The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-14
BUFFERS HEROIC TREATMENT OF
TREASON"

In his miserable effort to revive "bIoody
shirtism,' In the House Of Representatives
on the occasion OF the election of Door.
keeper. Ben Butler referred to his own COW.
ardly brutality In hanging Mumford in this
city In 1862, as the only lawful and praise
worthy act OF justice and energy in the treat
ment of traitors during our civil war. He
made this reference as reproof to other
Union Generals who had shrunk from the
responsibility of cowardly murder. His
allusion was received with applause and
approval by his followers, who appear to
have resigned the leadership OF the Radical
party In the House to this audacious and
cowardly demagogue. Processing great;
pride and affection for the officers of the req
ular army, the Radical politicians are quite
ready to be led by demagogue, who was the
disgrace and scorn Of that army, despised
and denounced by every manly and honora-
BILE officer thereof. Conscious OF this uni
versai sentiment towards him, held by all
the respectable officers. Butler reyenges him
self by this insolent taunt of bis superior
courage as exhibited In his treatment of
Mumford. an insignificant, harmless, street
lounger, who, happening to see flag which
had been removed by some boys from the
cupola OF the Mint, drawn through the
streets by mob of negroes and vagabonds.
fell In with them, and obtaining a
piece of the bunting afterwards boosted
that he had captured it. Such boastinp
ought to have commended Mumford to the
favor and sympathy of Butler, for it was
done in his own inimitable style of idle va
porting. There was as much of truth, as was
shown on Mumford's trial, in his pretext of
capturing that flag, as there was in Buffers
claim to the honor of reducing the forts and
capturing the city Of New Orleans. In truth,
in all the operations resulting in the occupa-
ton OF this city, neither Butler nor his army
ever approached within lannon's reach of the
city or of the Confederate forces, until Farra-
quits fleet had anchored In front OF the citv
and covered it with battery of 200 cannon,
and there was not an armed soldier within
the corporate limits. Then it was that But
Ter emerged from the swamp and skunk up to
the city with his eight or ten Thousand Yam
kee soldiers and achieved the heroic exploit
Of landing on the levee, under protection of
The enormous batteries Of the Hartford, the
Brooklyn, Richmond and dozen gunboats
hhu tiSilhS OuSh tllo oCLcSCSs Safely en-
5conced himself in that granite fortress, the
Custom-House. In one corner Of this build
ng. surrounded by several regiments of in
'antry, with cannon commanding every &C
,ess and a United States frigate lying at the
head of each of the streets, with his own
,ody encased in the armor used by
officers and men of the Federal army at the
Of the war, Butler managed
o summon courage to order the execution of
his man Mumford for an act which he knew
le did not commit, and an act, which, in no
Jew could be treated as crime or the viola
ion Of any law, human or divine. /,
The removal of the flag from the Mint
ouse was the act of few boys of class {
Who abound in all large cities. The United {
tates flag had been improperly hoisted over !
he building, as the city had not surrendered t
t the time; and 1t was left without guard 6
y the sailors who hoisted it. 1t was done {
efore the city had capitulated or Farragut {
ad occupied it. Whilst. indeed, the commits c
toner's sent by Farragut were engaged with t