The Xenia sentinel. [volume] (Xenia [Ohio]) 1863-186?, 1864-01-12
GeaeFal BatIer..

IS Sgt s.slEss e M
The following are extracts from Par
ton'sbo6keu6tled eGensfal Butler in New
Orieans.s @ ogs, Eases
Mr. Parton tells Us that Mr.. Breekin-
ridge vas at that time Union man, and
vas believed to be honestly such By Mr..
Bdtler. So Hf TzaA a 6
8a a AFFER F4E EfEeTToN. sFsa 6
! In DeeemBert 1850, after the election
Of BIf. LiBsoln, BalleF glssntat0 Washing
ton, where he bad many and serious con
FersatOns with bis e Southern brethren.
They were determined on secession, and
asked 6in to 60 with them. There was
room in the South, hey said, for saeB as
he.7 He told them the North Wnuld fight
against secession, and they laughed at
him they told him the North would star7e
if it resisted, and he laughed at them
He told them < IL the South fights;
there is an end Is slagery,R and they
laughed again. They asked him il she
would fght in such cause" and he re-
piled most. certainly When the South
Carolina ambassadors came to Wash
'ingten, BdtIer proposed to the Attorney
General to try then for treason. t
/. HGeneFal Butler said to the Attorney
General; @ s~ -,
" You say that the Government can not
use its army and navy to eoeree South
Carolina ID South Gagolins. Very well
LIDO nOtagree with you /; but Jet the pro-
position be granted Now, secession is
either right or Is is treason. If it is
right, the sooner We know it the better.
II It Is treason, 50 is the presenting Of the
ordinanee ofsecessiod iuithe White House
to president. Admit them. g Let them
present the,oFdipancs Let the President
say to them Gentlemen, you GO hence
IN the custody Of a marshal Of the United
States, as prisoners Of state, charged with
treason against your county? Summon
a, grand jury herein. Washington. Iudiet
the commissioners. IF any Of your Off
GERS are backward in acting, you have the
power; replace them with men
who feel as men should at time like this.
Try the commissioners before the SU-
prene Court with all the imposing forms
and stately ceremonial which, marked the
trial Of Aaron Burr / have some repu-
tation at home as a criminal lawyer, and
viii stay here to help the district attorney
through 5he trial without fee or reward.
If they are convicted, execute the sentence.
IF they are acquitted, you viii have done
something toward leaving clear path for
the incoming Administration. Time viii
have been gained but the great advan-
tage will be, that both sides will pause to
watch this dignifed proceeding; the pas ]
sions Of men Will cool /; the great points at
issue VIII become clear to all parties; the
mind Of the country will be active while
passion and prejudice are aHayed, Mean
while, if you can not use your army and
navy in Charleston harbor, you can GER /
tafnly employ them IN keeping order here" A.,
This was advice sound to the core and
worthy Of a great lawyer, .and7of an Amer !
lean who eOmprehended thoroughly the
meaning Of lawful liberty. OF course it /
was not needed. The commissioners :" 4
Of ambassadors heard Of it. ,saillsl at !
.ai q Why, you would notrhang lus2 = said
Mr.. Orr, one of them to Butler8i ,
"Oh, no" was the reply, "not unless
you were found guilty"
He had one last, long interview with
the Southern leaders, at which the whole 4
gone oYer.a For three hours
he reasoned with them, demonstrating the
felly Of their course, and warning them
Of final and. disastrous failure. The con-
was friendly, though warm and !
earnest on both sides. Again he was in
Fited to join them, and was offered q share
in their enterprise, and a place in that,
/" sound and homogeneous government"
which they meant to establish. He left
them no ro0m to doubt that he took sides
with his country, and that all he had and
all heWas should be freely risked in that
country 's-eause.i Late at night they. sep
arated to know one another no more ex-
eept as mortal foes. |
The next morning, General Butler
went to Senator Wilson, Of Massachusetts,,
an old acquaintance though long a politi-r
cal opponent, and teld him that the South
ern leaders meant war, and urged him to
join in advising the Governor Of their State
to prepare the militia Of Massachusetts
fer the taking feld}to, ~ ed gFid s9aa
He lWeut himself to Governor Andrew,
and advised him to put the militia Of his
State on a war footing, sending away all
who were unwilling to leave the State, and
supplying their places. Also, he urged
him to have twenty Thousand overcOats
made; to this there was opposition, but
Governor Andrew was equal to the aener-
gency he ordered the coats, and /" the
last stitches in the last hundred Of them
were performed while the men stood drawn
up on the Common waiting to strap them
to- their knapsaeks before getting into the
cars for Washiugton.p ys s. bsssd 5oa
That was the way the gallant old Bay
State was made ready for the war, 1
TIE Nashville. Press is eRedibly in
formed that, few days ago, a party Of the
0i1,., 4