Omaha daily bee., 1884-10-03
BEN BUTLER.
Gen. Martin BEEN Once Did 1t Under
Peculiar circumstances,

Gen. Mar tin BEEN Once Did Ii Under
Peculiar Circumstances.
1 endorsed Ben. Butler once, said Gen.
Martin BEEN y, sterday, under rather
t Jing circumstances. Soon after the
war of the slave-holders' rebellion | found
myself m of the advance guard of dis
chang l soldiely at Walla Walla, w. II.
AS | got out of the stage-colch that had
brought me from the Columbia river that
day l found the little frontier town wild
with excitement over the killing of Ferd
Patti rson-a kind of Jesse James, who
had become known along the whole CO vt
for the number of men he hCi killed.
He had ust been shot while in a barber's
chair, by o man named ODonahue,
whose life Patterson was said to have
threatened. The dead desperate seemed
to have regiments of friends, who we're
rushing up and down the streets denoun-
cling the union men and vig'lantCs, and
declaring one or the other c used his
death. The town, notwithstanding its
proxim'tyto the fort bearing the same
name, and at which the government had
always kept a small garrison, was a kind
of city of refuge for all the ''pushouts"
in the country. 1t was what was called
a live town. Patterson's body had been
taken from where he had been killed and
laid in site on the floor of q large sa-
loon adjoining. Being a stranger in the
place l thought I might safely crafty a
morbid curiosity, 80 l went in to look
at the corpse. The saloon it1elf WIZ a
picture-a long room the first partdevoted
to the bar, in front of which Patterson
lay, surrounded by a number of friends
as enthusiastic in their admiration of the
beauties of his character as Scotty was
over Buck Fanshaw. Just beyond the
counter we're gambling tables, on which
lay many thousands of dollars in bullion
specie, and dust, with faro, keno, and
rou .et going on, while beyond all this a
splendid orchestra was playing for some
dancing girls, ("hurdy-gurdys") who
were Waiting with big footed miners and
unshorn frontiersmen, each one of whom
suggested an ambulatoiy arsenal from
the number of pistols and knives worn In
the belt. The drinking, dancing and
gambling went on regardless of the
corpse.
The proprietor of the place-a man
named Teriy-had just finished telling
how much he thought of the illustrious
deceased, ever since he fattened a bull
bet from his pistol on my forehead, when
L was started by a greeting. "Well, soap,
amt nothin' new for you to see one dead
man after bein' in the army, is it,
and, looking up. saw facing me on tta
opposite side of the body an ingeno
Oregonian with whom | had mR1e a tri }
up the Columbia a short time before.
This introduced me. | was a stranger
no longer. Terry was the first to ask me
If l hc1 served in the southern or cyan.
kee" army, and then others began to ply
me with questions and volunteer their
opinions about the -"Yankee" war. l
don't think | aver wanted TO go home 30
badly in my life rs l did just at that time.
You know we all want to become angels
some time-but of all times or placer to
start for one, this seemed the lea7t desi-
rable. / tried to find an opportunity to
retreat, but before it came | heard a
voice shout:
"Show him to me; where is he? Let
me see him!"
AS | had suddenly become q bigger man
than the corpse, l felt that it wasn't the
least bit arrogant In me to think that /
was the object of his search, and in this
L was correct. Elbowing his way through
the crowd came a sandy-haired, rather
refined looking man for that section at
that time, pretty we'll "soaked," but
steady enoughIto stop in front of me and
fsk me if L had been in "the Yankee
army"
81 have served in thh Union army" |
answered.
"Well, sir" said he, ''I'm DIR. Arnold.
| live In Astoria, was born in New Or
leans, and raised in the state of Louisiana;
am a southerner by birth and a southern
er in all my proclivities; and now | want
to know if you endorse Ben Butler and
his ID woman order"
l think now if L had to 90 through this
again under the same circumstances l
would be ready to declare that in all my
life had never heard of the old sinner
or any of his sins; but / was younger
then, and, with my right hand on a Slo.
cum revolver in my side. pocket, with the
trigger raised 80 Icould shoot through my
coat ii necessar y, / answered Yes, sir /
do"
"You do2"
eyes, SIR"
"Well, (hic) so do l."
lfa thunderbolt from a clear sky
should ever strike a man he couldn't be
more %astonished than | was at this
reply"
"But, said he, "IT be id if l ever
lndorsed the hanging of Mumford or the
arrest of Stanley"
did, but for private reasons / didn't
inrist upon it Just then.