Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-03-26
How General Butler Administers Justice
RfF0rEress Monroe.


How General Butler Administers Justice
RtFOrtresa Monroe.
A Fortress Monroe correspondent of the
Boston Journal gives this sketch Of Gener-
al Buffers operations:
"With loyal men General Butler is very
popular. If he is rough, severe and un-
smiable, it is only with those who show
regard for our government while they are
traitors at heart. He has faculty Of un-
masking these hypocrites, and for them he
has no fsVors. he holds court in primi-
tive style, The doors Of his office stand
wide open. AS in the time Of Solomon, all
who have cause bring it directly to his
presence. He decides 1t at once. The
Pool Of Sloan had not q more variegsted
patronage than can be seen around the
headquarters Of General Butrer. Cases of
assault and battery, poor colored women
Wronged by their landlords, pretty broils,
parties seeking TO be free from arrest, with
the higher and the more important duties
Of his trust, keep him busy from early
morn, often, till midnight. Never Wesried
clear, cool and sharp, with ready wit,
clear sense of justice, courage equal to
any WIN = PoAAGob AAOHASA ~
Of humane nature, learned in his practice
as 8 criminal lsWyer-sll enables him to
dispatch business with amazing rspidity
and to make q recreation Of Whist would
crush most men. A specimen or two will
illustrate this.
ain the plsinest possible attire he sits
in his Office, without show or parade, with
genuine courtesy, but with the sir of man
not to be trifed with. He receives one af-
ter an other Of the vast throlg that come
to his head quarters day by day. First
comes in en- old man. His daughter is un-
der arrest as a spy. He assures the Gen.
eral that his daughter is innocent Of the
charge. He has papers to prove it. 1t is
not right that his daughter shonld be held
on suspicion Of such crime. General
Butler reads carefully the sfidayits put
into his hands. He says: these papers
only show that your daughter was loyal at
a certain time. have proof that he Of
fence was committed after the time men
toned in these papers. | agree with you
that the crime is g great one. can't dis
charge your daughter with this accusation
over her. shall order her to he tried
that her innocence may appear.
"NeXt comes q gentleman about his son
who is q prisoner at Richmond. He wants
him exchanged. The General asks; How
long has he been prisonerP Thirty days
was the reply. / have eight-hundred Of
feers, says General Butler, who have been
in Richmond year or more appeal to
you if your SON was one Of these eight-hun-
dred officers, if you would think it right,
to leave him still longer, and release one
who had been in prison only few days
The father replied: 'You are right, Gen
eral Butler, but want my boy
"Ons other case. A Presbyterian min
lister, in the employ Of the Christian Com
mission, called on the commanding gener
al in relation to the prisoners at Point
Lookout. Rebel prisoners were many of
them sick and dying, and needed spiritu-
al consolation. He asked that DR.. Junkin,
father-in-lsw Of StoneWall Jackson, might
be appointed to visit them. Where is the
post chsplainT the general asked. He is
sick was the reply, 'snd cannot attend to
duties Let him resign, was the response.
He is too faithful servant Of Christ to
allow men to suffer for spiritual aid which
he can't render. When he resigns, will
appoint DR.. JunkiA to take his place. To
this, of course, there could be no reply.
The clergyman played himself out with his
answer"