The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-12-16
BuTLER's TROPHIES.

4
are known who never talks about them.
! BuTLER's TROPHIES.
/ The reported arrest of General Butler in
New York, for one of his transactions in
this city in the way of appropriating pr-
vate property, may result in placing on rc-
cord proofs of one Of the many charges
which have been made against him. The
account is confused the persons are improp-
erly described, and the sum is greatly exag-
gerated. But there was case in which the
family mentioned are said to have been de-
spoiled of silverwarc and other property by
violent acts of General Butler; and it is infer
red, from the institution of the charge in New
Yolk, that it has been ascertained that a por-
ton Of the articles did not reach the public
Treasury, but has been traced to the pos
session of General Butler. The outlines of
the Twiggs case, as popularity believed. are
these: Before the fall of the city, General
Twiggs, who had been in command of the
city for the Confederates, had resigned from
age, aggravated by acute disease, and he
had been carried away from the city in Il
leaving an infant son, who, in right Of his
mot her, was the owner of the fine large house
in which General Twiggs had lived Before he
left, the General made dispositions Of articles
of personal property as presents to friends,
and deposited others in places Of security, ,ap-
pretending that sort OF spollaton which did
come. General Butler, after his arrival and
when General Twiggs was dead, took pos
session Of the house of General Twiggs as
his headquarters. Every thing in the house
was appropriated to the uses of the General,
his staff and the coterie of males and females
he gathered about him. to those nightly feasts
g., II
/ preparation included the clothes and jeWelry
Of the married daughter of General Twiggs,
wife Of IN absent Confederate officer. DcSr-
ing to state the case moderately, we forbear
to report the scenes in which, and sort of per-
sons to whom these trophies were exhibited,
OF the distribution which is said to have been
made Of the spoils. Not satisfied with the
contents of the house, as he found them, Gen
cral Butler instituted inquistorial searches
after supposed articles of furniture and pieces
Of property which he was informed General
Twiggs had caused to be removed before he
left the city. General Butler had taken into
his own service q negro servant Of General
TWiggs, and under his direction sent his mil
itary subordinates all over the city hunting
for stray articles in every corner which his
negro coniidant pointed out as q likely place
OF deposit for any thing that had belonged to
General Twiggs. In this way he got a good
many housekeeping articles. table and bed
linen. &c.. which have never reappearcd in
any list Of restored property. ard like the
$50 600 gold of Smith & Co.. will not be found
mentioned in any return to the Government
Of the proceeds OF captured property. Some
of the valuables of the house, as the proceeds
of this toraging, may have been found in
Lowell. The city gossip abounds with anec-
dotes OF the eagerncss with which Butler pros
tnIt tho
he assaled and browbeat every body suspect
ed Of having any thing which had ever be-
longed to the dead old Confederate officer.
Butler had q great passion for taking the
swords OF dead men as military trophies;
witness the breaking open Of Sidney John
ston's tomb, and exploring the coffin, hoping
for y sword and his sending file of men,
with negro spy, to break up the floor of
Martin Gordon'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 the tcnacty of q bloodhound, lighted
upon it in the possession of the family named
in the dispatch from New York. It was the
legacy of the dying father to his infant
child; q sword of honor bestowed upon HIM
by the Legislature of his native State many
years before the war. 1t was now given in
charge for this same purpose to lady As
mark of friendly regard, the General be-
slowed on the same lady articles of silver
plate, but nothing like the sum mentioned in
the dispatch. On the information of the spy,
the lady and her mother were made to fol
low military guard to the presence of But
ler IN his office. They were rudely assailed
in his customary style, driven to tetrs by his
brutality, and the secret of the deposit was
eXtored from these terrors. All that was in
their possession was given up. Here it was
he obtained that sword OF General Twiggs, |
which was sent to Washington rs one of the !
trophies of the capture of New Orleans, and
this it was which Il public proposition was
made to bestow upon Butler himself as re-
ward for his valor. Nothing could have been
more appropriate, in perpetual memory of
the achievements of Butler in New Orleans, |
than the sword of q dead septuagenaran,
the property of an infant, won, by ruffianly
violence, from the fears of a woman The
sword was given up to the Government It's
sale would not have netted any thing to com
pare with the glory having won it. In the
same package We're two other swords of
honor, belonging to General Twiggs, present
ed by other Legislatures, all very costly
But among the articles captured with it We're
we have said, some articles of valuable plate;
and the case against General Butler in New
York must relate to the removal of this prop
clty, the failure to make return to the Gov
ernment, and possibly tracing some one of
them into Buffers possession. Supposing
the dispatch to be true, this is probably the |
nature Of the charge. Even if be not correct
the fact Of such a procedure having been
commenced, it is worth while. all the same,
to recite one of the many incidents which
show that such a course of proceeding would
not be misapplied. New Orleans Picayune.
GLOW much did you pay for that suit of
summer tweed you have on; perceive that
it is made ofScotch goods, like my own ?"
81 paid fifty five dollars for it in New
York" was the reply.
''And paid fifteen dollars for mine in Lon
don,' he responded.
The forty dollars difference is simply taken
from our pockets by various acts of congress,