The New York herald., 1878-10-14
BUYLER'S PRIZE MONEY.
What the Nation Paid for Farragut'S
Capture Of Ships at New Orleans.
HOW THE JOB WAS NURSED.
Its Wonderful Growth from Quite
Moderate Beginnings.
WHERE WAS BUTLER'S ARMY!
He Claims It Had No Share In Taking
the Crescent City.
HOW THE JOB WAS NURSED.
WHERE WAS BUFFERS ARMY!
[BY rrLxen ,pH TO THE HERALD. ]

[BY rELEeR,PH TO THE HERALD.1
BosroS, Oct. Is. 1873
The Daily Advertiser will publish tomorrow morn.
ing letter from its Washington corrcspon dent
which throws strong light on General Butler oper
ations In securing prodigous tee from tho national
Treasury for award OF bounty money In the Farra
gut prize cases. The correspondent says
An examination OF entire records In the Farra-
gnt prize and bounty cases shows tnem TO have
jointly constituted one OF the most extensive and
markablo raids upon tho Treasury ever perpoiraed.
through legal machinery The prize awarded was
$685. l20 and the bouay $26S 600 total OF 234 720.
The cost bill which nns attracted the attention
OF tho country was $i+2, All, and of this General
Butler ana Two other COUNSEL personally received
$123,472 Butter. counsel for Farragut started tho
case In 1867 as member Of The House OF Repre-
lives BY reporting BIN giving Farrag iieeI The
right enter the courts for prizo money, Uut
carefully excluding Porlers noet from all parcipa-
tion. He as carefully provided that the award
should be paid out OF the Treasury Being discovered
and frustrated in this Butler In April, 1869, hled his
the District OF Columbia, ana by Il alss
sought To shut out Porter. The latter cm.
nloyea J. Aabiey Ashton 70 see that Porter's
bounty might be awarued. Neither General Porter
nor his attorney had anything 70 do with original
ing the case. Tho was begun and mainly
managed by Butler, with some assistance from
Nathsniel Wilson. The s,ipuialons as 10 .eslmouy
and arbitration were prepared and signed by Butler,
acting tor FarraguI Alter Mr.. Ashton had com-
pslled General Butler TO SO amend his libel
as to include Por.sr's feet he .henceiorwArd
Navy Department. Tho question arises ho~, II
these enormous claims had no loyal standing and II
were 10 pass themi Tho interest centres upon
the answers. In tho libel Of information claim
course OF constructionand $4,000 bushels Of coal BY
Farragut's feet. su.g sg#e.es 3t ,
THE cAss OUT OF couar.
After preliminary sharp practice Butler virtually
removed the from The review either OF the Su.
preme Court OF the district or Of the United States
and left both courts powerlsss In its Auai stagss
Mr.. X. NJ. Corwine to agree, In behalf ot
the United States to stipulation hitting the case
arbitration making tne decision OF arbtratoes
hnal 10 both tho law ana Tho iacts; and stipulated
further that this decision should be- entered tho
either party 10 iako evidence. as ia other
like cases, within thirty days. and WITH
o q 70 ns
prize cases. Attorney General Williams approved
this, bus he expected fair trial under u.
is could 10 defeat IL on the ground
Of false construction OF law aud grave
distortion OF facts Thorc were also stpulations be-
tween Butler the counsel Tor the United States
about certain evidence concerning the cap
ture and tho status Of the vossss claimed 70 have
beon taken ~ New Orleans, which stipulatons bound
tho srbrators and the courts atterward found them
selves bound by the stipulation already quoted. In
peared the court room, and alter evidence had
been taken before special prize com ss0ner, which
neglect tho part OF the commissioner, it be.
fore Tho arbitrator
1Nf NO HELP FROM THE Army.
