The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-02-19

mournful spectacle-each had q rope
around the neck. But they had unfor-
tunately come without their spoons.
With ferocious and atrocious squint,
Butler ordered them to return home and
bring all their spoons. This consumed
some time; but finally they all.got back
again into the gladiatorial arena. Butler
took the spoons and deposited them in
his capacious breeches pockets, with g
grim chuckle of satisfaction; and then
saying "rll do this little job myself
he stepped down from his lofty place,
and drawing his well tempered blade,
presented to him by the people OF Mas
sachusetts for this very purpose, he at
once proceeded to decapitate all the men,
women and children present--sparlng
neither age, sex, nor condition. The
slaughter was fearful-the carnage sub
lime Never has the world witnessed
such a scene of bloody massacre! 1t
chiIls the blood at this distant day to
recur to it. For five consecutive hours
did he ply that cruel sword, bringing off
head at every cut-,and in glee shout
ing, "whip-it-te-cut,p like a playful
school-boy whipping off the heads of
mullen stalks. Butler had worked
faithfully for five hours, and was knee
deep in blood; so he sank back ex hausted,
and pulling out his fine linen-cambric
pocket-handkerchief, wiped the perspi-
ration from his noble, serene, humane,
but ferocious brow, and the blood from
his dripping blade-and said ~ am
tired, and must rest-carry off them car
cases.p Butler bowed awhile, Che likes
to blow,) AMI was soon ready for the
fray u second time. He came to time
fresh, and again commenced the bloody
work, with a diabolical will. In fifteen
minutes he cut off the heads of three
thousand women, and four hundred and
fifty-six men, and cut topieces seventeen
hundred and eleven innocent children.
He then sheathedh his sword, and saying
"'That concludes the performance for this
day ~ went to bed with his boots ON,
and a quiet conscience, having pre-
viously ordered the city to be fired in
$50, 900 places, as distant as possible
from his quarters. The next day he
rose betimes, and walking around the
city, went into every house and took all
the jewelry and gold watches, and finger
rings, and pianos, which he put in the
pockets of his grey Napoleonic surtout,
and carried home with him, as he called
it, for spolia opia1aia-whatever that
means-but we conclude it was for fear
they would spoil. But why repeat all
the atrOcious crue)ties of this terrible
man? 1t was one day with the sword,
and the next with the halter, till his
victims filled all the streets and public
squares, and damned up the river.
Blood flowed everywhere, and all was
red from morning till night, and from
night till morning, and theshrieks of the
dead and the groans of the living ming
ling with the wild, bacchanalian and
gleeful songs of the debauched Yankee
soldiery, made the Crescent city the
most frightful pandemonium of massacre
s.as ever was" Baths of blood were
common. And the living fed upon the
dead, drank from their skulls, and used
their shin bones for playthings. Butler
all the while was stalking around, like
the genius of slaughter, wading knee
deep in blood, and taking off head
here and there among the crowd, merely
to keep his hand in practice. 1t never
will be known how many innocent
people he slew in New Orleans, and how
many spoons he carried of, in his
breeches pockets-but it has been va
riously computed at several million tons
of each. One thing is evident, he had
determined to be a greater butcher than
Hindman of Arkansas, and as big
robber as Judah p. Benjamin. The only
excuse he gives for taking so many
spoons in New Orleans is, that he was i'm
search of that particular set of table sill
yer which the Confederate Secretary of
War "took" when he was at College.
After killing, hanging, destroying and
the million in New Orleans,
the government concluded to send him
10 other and greeher pastures, and he
was accordingly dispatched to Norfolk
In this city lie stole all that he could lay
his hands on, and killed the old popua-
ton off to a man. His murders were
and many. One morning
before breakfast he chung" sixteen men,
fourteen editors, to get their
Itgrieves us to have to record
he yeracious facts contained in this
rue history-but as the Examiner,
and various other papers,
iave failed to find any more than one
,oor gambler, whom he strung mp most
oyally and loftily for tearing down the
lag of his country, trampling on it, and
railing it in the dust; we say as they
IAN only find Mumford that he chung"
md fail to specify the names of those
who lost spoons-we have concluded to
furnish them with the above evidence
10 the truth of which thousands are ready |
20 swear. The career Of Butler is,
however, about ended. Filled with re-