The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-12-08
Butler in New Orleans.
OF THE OCCUPATION
HIS PASSION FOR DEAD MEMS SWORDS
RAJ TWIGGS.
I From the New Orleans Picayune.

from the New orleans flcayune.
The reported arrest of Gen. Butler
in New York. for one of his transac-
tons in this city, in the way of appro-
priating private property, may result
i'll placing on record proofs of one of
the many charges which have been
made against him. The account is
confused, the persons are improperly
described, and the sum is greatly ex
aggerated. But there was case in
which the family mentioned are said |
to have been despoiled of silverware
and other property by violent acts of
Gen. Butler, and it is inferred, from
the institution of the charge in New
York, that it has been ascertained that
a portion of the articles did not reach
the public treasury, but has been trac-
ed to the possession of Gen. Butler.
The outlines of the 1&iggs case, as
popularity believed, are these: Before
the fall of the city, Gen. Twiggs, who
had been in command of the city for
the Confederates, had resigned from
age, aggravated by acute disease, aud
he had been carried away from the city
in a failing condition. He died short
ly afterwards, leaving an infant son
who, in right of his mother, was the
owner of the fine, large house in which
Gen. Twiggs had lived. Before he
left, the General made dispositions of
articles of personal property as pres
ents to friends, and deposited others
in places of security, experimenting
that sort of spoilation which did come.
Gen. Butler, after his arrival, and
when Gen. Twiggs was dead, took
possession of the house of Gen. Twiggs
as his headquarters. Everything in
in the house was appropriated to the
uses of the General, his staff and the
coterie of males and females he gath
cred about him, in those nightly teasts,
| for which the place became noted
This appropriation included the clothes
and jewelry of a married daughter of
Gen. Twiggs, wife of an absent Con-
federate officer.
Desiring to state the case moderate
ly, we forbear reporting the scenes in
which, and sort of persons to whom,
these trophies were exhibited, or the
distribution which is said to have been
made of the spoils. Not satisfied with
the contents of the house as he found
them, General Butler instituted inquis
itorial searches after supposed articles
of furniture and pieces of property
which he was informed Gen. Twiggs
had caused to be removed before he
left the city. General Butler had ia
ken into his own service a negro SER
want of Gen. Twiggs; and, under his
direction, sent his military subOrdi-
mates all over the city hunting for stray
articles in every corner, which his ne
gro contidant pointed ont, as likely
place of deposit for anything that had
belonged to General Twiggs. In this
way he got good many housekeeping
articles, table and bed linen, ETC.,
which have never reappeared in any
list of restored property; and, like the
$50, 900 gold of Smith g. Co., will not
be found mentioned in any return to
the government of the proceeds of cap
tured property. Some of the valuables
of the.house, rs the proceeds of this
foraging, may have been found in Low
ecdotes of the eagerness with which
brutality with which he assailed and
browbcat everybody suspected of hav-
ing anything which had ever belonged
to the dead old Confederate officer.
I Butler haGi Il .reat passion for TAX
ing the swords ofdeaa n.v., IS military
trophies; witness the breaking open of
Sidney Johnson's tomb, and exploring
the coffin, hoping for sword; and his
sending file of men, with negro spy
to break up the floor on Martin Cor
don's premises, to capture the sword of
ex-President Zachary Taylor, dead and
in his grave twelve years before the
war. He wanted the sword of the dead
Twiggs to grace his victories here; and
hunting it up with tenacity of blood
hound, lighted upon it in the posses
sion of the family named in the dis
patch from New York. 1t was the
legacy of the moribund father to his in
FAINT child; n sword of honor bestowed
upon him by the Legislature of his ma
tive State, many years before the war
1t was now given in charge tor this
same purpose, to lady. AS a mark
of friendly regard, the General bestow-
ed on the same lady articles of silver
plate, but nothing like the sum men
toned in the dispatch. On the inform
alton of the spy the lady and her moth
er were made to follow military guard
to the presence of Butler in his office.
They were rudely assailed in his Gus
tOmary style, driven to tears by his
brutality, and the secret of the deposit
was extorted from these terrors. All
that was in their possession was given
up. Here it was that he obtained that
sword of Gen. Twiggs which was sent
to Washington as one of the trophies
of the capture of New Orleans, and this
it was which a public prostitution was
made to bestow upon Butler himself as
a reward for his valOr.
i Nothing could have been more
appropriate, in perpetual memory
of the achievements of Butler New
{ Orleans, than the sword Of a dead
septuagenarian, the prosperity of
an infant, won, by ruffianly VIC
lence, from the fears of a woman.
The sword was given up to the
Government. Its sale would not
have Melted anything to compare
with the glory of having won it.
! In the same package were two
other swords of honor. belonging
to Gen. Twiggs, presented by other
Legislatures, all very costly.
| But among the articles captured
with it, were, we have said, some
articles of valuable plate; and the
case against General Butler in New