New-York tribune., 1867-05-23
LETTER FROM GEN BUTLER.
THE WEST VIRGINIA DEsERTERs-Bo0THS DIARY.
Gen Butler has written the following letter to Ihe
Boston TTareiler: -
Boston, May 81, 1867.
7 clip from your paper Of the 10Th


Two Of TIE big guns q tss cion have been n eSPeis
sp prosi before ths Jy COMMITTEE 81 .no Gns %
Butler President Johnson eoupt aroned one hundred anu
hat eighteen PAGES taken Booths ds also nven-
Gea. Batter must he caren or he'll get ooed W Ss'H
Making n rule never to answer personal newspaper
SANDER unless public interest gene
rally q either TO misrepresent my actions OF
misntcrpret my motives TO lneet iai:e statements V5
proofs in n grave public accusation break custom
As word o the evidence before the Judiciary Commit
has been allowed TO Do published how could tne etot
of The 7tGreer know the statement to be true that III
has proved before the Judiciary Commltee OF the
House that the story which was se
going by Gen Butler that President Johnson corruPtW
pardOned 1913 deserters has not one word OF tsuih IN IT,
ON the contrary, II has been put IN evidence te ee y, %
mttee that President johnson az the solicitation OF ION
Florence, editor of Rebel sheet IN WashhgtGn; on On
Western Virginia. from letter 10 the ne DeloS,n5hd d
candidate for CONGRESS to te nber . Evidence of
vote the ticket, ana Wi,lout any ,t Vic ,ros
their deserving than letter OF ciam agent t~o Was
20 have half OF their forfeited back pay ana DOuhts Iot
oraon Of all pay and allowance forfeited Dy aeserIo
Is3 men stood the rolls OF their regiments maIked
as dessrtrrs" and OF them charged WIN deserving
10 the enemy IL was also proved tnat the claim agent
who expected make $4,000 out OF the job, PAID fOr
$500 for his share of the punder IknoN that see
testimony was gwen because nave sworn m %
@ & "a 20 tsti6cd n s fri,e that the War Department
order restoring these is not dated till the 25th OF
Noyember30 days after election; PUT the fresldenos
30 days 10 investigate the case OF man Of the l95
who proved to have deserted TO the enemy ana the
thanks are due to johnson that all these deserters
We're not restored before elections, lac had ordered
thereby taking $4,000 from tho fund appropriated to the
disabled soldiers and giving II to these deserters ana
clam agents These facts no truthful person has contra
dicted anywhere
/ Again let me examine the assertion that
The story page, bad been kea from Booths diary also AM
invention.
Booths diary has been before the Committee, and ls
pages are carefully eut out being pages down TO the
yery day OF the assassination. The only question
raised When and by whom were these leaves cur
QUIT Booth while hunted for his life through swamps
and byways after the assassination would hardly have
leisure for such amusement beside on horseback win
straight edge by which to trim the leaves nicely as i
is done Everything taken from Booths person was pus
in evidence on the trial OF Mrs. Surratteven 10 bill or
exchange taken ont OF this same daryexcept this diary
itself and the valuable di9mond pin which ne wore 20
the diary and the pin now be iOundf Cnt those ha'S
had custody Of the articles taken from the body can ac
count for all OF them must be excused from peevng
the testimony that the articles are all now In the same
who has got the pin perhaps tell who has the
missing leaves. Upon the whole, do you really thlnk
is in perhaps 1t will be well TO look up the origin OF the
phrase which unnyentye persons have appropriated 10
Your article says:
Gen Butler careful he'll ge, bottled up again"
True, he may be-in the way as before. In May
Cen Butter Received orders from GEN Grant send
away all tbs troops he could with safety spare TO teen
about 10 fight the battle OF Cold Harbor In obedience
thereto Gen Butler sent Gen. Grant O PSSsa en en
under Gen. Buffers command WhefeupOn, uen but1er
complained that the necessities or tno army OF To
tomac had bottled him up in Bermuda Hundred" Ihat
complaint repeated about his headquarters ana IN
the very words will be found TO have been published IN
the correspondence from thence OF The Nec York Times
Of that date. Eighteen months afterward Cen Grant
the words grave official report, without
giving as have DONE the for their pertinenoy;
the phrase thus used by him was deemed sclntila
ton OF genius The inventor did not think highly OF
his own production; however evena borrowed rnshlight
shines widely in thick mist, Respectfully your ODE
dent servant, BENZ. +. BUTLER
1t is stated that Gen Butler ia attending to his law
business and will probably not make any public speeches
this Summer although he has received nearly 400 invita-
tations TO lecture from all parts of the country The
statement that Butler has been corresponding with
surat in tho matter OF the trial OF her broher not