Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-06-06
Wayne MaeVeagh Skins a Beast,

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Sir,-I have just read your letter in
the New York Times. Your ''infor-
mant" happens to have told you the
exact opposite of the truth in every
statement respecting me.
Colonel Wharton did not aid me at
New Orleans, but was one of the adj
herents Of the Packard government to
the end. He did not manage or trans
act any kind Of business for me. He
did not receive any promise from me in
respect to any office. I have not asked
the President to appoint him marshal.
So much for that portion efyour letter.
Where I am known do not need to
deny the silly story about the use of
money, or declare it to be, as you well
know it to be, base and cowardly
falsehood. For those who do not know
me, perhaps ought to add that, apart
from any repugnance on my part to the
crime. there were two practical diff
culties in the way Of my committing it:
had no money Of my OWE to spare,
and it is only military commandant
of New Orleans in time of war who
can safely appropriate any consider
able quantity of the property of others
to his own use.
The fact IS. that the enemies OF
reconciliation in Louisiana waste their
time in trying to discover or invent
some kind of bargain with which at
once to account for its success and to
discredlt it. Strange as it may seem to
some of them, political results are still
attainable in this country by straight
forward and honest methods, and the
country will Judge the result we secured
by it's fruits in comparison with the
fruits of the opposing policy, comparing
the four years to come OF honest and
awful government with the eight years
just ended of hatred, intimidation,
outrage, corruption, anarchy, and
murder.
Therefore, from the bitterness OF
good men misguided, and Of bad men
disappointed, appeal to the generous
Judgment of the American people, and
l await their decision upon the subject
OF our labors in Louisiana, not with
nisciVings or excuses, but with con.
fdencc and pride.
Yours trnly,
WAYNE MACVEAGH.
General Butler is very fond of writing
letters, and he may reply to Mr..
MacVeagb's extremely personal epis-
tie. There is another friend of Gen. But
ler's who says he is very anxious to
have satisfactory reply to a letter he
wrote to him long time ago. This is
Private Dalzell. Three years ago, when
General Butler was making the cam
paign for Congress in which he was de-
feated, he was addressing his eonstitu-
ents in the town hall of one of the vii
lagos ofhis district, While he was speak
ing an enormous spoon was seen appar-
entity to descend from the ceiling and
swing to and fro Immediately in front OF
the speaker. For probably the first time
in his life Gen. Butler was staggered,
and it was some moments before he
could frame an appropriate remark. Pri-
vate DalZell heard of this incident, and
says he thought it was time to have the
the spoon question definitely settled.
He wrote the following:
General Benjamin F. Butler: Are
you thief? An early answer will
oblige. PRIVATE DALZELL."
The General Endorsed on the back of
this. ''You are an impairment scoun-
drel," and returned it. The private REIN
dorsed it; Respectfully returned for a
fuller answer" He has never heard from
it, but says that he will be in Washing
ton again when Congress meets in the
fall, and that he then expects to see
General Butler personally, when, if he
still has no written reply, he will re-
quest verbal answer to his polite in
terrogatory baltimore Sua.