, 1885-02-14
BENJAMIN F. BUTLER


@AAff1lc M1eAaI-
Esw York Cor. Chicago Journal
Noman mors odd than Benjamin +. Butler
CONES 70 town. He Is here now. As he
walks In broadway, or sih In the theatre, OF
goes into court In the practices Of his PROBES.
sion he provides amusement for all lpscfa-
tors Not many OF our notables aru the
equals Of their carlcaturo4 But no por.
trnituro Of Butler In the most hostile OF
comic Journals IL an ovundrawing OF hta
strong points OF individuality. The regard
for him Ia a strange mixture OF ridiculs and
respect Put him into a suit OF tattsred
clothes, start him of As a tramp and he
would DO 50 remarkable a hgure in that
grotesque walk OF life ns to defy compsti-
ton, and make tho dogs bark more M awe
than axgrcszivenesk- But he vroars kood
clothes and has that unmlstakahls air Of
prosperity which Is sure 70 command the
respect OF mercenzry Americans
~Butier IA the funiest man on earth.p 70
marks his fellow-lounger in the hotsl cor
ridor.
Il am told that he has accumulated half a
million" sayz another observer.
Instantly tho sentiment In the careless
breast Of the first speaker changes from
amazed coutsmpt TO serious admiration. 1t
may not be the anne In Chicago, but hero In
New York = man II known by the bank &C
count be kesp2 Tho fact that Ben Bufior Is
wealthy through his own efforts q enough 10
make u respect him. in a way; and I trust
that am offending no politi. al
prejudice when l write that Butler
INDECENT would Be merely a ridicui-
Gus crank. while Butisr afiuont
Is admirably eccentric. Il Is true. however.
that be Il an unsolvod puzzle to those nigh
him The only certain conclusion b that he
Is the most entertaining Of men His con
versation Ia unique. His views nearly al
'Fny1 run counter TO the commonly-accsptsd
ones, and-strnnEer zti1i-they do not I'm
press the hearsr as having besn formed, like
those Of a professional philosopher, FOR the
express and only purpose OF astonlshment
! asked him he thought about journal
Ism for Instance.
u love reporters and ! hate editors" he
answered 1T is a common fashion 10 TO
gard all reporters as liars On the con-
trary, ! have, In q long and varied oxps-
ricnced, found them Trustworthy. / don't
mean to nay that thsrs are not wofully
bad exceptions; but nine times IN
tan the published interview, the
printed speech, the hurried account Of
any public occurrence, ID far more accurate
than the most conscientious and honest rec
ollecticn Of an unrrcfessionai observer would
afford"
Butler Is a man Of varied accomplish
ments He Il one Of the most elaborate OF
safsrs. He Is a sumptuou1 liver. When in
New York, be literally demands the best
that a fashionable hotel affords in the mat
ter Of both lodging and meals He has the
taste Of an artist and something OF
the skin OF one, too A curious habit Of his
Is the using Of a pencil on his finger nafls.
He uses the md Of his fingers to rscsiys as
well as make memoranda; and, while much
Of the data thus manioursd Ia dry and stats
teal, there are numerous pictorial features.
In his earlier Year, he was somethinR OF an
artist, and on returning from n day or even
Ing Of Intercourse with his follow man and
woman his nails arc usually covered with
hasty, covert sketches OF what has p~articu-
iarly impressed him.
However, doubt II no made the slightest
picture OF the funniest thing that ever hap
pensd TO him 1t was In the Union Square
theatre, which is furnished with chairs that
nre automatic to a degree, involving ma
chinery sufficient for a steam engine to every
seat. Those c~ontrivances arn the invention
OF Steele Mackaye, a curious Individual,
who wrote "Hazai Klrke,H devised tho
double stage In advertising uss at the Mad
ison Square theatre, lsctnred years ago on
the Delsarts system OF expression by panto-
mima Each OF the chairs belongs 70 a pair
swivelod to q solid, iron post, 70 which Il
hangs In dependent uncertainty. The
stranger who attempts 70 use ii
uninstructed by an usher is dis
mayed and dumfoundsd by the prob
lem OF how to get into It; but, when manlp
ulated by an expert II unfoids arms, a
cushioned seat, a peg 10 hang his hat on,
and even a place for tho insertion OF his
umbrella or cane. On conforming himself
70 the right angles for a seated posture, he
finds that the Mackaye chair fits itself to his
shape with wonderful hexibility. Not only
does it conform readily to the man with
short legs to his long body, and to the other
man with long Logs 20 n short body, but on
straightening instinctively for . yawn you
nnd that Il 30 far Transforms itself into A
couch as to all but deposit your head in the
lap OF the person next behind you. The
further and awful inherency Of this chair Is
that, Instantly on the sitter rising, II auto
matically withdraws itself from under him
and adherss closely 10 lis standard.
Behold Gen Builder placidly seated in one
Of Aackays's chair. He had enjoyed tho
half-hour piece which opened the dntsrtAin-
mont for It WAS a neat little thing. and tho
long agone marrying Of an actress haa
specially interested him In tho intrica-
cies OF stagecraft His big bald head
reminded ms Of the globe In the school. Of
my childhood, than which no object Of 70
tundity has ever more sndurably Impressed
ma His massive shoulders and lenEth OF
body made him as conspicuous as most six
f~ooters, aud all Kanss were Immediately
transferred from the actors to him after tho
fall OF the curtain At this juncture, whon
be was the focus Of the audisnce, he rose to
his feet for q stretch OF his disproportion
nfNIV IrIrI taRu IFo aI.fr afI..tI. F.l4.4 a.
Intricate parts, and stole away % hug It's
central standard Ths Statesman. having
.ettled the kinks IN his calves, reasonably
supposed thai be would drop gracefully into
his scat again Tn hard floor. away down
On tho Level Of his feet was tho first surface
with which be came into cantact His bulky
hoad was just in sight, and IL was moro gro
tesque and kaisidoscopic In expression than
any comic rubber dolls while distorted by