Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-05-11
FIRST FAMILIES.
Butler In Search OF Information in Regard to a
Visitors Status.

Butler In Search OF Information in Regard to
Visitors Status.
dropped in at Mr.. Thurlow Weed 5
the other evening and finally, in the
evolution of talk, Gen. Buffers name
came uppermost.
81 remember very odd incident that
included him." said the old gentleman.
I'm the summer of 1861 / went down to
Fortress Monroe, when Butler was in
command, and when, about the time, he
invented the celebrated name contra
band, " as applied to runaway slaves.
He had just elaborated and matured the
plan for the capture Of Richmond by
way Of the James; he showed me map
of the intervening counties. the roads,
bridges, fords, etc, and it seemed to me
most plausible. AS we were discussing
the plan in his office one morning and
he was expressing his fear that he could
not get troops enough to accomplish it
a citizen came in dressed in the suit of
gray so common Whereabouts. He
marched up to the general and said:
You're Gen. Butler, | suppose; I'm
Col Pickett-Col Abram Pickett; that S
my house over on the shore yonder. I've
come here to complain that your soldiers
steal my property"
They do?'' said the general, THAT
can't be allowed. Tell me about it,
'.Well sirr' said Pickett, "my boys
have run away and they re hiding some
whah bout heah. My family is one of
the oldest families of Virginny, an its a
shame, sir, to low my property to be
enticed far away FIN me by an invad-
ing ARMY
II don't see rs I can do anything for
YOU, colonel, nGen. Butler said, ''if your
boys" as you call the men who have
worked for you for nothing, are as free
as You or 60 to stay. If they are in
camp, it is probably because they prefer
our quarters or our treatment to yours
you can't do anything for mel" the
Firginian broke out. "Do understand
you to say that there is no redress?"
You are to understand" said the
General, ''that unless you can point out
to me some law or army regulation in
structing me to restore to slavery per-
sons who have escaped from it, can
not interfere to prevent your boys from
going where they please"
and quiet in demeanor and so gentle in
tone.N
"It's an outraged exclaimed the
colonel; bold outrage on the rights of
Virginia-on the property of one of its
first families! 1t is nothing less than
robbery
"Did | understand you,' asked the
general, to say that you were descended
from one of the first families of Virginia?
and his voice was so muffled and his
manner SO deprecatory that / thought
for a moment that he was about to re-
lent and help the man get his boys
again.
.'Yes!' exclaimed Pickett, that what
| said-one of the very first of the ole
families. and now to have my plantation
plundered by gang Of
Very well" said the general, look
ing up from the writing which he had
resumed, and interrupting the insolent
visitor, .'history tells us that the first
families of Virginia were thieves and
prostitutes; are you descended from one
branch or both?'' The speakers voice
was still in the conversational tone, and
his manner as mild rs a summer day;
and he asked the question in the same
matter-of fact way that he had provided
for an expedition.
"But Pickett was furious. He uttered
a great exclamation of rage, not direct
ed ut anybody in particular, and bolted
from place that was desecrated by
foreign hirelings. '-NeW York Cor.
Pioneer Press.