The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1865-03-03
GENERAL B In
And The Fifty Thousand Dollars ia Gold


And the Fifty Thousand Dollars ii Gold.
The Journal Of Commerce. in an editorial on
The recent revelations in regard to this subject,
says;
Judge Edwards Pierrepont, who has long beer
wei known to the public on the bench and in
his profession as lawyer, as well as his asso-
citation, under the orders OF the present admin
istration with General Dix, on the commission
relating TO prisoners Of State, has published q
letter to the Speaker Of the House Of Repre-
seniatives in reply 10 the defence OF Gen. But
ler which was made in the House By AIassa-
chusetfs Representative. This letter presents
series Of astounding facts-astounding only to
those who have been in the dark Oh this sub
ject-about the fifty thousand dollars ia gold,
which Gen Butler appropriated in New Or
leans, and Of which very little that was true
but great deal Of ialsehood has been publish
ed. Judge Pierreponfs character alone IS suii-
cient to give the highest Importance to his state
ments, bnt he does not leave the reader 10 de-
pend on bis unsupported statements He pub
fishes the whole correspondence which has ta-
ken place on the subject between himself and
General Butier, aud the history, as furnished
By General Buffers admissions end contradie-
tory statements at different tines Is most -
markabie. We have not space 10 90 over tEe
whole history. 4 brief statement IS all that
We can make. 1t appears that aIs. Smith, of
.he firm cf Smith & CO., bankers, was loyal
Union man, banker In New Orleans, who bal
accumulated q fortune By !soness industry, ard
that, On lIIe approach Of the Federal troops,
fearing uobs, riot and plnnder, be conce&iad
the gold, which was his own private property.
tie result Of years Of labor. Judge Pierrepoat
| empha;ically denies and disproves a statement
published Ii 4 New York paper the other day
that this gold WIS proceeds Of robbery Of
tic United States Mint" He shows clearly
/ enough that it was tSe private robbery of Pr.
: s{{za.- ssNs4 - ass. tis2foara Jygs5e
ghaH, tAas Better liza ;he' books OE a4Itl -
amined, and fading that he had gold, i'm prison
ed hin until he diyuged the place Of It's con-
ceslmeut, Wliereupon he sent and ssized it.
Gen. BQiler admits taking the moneg Then
/ commences the complication The question
/ Is, what did he do with it2 The answer is.
! that he has it to this day. What ezclaims
/ The reader; did he net pay It over to the gov
/ ernment? No. Did he not use it to pay troops?
No. DID he not expend it'on government ac-
count! Ao. Is not mixed up in his accounts
/ in some way? No. 1t was two years and nine
months ago, ard he has not accounted % any
I one, government or individual, up to this day
/ for The $4,000 II suddenly disappeared. 1t
vanished from public and private view. It was
/ in Smiths vault, OF which the masonry was
/ broken down to enable Butler to get at it, and
from tile time it left that vault II has moi been
+ seen. nor has it appeared in any account or
/ memorandum of account OF Butler with gov
ernnent or any one else. Butler now admits
that lie has L. But did he always admit IS
much?
Judge pierrepont produces a letter from the
! Treasury Department, under date of April 2,
$685. which states that IAN examination Of
the report made TO this department by General
ButlerdiscIoses the following facts: that $50, 000
In coin in the possession Of Smith & Co.. was
seized by General Butler, and by him apPro-
pTiated towards paying the army" Soft seems
that General Butler reported that he bad used
this gold TO pay the army, Jat there was not q
,c0rd Of truth IN this report and Butler has long
since abandoned that story. He has been urged
again and again to pay the r9ercv over 10 the
government, but declines. The reader OF the
letter Of Judge Pierrepont, which Is printed in
pamphlet fern, will be amused at the sharp
lodges Of the Lowell. lawyer, and the ingenuity
with which he succeeds in eyading Judge Pierre
points frank and confding attempts to induce
him to disgorge this money, either to the gov
eminent or to Mr. Smith. For the Judge re-
! ally seems for year or so to have had conf
dence that Batter might be induced to pay over
the money. But finally he was compelled to
sue him here in New York. And then follow
ed funny incident illustrating the game Of con
idence which is played on some newspapers by
especial dispatches" Butler left New York
for Washington Nov. 18th, and reached there
on the 10th. On the next morning, the l7th,
the Tribune published especial" from Washing.
ton, as follows:
| F'Ihe Copperhead attachment Tor Gen. But
SIS New Orleans gold will have to penetrate
! the vaults Of the United States Treasury be-
fore it will be forthcoming, every dollar being
/ in the keeping Of that department"
The 1ane8 on the same morning also had
special saying:
. 'It is proper TO say that the gold referred to
/ IS in the Treasury Of the United States, and
that the plaintiffs must seek redress, if they
feel agsrieved, against the government and not
against General Butler"
Another paper, friendly to Butler, had SIM
liar special" We can imagine Judge Pierre
points astonishment when be read these bold
falsehoods. He had been working hard for
more than year to persuade Butler TO pay the
money into the United States Treasury. That
was all Mr. Smith or his counsel wanted him