New-York daily tribune., 1861-05-30
/ hKkICH OF MASOR-GLNEI:AL
BUTLER.
From Our Own Correspondent.

n H., and ,ns oon on the 5lh OF November. 1913
rave seen it stated that he il f Irish descent nut as
u.s "a "a very common clam, not mnch regard neeo oo
xs.id 10 H. His fatl er = name was John Bntier lie
wss n solGier or a seaman in the War of 1877 Ms.
I'm, leY came 10 Lowell when Butler WAS boy. She
xxs q woman Of energy aud ability, aud believe,
kept for living several years alter
sr.., reno eli TO Lo yel 5 e is now III California.
Butter attended The Lowell High School and the
Academy at Exeter graduated at Waiervil College;
sud lsd law in the Office OF William Smith, esq law
Ter Of 10 great ability and If rather poor reputation,
ssi wss ~ United 10 the lar in 1910. He plunged im'
u.eiaey into law and politics, paying about as much
stent on TO one ss tie other, and, for wonder,
o, gee,ing neither rene Dber m in 1870 going mt"
tie peig .r,ng towns and making Dem cratic
s,~eches, for he OF Democratic family, and bas
auays sdli r,d T. the fi b Of biz fathers.
lie hss "A brother named Andrew Jackson Butler,
and eoncIu5e that tLere is not drop I =" Federal
p,ood' ia his veins. His speeches were smart, I'M
padent reckless, saI dash affairs, showing the came
xen-r, traits which characterized him ss a law
yer snd politician ever .irce lie began lis Tie
very soon became dec.d,d character in Lowell sni
N,diiesex County. He made Poh'ics and law play
h.to each Obers tandr, and while he denounced tie
a.euts and Of the mills tyrans and OF
pfrsers hls office open for the establishment II al
sorts Of Law suits on behalf Of tie male Hnd feuae
operatives. / don't think he ever Tad any nisgiviDg
o. the suit Of "a ujOn winch he bad entered OF
hesiia ed 10 espouse the Cause OF client
20 matter how worthless the client OF how desperate
ve cause. And lie sb IodoD'd his Client IL We
soYy OF defeat. believe Butler aso dabbed II Tie III
ue~spaper vii iug al tits time, but he Is eiu MY
writer aud probably could have aalhined mucb
lsiinction la tiis iiae.
Gradually Buller worked himself out Of the dis
prpusable sort of practice at The bar which lie had
en INTO aid bet er class o, carer came TO Ills SHARE
B~ ability and success commanded wealthier AID
more rspecable cli-nls than at frst though lie has
pever refus. d. ar far know To practice Ill tie Po-
h.. and Justices Cout, ano TO defend the mos' dei-
p-rae and drie utsbe cuprts AT tie cfim' al terms
sf the Aiodesex Court, be ha always, AT least until
very recently, done greater amount of businets thhn
ssy body else and his reputation at present Is that OF
ue most successful criminal lawyer IN the Site. III r
devices and shifts obtain acQuiItal and release ARE
absolutely sDdlsss aud innumerable. lie is never
aa led or b,ft ed until the sentence passed and ut
mo execution and the reprieve. pardon, or commnIa
son 10 refused. An Indictment must be drawn viii
de greatest nicely, it will not STAT d bis CRITICISM
A verdict Of guilty is thing 10 him. II Id
oniy the begnDing Of the case; he has fifty
.acetiions; hundred motions in arrest OF judg-
mot; and sfer that the hateas corpus and
persona replevia. Tie opposing counsel beg.nr
W feel ssfe until the evidence is all n for he knows
sot what new dooges Buller may -pring upon him.
He lie more fertile in exIedens than any n'an wlo
practices sw among ne. Ills -xp-den's frequently
hil bat hey are generally plausible enough 10 bear
de est Of trial. And faulty aud weak they often
llnt ala basp IN
ks'; aud when i,iis he invariably tries anotI er
II were not that there nust be end 10 everything
biz des would lie finished for there
would lie no end exped,ents to obtain c-se.
Tue sto which bas been lately Published that lie
caused an attachment 80 he placed upon the water
xts OF one OF TIE Lowell mlls, the suit VI facto
xui-thue boheriug tie ownsrs 30 that tey were gac
~ se,tle the "bi' without deiis, s probably true.
IL is credrtable to Butler that he stuck 10 the Demo
sraiie parry faithfully and fer 70 many years in a
sty where tia, part, was rerpetnalIy in n minority
was only by the aid Of the free-Solles that he al
k., rot into the Legislature. The Coalition" bad
s.rrled the city in 1872, bat Butler hot on it's
dcket that year. Tie next year he nominated by
de Democ'ss ana Free-SoileIs. Tie fret days .lec
ton resulted in the choice of part of the ticket but
Butler and tLree ote,s fell behind, and de-
std. On The sscond trial Butler was chOseD, receiv-
h,s Just niDe tlsn the requ REQ number.
But TIE State as lost: Clifford chosen Governor
and tbe Senate and House bad small Wing majorites.
Bitter the leader Of the Coaltionist- ia the Home,
end his battles with Otis +. Lord the Wng
lsadtr memo able ia the history of legislative
RIiie in this STATE. Never were two men more equal
rstcbed. For tie trrt time. and the lat, Convc-
6Or Of the two branches, which Is anomalous legis-
ktlve proceeding pecu lar, Think TO Massachusetts,
was broken up without having effected IFS object and
Judge Warren President of tue Senate was made TO
kave at the bead OF his associates, without having
perforued the errand which called them into the Repre-
spntar,es Halt. But tie d i'll of the Whiys
petfect as that Of their enenies, and finally 1t pre-
usd
TIE election Of delegates TO the Constitutional Con-
on; the Coaitionis.s carried Low ell
sssiiy, and Bu.r chosen. In this Convention he
took active part, aud displayed greater aoili and
Appreciation OF pncpies than AN! WHERE eise Aud be
wss iehie in exI edeps ever The polished de-
batter ear evidence If HE Industry and sAi, and tie
vots exhibit has fidelity 10 Tie principles AMI measures
u toe majority OF the Convention. The Constitution
rejected by the people and tie Coalition was dead.
Butler always fitbful ~ IT, aud To- al ~ his Free
Soil alles. Wbeo, in ieJ2, the Congr, srona
came between Henry Wilson and TapIan Wentworth,
Butler, thougn lie did not fOruay withdraw from the
Cell, gave important ad to Wilson. who was, how
ever, defeated Dy small majority and reserved for the
6snsts three years lster. Inc political tights Ia Low
~ ia isJ2 and 1853 were tie ughest ever known i'll
sie stie, and crop OF bei suits grew Of them, ia
winch Butler hgund ss plaintiff, and reieve De go n
verdict agsirst Mr. WhaOd then editor of TIE kOpW
C1pey who had made II violent and uiJustitable at