The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-01-26
TINE ACCUSERS OF THE PRES
IDENT.
Ashley and Bcast Buticr-A Noble
Pair GC EtrNthNVN,

.shlcy and Bcast Buticr-A Noble
Pair or Brothers.
rom the Cincinnati Commercial, Radical
1t strikes us that gentlemen who
noye the impeachment Of the Presl'
lent on counts Of dishonesty and cor
upton in office, should, OF all men
AVE II record for purity and integrity
public life that cannot be called III
question. 1t singtlarly happens that
he two mon who have manifested the
greatest anxiety to be the prosecutors
Of His Exccllency, are not above sus'
and it takes something from the
moral force Of their action that they
are accused, with some show Of reason,
Of acts not compatible with the high
est standards Of official honesty.
The fact is recalled that Dir, Ashley
used his official position to secure the
appointment of an old friend as Sur
vcyor General Of Colorado, "thc best
Office, in his opinion, in the gilt OF the
President" 50 that he (Ashlcy) nigh!
20 in partnership with him "in I'LL land
spcculatious and town sites" Three
letters written by Ashley TO my Dear
Case" pending the appointment, eX-
hibit u good deal more anxiety to have
Il hand in thc speculation than in the
appointment Of Il particular person. 1t
was only because Case appeared to him
Il better tool for his purpose than any
other, that Ashley urged his appoint
mont. In the first Of these letters
Ashley writes March -, 1851: 49,
"lr you get it. | want to unite with
you as a full partner in all land spccu-
~lations and town Sites
Six days aftcr he writes:
"This is considered the best appoint,
mcnt in I'LL the territories, and is the
best Of all the territorial appointments,
| want to have an interest with you, il
/ get the place, in the city and town
lot speculations. The Pacific Railroad
will go through this territory, and it
will be a fortune to us if ! can get it.
And TIE day after:
CHOW, if | get this, want to be q
full co,partncr with you in the purchase
Of all the real estate that you may
make in that territory. have spent {
good deal Of time and some money tC
get this place, and if ! DO getit ! hope
YOU will chccrfulsy go in with me-"
But he was not satisfied with this
chance to make a fortune. Believing
with the Apostle that he who does no
provide for his own household is wors'
than an inlidcl, and charging the ap
plication of the text to take in "m.,
brother Eli" and "my brother William,
he insisted that Case should give E|
the chief c!crkship, put Bill into aa..
place he was competent to Fill, and kee.
one position open to be filled by som
one Of Ashley's favoritcs, whom h
might name aftcrward. After that
comment would be supcrnuous.
The other most ardent prosecutor o
the President for iniquity in office i
the bottle imp Of Bermuda Hundred
the vaIorous Major General Benjani
+. Butler. He may be Of the mos
immaculate patriots in the land, but tn
recent suits. brought against him shak
our. confidence. The suits came up i
i, one Of The New Yori. courts q few day
ago. Without committing ourselves
one side or thc other, VIC give an out
line Of three Of them. The first
brought by Henry Siobrecht, VIII
alleges that Butler while commandin
in New Orleans employed him to d
the upholstery Of his headquarters i
that city, which consisted in removing
certain articles Of pertu and tlrnitur
from residences in the city, inc!udin
among other things "twenty oil paint
ings and pictures, three pieces Of sta
, uary, o number Of candelabrAs, a bi
Hard table, brocatellc window hanging:
, a velvet carpet" etc, from q hous
situated on Rampant street, to tn
. house occupied by Butler. For tn.
service Sicbrecht presented q bill, BIT
Butler, intending to be at no more e!
pcnse in having the articles put
place than he was in acquiring then
refused to pay-and therefore the sui
The second snit is at the instance {
Henry A. Tilden, who asserts that Blu
Ter, while commanding in New Orlcan
seized the steamer Nassau, worth $3.50
600 Lawful money, compelled the own,
10 take $4,000 i'll deprecated bills Of
New Orleans ban!, for her, charterc
her to the government at $500 a da'
r though the original owner was willil
!, to charter her to the same for $50
:. day, and that he finally sold her f(
over $4,000.
In the third suit the plaintiff, Alfrc
kearney, makes ayerment thai viii
Butler commanded in New Orleans |
Nearney,) possessed, in his own RICH
r 1860 barrels resin, 1913 barrels pitc
and 500 barrels tar, (thesc article
wee valued in those days. worth $50
, us; that the defendant, c%onfedefatif
with his brother, Andrew j. Butte
since deceased, caused the plaintiff
be arrested by Il squad of soldiers u!
, taken before him ut his headQuarter
and upon the pretcnce that plaintiff ht
agreed to sell to Andrew J. Butler Il
, property mentioned in exchange f
certain notes in the similitude Of p
+ per money.issued b. the so-cailcd Co
iederato States Of America, but Whit
were worthless, ordered, and.by for
Of his power compelled the plaintiff
q, deliver 10 Andrew j. Butler the pro
or.y in question for the nominal su
: OF $7.9SS in the invalid and wortlle
+, notes of the Confederate govcrhInel
, and that the said Andrew j. Butlerw
enabled to, and did carry away 81
dispose of the goods and mcrclandl
to his own personal profit and adra
!. tage, for which property the 1laint
@ tasks judgment in the sum of oC6,Tl
with interest.