Consider this- John W. Sherman wrote The Beale Papers and used his cousin James B. Ward to be "the agent". Sherman was a known playright and dime novelist who bought the Lynchburg Virginian newspaper in 1885. The novel was written and a ad was placed in his newspaper to be sold for 50 cents to help the victims of the Lynchburg fire of 1883. The sale of the pamphlet was withdrawn due to the protest of friends, neighbors, relatives and public personalities of and around the Goose Creek area. The pamphlets were destroyed by being placed in the woodstove of the print shop. In 1886 Shermans newspaper was in financial crisis so he printed another ad selling the pamphlet for 10 cents. However by 1887 the newspaper went bankrupt. John W. Sherman was the great grandnephew of Pascal Buford and first cousin of Harriet E. Otey who married James B. Ward. Harriet was the grandneice of Sarah Mitchell-Robert Morriss' wife!