The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1866-07-05

We HoW give, aisO Ill Iull, the letter
which Mr.. GREEN addressed to Senator
ANTHONY, of Rhode Island:
U. S. STEAMER MAssAsOIT,
JAMES RIVER, Va, Jan. IA, 1866
Dear SiT-ln making the statements
l am about to do to you, it is With the
confidence that, if you see sufficient
cause to take any steps towards inducing
the Government to unravel the matter,
you will do SO without giving me any
publicity in the affair, and if possible,
without my being a witness. The
Government will be able to find its own,
and sufficient proof, however, if it
follows the matter UP.
l have only hesitated in making It
known before for want of direct proof.
and dislike OF being called upon as Il
witness.
On the 31sJ Of last month [ was re-
turning from visit to Providence, and
met on the wharf at Fortress Monroe a
man named William Howard, an L.u-
glishman, and formerly in the employ
Of the Boston, Providence and NV
York Railroad as baggage-master. He
usually accompanied the train, and as
nay duties have called me over the road
two or three times week for tiie last
two years, until within short time, |
have known him quite intimately. and
have known aim TO be, at heart, a Reoel
sympathiZer and secessionist.
The morning of the day | met hun
we passed up 10 Norfolk together. In
reply 10 my inquiries as TO how he came
there, and why he left the railroad, he
said he Was .son a little money-ma' king
expedition; )" showed me passport to
NeWbern, North Carolina. furnished, l1a
said, through General Butler, and then,
after some preliminaries, said in sub
stance that a friend of Butler, named
Peters, then in New York, had three
thousand bales OF cotton in Whining
ton; that they were going to get it out.
Butler was to work the thing through,
and have half the money that he was
no doubt but that they should succeed;
that himself and some other person,
whose name l do not remember, were
merely acting asagents, knOWingnothing
but what they were told to do, but il
successful, would make money; that,
being Englishmen, they should have no
difficulty in moving within the rebel
lines. He furthermore stated, what I
had already began to see, to wit: That
if Wilmington had been captured, Butler
would have lost his cotton, as it would
have fallen into our hands; and ex-
pressed his opinions freely that there
was but little patriotism in any of our
leading men that they meant money,
and like the one who, as he expressed
it, was "doing such mean things for his
own benefit, looked out first for them
selves.'
Howard has gone to Newbern, /
suppose. The proprietor of the At
lantic Hotel in Norfolk, relative of
Butler, | believe, is concerned in the
matter.
There may be no truth in Howard's
statements if there is, detectives will
soon trace it out, and it will readily be
seen why Wilmington was not taken,
thu ugh it is hard to believe any man
would so sell his country's honor.
You can use this letter to inform the
proper authorities, for l consider it my
duty as an officer and lover of my
country's welfare to make it known, but
the result can be attained without my
gaining any publicity.
l am, very respectfully, yours,
LEVI r. GREENE,
First Assistant Engineer L. $. \.
Senator II. b. Anthony.
son receipt of the above, Commander
Parker forwarded it to Admiral Porter,
stating briefly from whom he obtained
ii, and suggesting that Mr.. Greene's
narrative may account for the sudden
abandonment of the attack on Fort