New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-18
4 MYSTERIOUS PURCHASE.

Ostensibly General Benjamin f. Butter Is
on a pleasure trip in his yacht America. Fling
ing away care and shaking loose his sails he
left Massachusetts, shore behind him some
days ago and sped gayy out upon the oriny'
Massachusetts, which always skips and Twill
tiers and goes off in little shrieks OF vlrtuous
alarm whenever this bold bad man leers on
her with his wicked eye, viewed his departure
with serenest satisfaction. That virtuous Com
monwealth never feels safe with General But
Ter on land and a State election pending. so
when his swift yacht showed her clean heels
to shore Massachusetts, took in long draught
of salt air at Gloucester and breathed 1t out
in a sigh of relief at the west end OF the
IIoosac Tunnel. For moment it seemed as
if she might congratulate herself that for one
campaign at least she had escaped his rolick-
ing solicitation and tempestuous woong
Brief deluslon The Commonwealth awoke
in the morning to learn through the Assocl-
ated Press that her audaciOus sutton, so far
from abandoning even temporarily his SUIT
had left explicit directions concerning ITS
prosecution by proxy during his absence VI
how it was to be managed, of the elaborate
scheme for spontaneous uprising OF the people
TO nominate him az an independent candidate Tor
Governor and the subsequent Endorsement OF
the nomination by the Democratic party and
other political fag-ends, the readers OF lie
TRIBUNE have already been fully informed
Instead of sailing away, leaving Massachusetts
at peace and Tree from the apprehension ana
alarm with which his presence always affected
her. he had deliberately set up torpedo fuse
of politcal disturbance as one might say, on
Boston Common, and lighted the fuse before
embarking. He could not bear to be for
gotten. Hardly has the sensation produced
thereby begun to subside when he drops
abruptly into the harbor of Halifax, Nova
scotia. and from the shores Of that friendly
province sends bomb over into the very
heart of the old Commonwealth. This, too, is
full Of mystery and the fuse is smoking.
At Halifax the General purchased a schooner
bearing the significant name Conquest
She is described as gloomy, black and pirat-
ical-looking, with extraordinarily high bull
"yarks for her size well fitted to hide small
gums" with which it is suspected she is stocked.
1t is said that she is victualed for thirty or
forty men, though only captain, mate and
two bows sailed away in her, and on Tuesday
she cleared for Madagascar-a very long vOy-
age for so small craft. The departure OF
some twenty sailors by land from Halifax
eastward at the same time is also mentioned
AS having some connection with this mysteri-
OILS enterprise. The conjecture that the Cen
cral is about to engage in the slave trade Is
secuted by those who nave heard HIM deliver
his favorite speech concerning the oath he
took over the dead cO,Ored soldiers to devote
himself to securing equal rights for the black
man. Nor does anyone who knows the ex-
tent of his professional practice and the III
come derived therefrOm credit the suggestion
that he intends to abandon lucrative and
reasonably certain business for the uncertain
ties and hazards of piracy. Neither of these
theories seems to us to be entirely reasonable.
What then can be the meaning of this mys-
FERROUS venture Does General Butler propose
TO keep the Commonwealth he has left behind
III mind of him by buying mysterious schoon-
ers in every port he stops at on his pleasure
cruise, and setting people wondering what
d 1ep scheme he is putting upf Or Is he de-
hberately collecting a fleet of I" gloomy, black
and piratical-loolIing vessels with which to
swoop down on Massachusetts some fine morn
ing and by spontaneous personal uprising
nominate and elect himself Governors Is this
marine Mazeppa coming back with twice
five thousand" schOOners to thank MasSachu-
sets for so many uncOurteOus rides" VINO
shall sayf Meantime cold shiver runs
through the State from Barnstable to Berk-
shire, and the worst is feared. General Butler
is liable at any moment to appear off the
Massachusetts coast with a fleet of " gloomy,
black and piratical-loolHing schoOners and
demand the States unconditional surrender,
with threat to blow her out of water as the
penalty of refusal