Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-09-17
BEN BUTLER.

The Farragat Prize Case--Dark Facts Still
observation-disclosures Chance to ShosO
Up Under q "BIazinD Microscope"
Rye Beach Correspondence Cincinnati Ga
zette.
Gen. Butler has furnished the country
with what he terms an explanation of how
he came to take some scores of thousands of
dollars from the officers, sailors, and seamen
who captured New Orleans. This Butlerian
explanation does not tell how much he re-
ceived of the $4,000 taken, but does de-
clare that he would have taken twice as much
if he could have got it. This part of his
statement his worst enemy would not be
reckless enough to deny.
Two items are known in Washington as to
the proportion of the $142 900 that two law
yers received who did very much, if not the
most, of the hard work of the case, which
items afford basis from which to estimate
the size of Buffers grab. One of these gen
lemen received $500, the other ST. 800.
But there are other things than the ques-
ton of dividing the spoils of the treasury,
and the money of sailors connected with this
case, which Gen. Butler, fresh from his great
hunt for fraud, does not allude to by so much
as hint.
AS is we'll known, the feet of Admiral
Porter co-operated with that of Admiral
Farragut in the capture of New Orleans.
Gen. Butler, who from his first appearance
in Congress, exhibited great skill in causing
his service for his constituents to subserve
his personal interests as a lawyer, and his
personal hatreds as a man, undertook the
Farragut prize case both as Representative
and as lawyer. In the first capacity he in
troduced bill, which was referred to the
House committee on the judiciary providing
for the adjudication of the New Orlaans
case. Every man of honor would suppose
that Representative, protesting to be
wholly devoted to the interests
of all who served the Union IN the war of
the rebellion, as Butler did profess with the
voice and publicity of a Pharisee, would have
been extremely careful to so frame his bill as
to include in its benefits all the brave men
who risked their lives in the expedition.
Yet this is exactly what he was exceedingly
careful not to do, and with that devilish in
genuity for evil which marks his works, he
so drew his bill as to shut out Porter's entire
fleet. The bill had harmless look. It
gave prize and head money to all in the
Union fleet which passed cetrain forts in the
capture of New Orleans on the day of the at
tack. Simply because Butler introduced it,
members of the judiciary committee sus-
pected some trick, and sent it to the navy
department for report. note came back
with the information that it excluded Porter
and all under him, since his fleet remained
below the forts named, and there carried on
their bombardment.
Thus, as was believed by all knowing to
the case at this stage, Butler, for the pur-
pose of gratifying his old grudge against
Admiral Porter, dating back to the days of
Fort Fisher and the powder-boat, deliberate
ly worded his bill SO as to exclude thousands
of brave men who fought under Porter from
all participation in the rewards of their gall
lantry. Such is Buffers practical love for
sour noble tars." His trick was detected,
and his project was finally beaten after he
had tried it again before the courts.
There are other facts of which his So
called explanation gives no intimation. Two
of the ships, on account of which he helped
to take money out of the treasury, had pre-
viously been decided prizes of war in other
courts, and the settlement made therefor at
the treasury. For three of them Admiral
Farragut had in writing released all claim
for prize, and The ships had been
| returned to their owners. One ship
had been purchased by the
government for $4,000, and for one which
was lost the government had paid about
100000. Several ships accounted under
Buffers care as present at New Orleans at
the time of the capture were never there
until some months after the occupation of
| the city by the Union troops. These facts
appear IN detail in the Government History
| of the War in the department of justice.
The attorney general had collected evidence
| upon the above and similar points, by which
he expected had it been introduced, to save
the government 100000. But, by an in
genious drafting of the terms of arbitrament,
! quite as skillful as the form by which it was
hoped to shut Porter's fleet out, much of the
evidence was rejected, and Butler marched
on undisturbed to his technically legal spoils.
1t scarcely requires ''the blaze of micro
scope to reveal the real character of such
transactions as these