Here the government set up the claim that no prize
was legally due, since The capture OF New Orleans
the JOINT action Of the army and navy, ana where
sucn joint action existed the Supreme Court had
decided that claims for prizes behalf OF tho navy
not valid. This decision In the case Of
taxing ChsrIeston, which the Supreme Court held
vas .Se JOINT action Of the dee. and OF sh.rman's
army, though the latter was hundred miles away
At tho evacuation OF Charleston, whIlo all the
operated with The navy In the attack upon and
capture OF Nex Orleans. The government submitted
from an army commander attacking New Or.
leans, 10 lawyer attacking The Treasury,
gravely claimed and argued ina. his former
army did not cooperate with tn navy in the capture
Tho government submitted the following, among
other proois-Firs General McVlean's order detail
Ing General Butler and lS 600 mon Tor The
second, Secretary Wslles statement Farragut Feb
ruary 10, 1872, that 5000 men had been sent
operate with against tho forts; third Farraguts
report that Now Orleans surrendered 70 Butlor:
fourth, Buffers own testimony before the committee
tho conduct Of The war; nh, report Of the Score
operation ei .ne naval and military forces. In
spite OF all this shs arbitralors found :-.First,
o. A hs A srny D,p'. sns navy Of the Us,ssd s..ss.
This remarkable nndug opened the way Tor the award
ailer~ard made. IL nuss have sounded strangely TO
the man who opened hts proclamation Of occupation
with. "Tno city OF New Orleans having sur.
rendered TO tho combined .nd and naval
states also claimed the properly captured mos
lawful prize OF wsr, since she act OF July, 1854. pro-
vasd ,,'ha, 90 prop, property seized or ,sxsn u. upon
States shall be regarded ~ maritime prize
Tho governments pointed out that undtr
capture of o rebel vessel made oy tho navy on the
Roanoke River 13O miles from It's mouth.
mos lawful ina. ~. .s'
ioans. on the Mississippi River, lis mues
from It's mouth, would iali under tho same des,slSp
Still tho srbtrators ioun1 that 'nli the aforesaid
properly lawful prize OF war. ana lawfully sub
Jcct to oondemna,io Ion as such.n In orosr 10
sss S necessary nee 10 show sSss .ne Ioru: ."
tho enemy's side exccsdcd the force on
the Uuion nest II was admitted by Butler that the
rsboi feet ss;ed VI y vessels carrying IS guns
and 1,64S men. the official rolls of tho Union feet
showed that u composed Of Is vessels carrying
counting only tho officers and mon In that
part OF the Union fleet which passed the forte, and
agreeing TO CONSIDER the land forces Of tho enemy IN
tine iorts which were engaged by the army
and surrendered TO with the 1lU guns
OF their armamon,. as constructiveiy a part
OF the naval forcc Of tho enemy; and ass
by estimating the additional resistance caused by
cham otncr obstacles the arbitrators found tnat
tho engagement that resulted In the capture the
force OF tho enemy was superior TO the force OF the
now THE CLAIM GREW.
Tho CLAIM as died by Butter, named thirtytwo ves-
ses captured by tho navy Eve vessels IN OF
under hts fostering care mas grown rapidly. Tue
week following tho capture OF Now 0rlerns Furragut
had caused board OF naval officers TO report the
number aud value OF vessels and other properly
captured by his fleet. This Board reported twelve
vcsscls and appraised them at $2S4, ,33. In January,
1863 Farragu reported the total captures OF vessels
thirteen. asae from those In course OF construction,
and the valuc ~ $685. lao To this was added 100
tons OF coal appraised AZ $780, 600, making total OF
$671, ,140. Wnen Butler hied tho claim II included
vcssem captured afterwards by the army In various
bayous never were a. Nov Orleans til after
the capture. and two Tor which prizc had previously
bccn awarded and pad by the Treasury. all thirty
two vessels besides Ave In process OF construction.
The srbitrators admitted Buffers complete list, with
he exception OF three, and awarded prize $066 TO-
OF the snips on which prizes were awarded sixteen,
valued at $40, 0o0 were found 10 have been taken
tho governments military service one, valued at
SEQ 600, used by tho United States as
q cartel and aiterwafd sunk; six. valued ~
$ll6 given ny to their lawful loyal owners,
and sac, 600 military salvage was due on thom, TO be
added to the 5000, 100 prizesmoney.
NA## AN APPEAL
This was astonshment 10 the Attorney Ger
eraL and he appealed the case TO Tho
Supreme Court While taxing oosis In
the Supreme Court Of the district one
OF tho judges declared from tho bench, In the
hearing OF tho Bar, that the whole award WAS
'plundsr." Immediately after the appeal the At
torney General collected evidence to show
In sha fha taw hao hoen