Daily Republican., 1879-05-03
Is DutckprInnOcent?

M. butcher, 1t might be well perhaps
to advise at least suspension OF public
opinion until he shall arrive at home
and make his own statements and ex-
plantations of his conduct. There can
be no doubt that Mr.. butcher is guilty
of an inexcusable indiscretion, but that
he is really guilty of any crime has not
appearei in the volumes Of correspon-
dence that have been published. From
all that can be CLEANED, the woman
Watson, was certainly no enviable
character before her redemption as Mr..
butcher "puts it, whatever she may
have bean since, and her actions, her
assertions and derials in the face O
positive facts, since her reformation, all
go to show that her "redom ption" is
not of very re leeming character. All
who know Mr.. Dutcl-r's warm inpul-
sive nature, know that he weuld re,
joice over the reformation of fallen
woman as much as over that of fallen
man, and so alive is he to the mise
ries of others, that his sympathetic ma.
ture would very easily Laake him the
victim Of deception. Thus when Mrs.
Watson represented herself worthy
willow, of high social standing, and
possessed Of plenty of money, but with
the dru rkard's curse resting upon her,
We can imagine how Mr.. butcher s
sympathies were stirred to their deep
est depths to see her reformed. He
would have felt the same for a fallen
man he could not be Indifferent to 8
fallen woman whose only crime was
represented to be that of intemperance
Mr. Butcher has evidently been grossly
deceived hy this woman, and it looks
tous as if that "mysterious" woman
spoken OF as having gone on with Mrs
Dutcutr to Connecticut to induce Mr.
butcher to abandon Mrs. Watson and
e,urn to his wife and children, played
an important part in the deception
Wno knows but the whole thing NAV
have been a plot on the part Of the
enemies of the Temperance cause to
ruin Mr.. butcher and disgrace the
caI3a in which he was engaged.
1t is very plainly seen why
Mr.. butcher defended Mrs. Watson
after the exposure was made. He then
looked upon her as prosecuted woman,
and there is nothing in this world that
arouses Mr.. r.Dutcher 5 sympathies quick,
er than to see person prosecuted ; in
deed he was sure to become her friend
Thus when he found the storm bursting
around them, with the stubborn dis
position which he is known to possess
he resolved to fight the thing out, anc
as he says, to place Mrs. Watson besid.
Anna Dickinson as lecturer. Mr.
Butchers aspirations in that respect
were not low and debasing. He looked
upward and abroad over the wide lee
ture field of the world on both sides o.
the ocean, and with the storm bursting
all around him he resolved that as Mrs
Watson had talents he would yet bring
her before the world as one of the in
telectual stars Of the age. This, nc
doubt, Mr.. butcher thought would bt
the grandest triumph of his life-to lif
a fallen but intellectual woman from
the lowest depths Of intemperance ant
place her before the world redeemed
and willing to spend the balance of he
life in redeeming others. As Mr.
butcher himself was but a fallen re
deemed man, he no doubt thought why
should not Mrs. Watson also be re-
deemed by the same means and become
a blessing to her sex. We say it look
tives, but the difficulty in the case wa
it seems, that he has a bad subject
one that possessed more power to pul
him down, than he possessed to rails
her up.
1t is very evident that Mrs. Watson
even when she was at the "Dutche
Home," in this city as the guest Q
the family, hal exerted bad influence
and who knows that those cigars smok
ed in the rarlor Of the butcher domi
Gil at the midnight hour, may nc
have been saturated with opium q
some other supplying narcotic, tina
stole away the reason, deadened COL
science, and made Mr.. butcher ust tn
opposite Of what h- was in his rgl
mind. Those who know him intimate
" woul have been no more surprise
to have heard OF Mr.. Dulcner irinkin
the lowest kind Of intoxica Ing liquor
and becoming beas.Iy intoxicated tina
they were t. etr Of hi II lit ~ up a
late hour smoking ci yaIs with a con
naratiyplv strange woman in his 0W
house. In all the letters that hav
been written by Mr.. Hall, the idea
held forth that Mr.. butcher was N
himself, and all those who know hiI
ms. intimately agre' in this view {
tn ,ub"ct. 1t is cXp"ct"i that Nj