The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1869-12-02
Buffers Silyer-Ware Exploits In
New Orleans.

The reported arrest Of Gen. Butler in
New York. for one of his transactions in
this city, in the way of approriating pri
vate property, may result in placing on
record proofs of one of the many charges
which have been made against him. The
account is confused, the persons are i'm
properly described, and the sum is greatly
exaggerated. But there was case in
which the family mentioned are said to
have been despoiled of silver-ware and
other property by violent acts Of Gen.
Butler; and it is inferred, from the institu-
ton of the charge in New York, that it
has been ascertained that portion of the
articles did not reach the public treasury,
but has been traced to the possession of
Gen. Butler.
The outlines OF the Twiggs case, as
popularity believed, are these: Before the
fall of the city, Gen. Tw!ggs, who had
been in command of the city for the Con-
federates, had resigned from age, aggra-
waited by acute disease, and he had been
carried away from the city in failing
condition. He died shortly afterward,
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 dis
positions of articles of personal property
as presents to friends, and deposited others
in places of security, experimenting that
sort of spoliation which did come. Gen.
Butler, after his arrival, and when Gen.
Twiggs was dead, took possession of the
house of Gen. Twiggs as his headquar-
tiers. Everything in the house was appro-
priated to the use of the General, his staff,
and the coterie of males and females he
gathered about him, in those nightly
feasts for which the place became noted.
This appropriation included the clothes
and iewelry of the married daughter of
Gen. Twiggs, wife of an absent Confeder-
ate officer.
Desiring to state the case moderately,
we forbear reporting the scenes in which,
and sort of persons to whom, these trO-
phics 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, Gen. Butler
instituted inquisitorial searches after sup
posed articles of furniture and pieces of
property which he was informed Gen.
| Twiggs had caused to be removed before
he lett the city. Gen. Butler had taken
into his own service negro servant OF
Gen. Twiggs; and, under his direction,
sent his military subordinates all over the
city hunting for stray articles in every cor
ner which his negro confidant pointed out
as likely place of deposit for anything
that had belonged to Gen. Twiggs In
this way he got good many housekeep-
ing articles, table and bed linen, etc,
which have never reappeared in any list
600 gold of Smith 81 Co., will not be found
|
ment of the proceeds of captured property
Some of the valuables of the house, as
the proceeds of this foraging, may have
been found in Lowell. The city gossip
abounds with anecdotes of the eagerness
with which Butler prosecuted the search
and the brutality with which he assailed
and browbeat everybody suspected O.
having anything which had ever belonged
to the dead old Confederate officer.
Butler had a great passion for taking the
swords of dead men, as military trophies
witness the breaking open Of Sidney
JohnsOn's tomb, and exploring the coffin
hoping for sword; and his sending 8
file of men, with negro spy, to break VI
the floor on Martin GOrdons premises, K
capture the sword of ex-President Zachary
Taylor, dead and in his grave 12 years be
fore the war He wanted the sword o
the dead Twiggs to grace his victories
here and, hunting it up with the tenacity
of bloodhound, lighted upon it in the
possession of the family named in the dis
patch from New York. 1t was the legacy
of the moribund 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 giveI
in charge, for this same purpose, to a lady
Asa mark of friendly regard, the Genera
bestowed on the same lady articles o
silver plate, but nothing like the sum men
toned in the dispatch. On the informa
ton of the spy, the lady and her mOthe
were made to follow q military guard t.
the presence of Butler, in his office. The,
were rudely assailed in his custOmar.
style, driven to tears by his brutality, AM
the secret of the deposit was extorteC
, from these terrors All that was IN thei
possession was given up. Here 1T wa
, that he obtained that sword of Gen
, Twiggs which was sent to Washington a
one of the trophies of the capture of New
|. Orleans, and this it was which a publi
proposition was made to bestOw upol
, Butler himself as reward for his valol
, Nothing could have been more apprO
pirate, in perpetual memory Of tn
, achievements of Butler in New Orleans
than the sword of dead septuagenariar
8 the property of an infant, won by ruifiar
} | ly violence from the fears of a woman.
The sword was given up to the govern
3 ment, Its sale would not have nctte
anything to compare with the glory {
having won it.
In the same package were two othe
swords of honor belonging to Ger
Twiggs, presented by other Legislature
all very costly.
t But among the articles captured with
? were, we have said, some articles of Walt
able plate and the case against Gen. Bu
3 Ter i'm New York must relate to the II
t moval of this property, the failure TO NAL;
/ return To the government, and possibl
t tracing some one of them into Butler
possession.
Supposing the dispatch TO he true, tn
is probably the nature of the charg
s Even it il be not correct, in the fact {