry.” They dumped an unconscious Robert Lincoln into a corner of the vault and began filling the burlap bags with British gold bars and coins.
Meantime, Johannes reached the Treasury Building on Wall Street at about noon. Earlier, General Wool ordered all able-bodied men to help in securing the Treasury Building against the mobs rampaging through the city. Johannes recently returned with Joseph from helping black slaves escape down south volunteered to patrol inside the building. As he was completing his rounds, he stumbled into Richard Cordwell.
Richard Cordwell was resting in a small alcove off the main foyer smoking a cigarette. Johannes requested his papers and Richard displayed his Scotland Yard badge. He told him he was assigned to accompany Queen Victoria’s gold delivery from Liverpool.
Richard Cordwell wondered aloud to Johannes “Why are there men working downstairs in the vault today? I heard some strange sounds, possibly even a muffled gunshot. It seems odd with everything happening in the city.”
He flicked an ash from his burning cigarette. Johannes was equally puzzled.
“No one should be working in the vaults today.” He said to Cordwell. “I’ll investigate it. But you stay here!”
“Of course, sir.” Richard feigned a salute at Johannes. “I discovered a cool and comfortable spot with a pleasant breeze.” He took another drag on his cigarette.
Johannes pushed past him and went down the basement stairs. At the base of the stairs, he rounded the corner of the basement to investigate the unusual noises. He pulled out his pistol from his pocket and pointed it straight ahead. He tried to see what was happening in the vault, but it was too dark. As he crept closer, Johannes spotted five men loading an empty handcart with burlap bags. Two of them were dressed as policemen.
Johannes shouted “nobody moves, or I will shoot” and he cocked the trigger on his pistol.
Johannes leveled his pistol at one of the policemen. Georg turned and fired a gunshot and hit Johannes in the shoulder. This caused him to spin around and drop his weapon. Johannes crumbled to the ground as the bullet seared through his shoulder causing excruciating pain.
Georg went over to the fallen Johannes and kicked his pistol away from him. He looked down at him and did a double-take. He recognized him. Johannes also looked up at the eyes of his assailant and recognized him too!
Georg leveled his gun at Johannes and looked at him with dark steely eyes.
“Don’t move or I’ll kill you!”
Johannes looked at the Confederate spy and said: “Somehow, I knew I would see you again!” He winced from the pain in his wounded shoulder.
Georg lowered his weapon. “What are doing here?” He asked.
Johannes said, “I am guarding the Treasury Building against the rioting anti-draft mobs.”
It was Georg’s turn to smile. “You mean the riots we started.” He said with a laugh and raised his revolver again and leveled it at Johannes.
“You started them? Why?” Johannes said in wonder. But then it dawned on him that Georg was working for the Confederacy!
Georg laughed once more. “You don’t think New York City young men were prepared to be drafted, do you?” He said. “Old Abe Lincoln is losing the support of his own people in this blasted war!”
At that moment, the Confederate lieutenant came up to Georg. “We’re almost done, Sir.” He said. “How are we getting out?” the lieutenant wondered aloud.
Georg hushed him. “I have it covered. We now have two hostages!” Johannes looked up at Georg and saw him point at another unconscious man tied up in the corner of the vault.
Meanwhile, Richard Cordwell was startled when he heard the gunshot down below in the vault. As a result, he drew his revolver out of his coat pocket and climbed quietly down the stairs to where Johannes had disappeared. He saw a man dressed as a policeman pointing a pistol at Johannes sitting on the ground. He also saw four other men loading a hand cart with burlap bags. It appeared to Richard that Johannes was bleeding from his shoulder. His shirt bore a deep crimson stain spreading to his chest. He cocked the trigger on his revolver. In that same instant, Georg heard the sound of his revolver, and ducked down and fired a shot back in Richard Cordwell’s direction. But he missed it.
“C’mon,” Georg shouted at his men. “Let’s get out of here!”
He turned to his fellow soldiers and helped push the handcart into the dark hallway, onto the crank elevator and closed the heavy steel door. After they had gone, Richard ran up to Johannes.
“Bloody, hell. Are you ok?” He asked.
Johannes struggled to his feet with his arm hanging limply at his side. “After them, they are stealing the gold!” He shouted at Richard as he began climbing the stairs. Richard turned around to look at the vault. He noticed the gold belonging to Great Britain was missing. Richard and Johannes began running up the stairs after the five men.
