The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1864-12-30
Reminiscence of Mrs. General Butler

hemlnlSceuce OF lufs. General Butler.
Tue Now Ymk correspondent OF the
Providence journal is tho author of the
following:
Somo eighteen or twenty yeurs ago, u
young acrcss, u Miss Ihldreth. rayed for
several evenings AT the Dorrancp Street
Theatre, in Providence. | happened to see
her in the tragedy Of Jane Shore" Her
pnrt was secondary ono. that of tho friend
and confdant of Eiwaro's beautiful favor.
ite, but her conception of tho character sur
priscd mo by iis originality and its imprcs-
sivc tiu,hfulness. Ioit that she hnd great
dramatic taleni, and often wondered that
her nhme had SO entirely disappeared from
the sisge.
In tho spring of ls49. whi!o visiting a
friend in Lowell. found one morning, on
returning from u walk. a card from Mrs
Ben jamin Butler. with an invitation to take
tea with her on the following evening.
went with my host and hostess; no other
guests were invited. Tho nano of Mrs
Benjamin Butler had for me at tho time no
other significance than might have had the
nume Of MIS-. John Smith. On our way to
tho house, my bost, Webster Wing, spok o
OF Mr. Butler. rot too fatoringy. IA Il
successful lawyer, smart but unscrupulous,
ready to take up the worst cases. and noted
for always carrying his clients through.
On entering the parlors / was surprised
10 find in the charming and graceful lady
who received US, tho dramatic friend and
confdaut of Jane Shore whose talent had
so in pressed me at the Dorrance street
! theatre. Mrs BuIler WIS Young lady OF
Dracut, who, fascinated by tho stage. and
| conscious of dramatic power, had obtained
\ So. H. Il
tres. and who was for about two years car.
nrstly devoted to her profession, when Mr.
Beuj jamin Butler protfered his heart and
hand. and won her back to domestic hfe.
found that she still loved the art, md re.
questcd her to read TO mo some of hor ia
yori,c passages in Shakespeare She read
! remember, the prison scene in Measure
| for Measure with passionate pathos whicf
made me half regrot that the "smart Lowel
lawyer" had won her away from Mepoment
! and all her tragic gloom and splendors.
Later in the evening Mr. Butler came ia
from his Office and talked politics with nv
friend, tho Webster Whig Tho political
problems of that day were far other than
what they now are. though their solution
involved more or less directly, all the nigh.
ty Interests of the eventful present, A
Black Republican" at ncart theu, as now
l could not but feel that tho pale, halfand
milf pro.sIavery republcanism of my friend
tho Webster Wing, had little weight before
tho more consistent logic and downright
democracy Of the Lowell lawyer.
As listened 10 his terse and trenchant
talk did not quite so much wonder that
the actress had preferred him to Melpom-
enc; yet how littlo could then have fore.
seen the important and decisive part which
ihut indomiable will, tha. downright logic,
were destined to play in tho greatest con-
test for liberty and law that ever convulsed
n nation, How iittle could l havo foreseon
that tho "smart Lowell lawyer" would ho.
como tho terror of the slavo power, the
protector Of contrabands, aud "the reform
or of refractory cities" North and South.