The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-06-19
BUTLER AND DARRALL,

n History does not record fiction has not in
vented a more apt illustration of the ole
adage, "Set thief to catch thief, y tiifaf thai
was afforded the other day at Washington
when Ben Butler cross-questioned Darrall be-
fore the Potter committee, There is hardly
another man in America who could SO readily
have dived to the bottom of carpet-bag de-
pravity, and there is certainly none who could
have shown up SO vividly its utter
meanness. Mcmahon and Blackburn, and
even Jacob Cox, had tried their hands
on Dnrrall, and God knows they got
enough out OF him to make their hands
feel 81 my for having touched him. Yet they
knew NO his stops and ventages, and, breathe
upon how hoy would, they could not make
him discourse the eloquence of which he was
capable No. it took the loving and familiar
hand OF Beast Butler to WOO the music from
this smitten tyre. Butler knew him, and
knew him we'll, and by that touch of nature
which, by tradition, should have made him
wondrous kind. 1t took Butler to pluck out
the heart of his mystery-to sound him from
his lowest note to the top of his compass--to
bring out the music, the excellent voice of that
little organ, and this was how he did It, We
copy from the proceedings OF the Potter com
mittee as reported in the Washington Post
"Now, DR.. Darrall," said Butler. "you were
about to become candidate for one of the
most important offices under the government
Here was drunken, worthless rascal, whose
own friends down In Louisiana didn't respect
him, and you, o member of Congress- having
q knowledge of a corrupt agreement he had
had to be made naval officer In return for
committing perjury, can't remember whether
you went to this worthless loafer or he came
to you In connection with this affair ?" To
this screed the witness gave an evasve renlv.
but finally, after repeated questions, said: II
think wrote to him first about the matter
Darrall having confessed that he had sought
Anderson's influence to secure him the high
est and best office in Louisiana at the disposal
of the President, Butler sets about to find out |
what prompted him to go to Anderson and
ask his good offices. He inquiries
Q.-What induced you to endeavor to get
this miserable loafer to come over and assist |
you Al thought he had influence with |
Mr.. Matthews.
So you thought he had influence with Mat
thews; he, forger, periurer and common
loafer, had influence with a Senator which
could secure the latter's active efforts to OBJ
tain such an important office! It makes one
smile to witness Ben Butler making exclama-
tion points of himself at such monstrous
revelations as this. "But," asks he, "why
did you think this ?"
Q.-Had he shown you the documents I'M
to this time? A.-0nly the Nash agreement
and the Weber agreement.
Q.-Do you swear that Anderson had not
said TO you that he held, or show to you any
except the Weber and Nash agreements, until
you wrote TO him about it A.-No. sir. I
think he had said something about other
papers,
On, no; these agreements were not the
)nly papers There were others, and these
we're the Stanley Matthews letters. Then
ollows the story Of the letter from Matthews
Introducing Anderson to Harlan, and the
delivery to the latter of the Nash agreement
n consideration Of promise to get Anderson
IN appointment This gave Butler another
,hance, and he asked:
hat document? A-No, sir. --NON'
Q-Didnt you express surprise that Har-
an wanted it? A.-No sir, 4A"A
9-Well, what did Anderson say when he
alked to you about it? Ale said in sub
hey had promised him an office.
!, Q-DldnJ you express surprise that Mat 8
,hews and Harlan wanted this-the one
SENATOR OF Ine united States and the other a {
nan OF high station; wanted men in commu-
licat1on with this man? Didn't it surprise I
you that Harlan was In confidential relations
With this periurer? Al don't know that 7 6
vas much surprised; thought it little extra s
perhaps.
Only little extraordinary" that such rela- I
ions should exist between Senator and a {
'erIurer and forger Darrall honestly could I
lot see anything strange in all this. From |
lis standpoint and according to his moral s
'ision, the Senate and the penitentiary were t
10Th State institutions and a candidate for I
me and member Of the other were both but s
'ubhc men, serving and wanting to serve the t
government. 1t was quite natural that they c
hould be on intimate terms. The result of I
Suffers questioning upon this point was as /
ollows: +
Gen. Butler pressed DarralI hard on every ]
lolnt, and the latter finally admitted that he n
10 write to Anderson first, asking him to :.
elp witness in getting the New Orleans Col II
ectorshIp. Darrall believed mis- first letter to C
i'm, was in February. Anderson n had lad mem. 11rp =
l0ned the papers to him before. 9
Having pumped this out of the unwilling 8
fitness, Butler turned to the Sherman letter, n
n regard to this Darrall said that as he o
rst heard the contents of that epistle, it
romised reward to Anderson and Weber if d
aey would stand by the Republican party,
nd that they would be provided for by the =
lcoming administration. Then follows the q
lost remarkable part Of this strange reyela- s.