The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1872-11-14
A STORY ABOUT GEN. BUT.
LER'S SPOONS.


pie, otherwise sensible and well informed.
are thoroughly convinced that Gen. Butler
has an uncomfortable penchant for spoons,
which he has manifested on occasion to the
utter neglect of the principles of mean and
tlt1sn1. Few even of those who have no
such silly notion know how the impression
originated, and what were the real facts
about the occurrences which produced it.
1t was our fortune to have heard few
years ago, in pretty direct way, Gen.
Buffers own version Of them, which we
will give, promising that while the lapse of
time may have blurred our recollection of
some minor details, the main incidents
shall be told just as they were told to as
A short time before we heard the story a
prominent gentleman, at that time Demo-
crat and now warm supporter of Mr..
Greeley, went on an official mission with
General Butler not unconnected with our
fishing troubles with Canada. The close in
tercourse into which they were thrown
brought about an intimacy which led, on
their return, to visit to Gen. Buffers home,
and prompted an inquiry one day of him
about the spoon story. ''What is all this
story about spoons and plate, Butler, which
they tell on you, and what does it mean?"
was the question this gentleman asked.
Any body who knows Gen. Butler pretty
well can understand how a friend might
ask him such question without any fears
of embarrassing, insulting or vexing him.
In reply Gen. Butler made substantially the
following statement:
When he entered New Orleans, a great
many wealthy families abandoned their ele-
gantly furnished homes, leaving them in
charge of servants, or closed without any
guardianship, and exposed to pillage from
the infdelity of their eustodians, or from
marauders. To see that this property was
saved, either from them or the Government,
Gen. Butler ordered the plate and pictures
to be stored together for safe keeping, and
that was all either restored to its owners or
turned over to the Government. But long
after he had been there complaints began to
come in from citizens who had to run off
that his men were plundering them of valu-
ables. He sent in every case a staff officer
in whom he had confidence to examine into
the complaints, and the staff officer invaria-
bly, reported that the complaint was ground
less, or based on some trifing misdemeanor.
This went for several months, the COM
plants all turning out on investigation the
same way, until he became very much vex-
ed at what he thought was a mere exhibi-
ton of spite on the part of the people
against the troops, and he determined to
put stop to it the next time a complaint
was made. He did not have to wait long
before an italian gentleman came in and
told how four men came to his house in g
hack, dressed as soldiers, clothes and carried
off valuable plate. Gen. Butler said that he
hardly allowed him to get through his story
before he broke out on him in a storm, tell
ing him that he didn't believe a word of his
story, that he had been hearing such COM
plants for three months and finding them
every time to be groundless whenever in
vestigated, and that he was tired of hearing
them; believed they were nothing but rebel
meanness; that he was determined to put a
stop to it, and that if he didn't go away and
never come about him again he would have
him SHOT at once. The Italian, not q bit
daunted, persisted in his story and IN urg-
ing his claims for redress until the General,
to test him to the utmost, ordered the Ser
geant of his guard to get file of soldiers,
take the man into the yard and shoot him.
The italian persisted, saying he might as
well be killed as plundered, and left to
starve, and when the soldiers took him and
led him to what he believed was certain
death, he maintained his cause as boldly
as at first. Gen. Butler was so much i'm
pressed by the mans bearing that he recall
ed him and determined to look into the
matter himself He asked the man if he
had noticed the number of the hack the
soldiers came in. He had not, but said he
would know the driver. Gen. Butler sent
at once and had the haek-men in that part
of the city arrested and brought before him.
The italian at once recognized his man,
who of course denied the whole story
Gen. Butler ordered the same file of soldiers
to take him into the yard and shoot him,
and when the hack man saw them drawn up
before him, ready to fire, he gave way and
confessed He told who had gone with
him, and where the plunder was hid, and,
to Gen. Buffers amazement, revealed that
chief among the thieves was the very staff
officer he had trusted to examine these COM
plants. He sent to the house designated
by the hackman and found not only the
Italians plate, but found a house full of
the finest plate and pictures, the accumula-
ton of months of robbery. The staff off
Ger who was from Gen. Buffers own town
was arrested, tried and shot, and while the
gentleman to whom General Butler told the
story was in Gloucester, citizens of the
town confirmed it and pointed out to him
the father of the offender The goods were
exposed for public examination and those
to which title was shown were turned
over to the government and sent to WASH
ington. ''And why haven't you made
these facts pubIc?" said the gentleman
'sWhat's the use?" said Butler. 'If I stop
fbis lie they will start hundred others. I
know the facts and my people here know
them, and that's enough. - Louisville Com
mercial
Spain, which first planted negro
slavery in America, still crltivates 1t
in Cuba and her West India Islands,
and Spanish is the only negro slavery
in existence in the midst of civiliza-