The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-01-21
BENJAMIN T. BUTLER.
A CORRESPONDENT NOTES SOME OF
THE GENERALS IRREGULARITIES.
His Strong Points of Individuality Jews
Which Generally Run Counter to the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ones-An
UHheroic sIishsp.
New YORK Cor. Chicago Journal

New York Cor. Chicago JpuFlstI
No man more odd than Ben jamin F. Butler
comes To town lie is here now. As he
walks in Broad way, or sits in the theatre, OF
goes into court in the practica Of his proIes-
sion, be provides amusefnant for all sIecta-
tors Not many Of our notables are the
equals Of their carcatures. Bnt no per
traiture OF Butler in the most hostile ct
comic journals is an overdrawing ii bis
strong points of individually. The regard
for him is a strange mixture Of ridicuie and
respect Put him into a suit Of tatteEet
clothes. start him off as a tramp and ne
would be so remarkable a figure in that
grotesqus walk of life as to defy competi-
ton, ami make the dogs bark more in awe
than aggressiy eness. But he wears good
clothes and has that unmistakable air Of
prosperity which is sure To command the
respect OF mercenary Americans.
Butler is the Funniest man on earth, re
marks his feliow-lounger in the hotel cor
Tidor
u am told that he hes accumulated half
million, says another observer
Instantly the sentiment in the careless
breast of the first speaker changes from
amazed contempt t. serious admiration It
New York man if known by the bank &c
count he keeps. The fact that Ben Butler is
| wealthy through his own efforts is enough 70
make Us respect him, i'll a way; and | trust
| that | am Offending no political
prejudice when | write that Butler
INDECENT would be merely a ridicul-
Gus crank, while Butler eiiluent
is admirably eccentric Ii is true, however,
| that be is an unsolved puzzle 10 those nigh
| him. The only certain conclusion is that he
is the most entertaining of men. His CON
| yersation is unique. His views nearly al
| ways run counter TO the commonly "A ccepted
| ones, and-stranger still-they do not i'm
| press the nearer as having been formed, Ike
| those Of professional philosopher for the
| express and only purpose OF establishment
l asked him what be thought about journal
| ism for instance
| 81 love reporters and l hate editors, he
answered. at is q COMMON fashion to re-
| gard all reporters as liars. On the con
| trary, | have, in long and varied expe-
| rienced, found them Trustworthy. | don t
mean TO say that there are not wofully
bad exceptions; Tut nine times in
ten the published interview, the
| printed speech, tie hurried account Of
any public occurrence, is far more accurate
| than the most conscientious and honest rec
election of an unprofessjonal observer woEl |
afford
| Butler is man of varied accomplish
ments. He is one of the most elaborate OF
eaters. He is a sumrturus liver When in
New York, he literally demands the best
that fashionable hotel affords in the mat
ter Of both lodging and meals. He has the
exacting taste Of an artist, and something Of
the skill of one, too. A curious habit Of his
is the using of a pencil on lis finger nails.
He uses the ends Of his fingers to receive as
well as make memoranda. and. while much
| Of the data thus manicured is dry and stats
| teal, there ara numerous pictorial features.
In his earlier years he was something Of az
artist, and on returning from a day or even
| ing of intercourse with his fellow man anl
woman his nails are usually covered with
| hasty, covert sketches of what has IarticU-
| larly impressed him
However, dolb. if he made the slightest
picture OF the funnie : thing that ever hap
pened 10 him. 1t was in the Union Square
theatre, which is furnished with chairs that
are automatic to degree involving ma
chinery sufficient for ii steam engine to every
Of Steele Mackaye, a curious individual
who wrote Hazel Kirk, devised the
double stage in advertising use at the Mad
ison Square theatre, lectured year, ago on
the Delsarte system of expression by panto-
mime Each of the chairs belongs to rair
swiveled to solid, iron post, to which il
hangs in deTenden. uncertainty. Th1
stranger who attempts to Use ii
| uninstructei by an usher Is dis
| mayed ami dUnfounIaI by the prot
lem of how to get into At; ut, when ulanip
ulated by an expert, 1t uufolis arms. i
cushioned scat, q pc t. hang his hat or,
and even place Tor the Insertion Of HI,
umbrella or cane. On conforming himself
to the right angles 10. seated posture. h
finds that the Mackaye chair fits itself 10 h,
shape with wonderful texibi.ity. Not only
does it conform readily to the man Will
short legs to his long body, and to the utbel
man with long legs to a short body, but Of
Strengthening instnctively for yawn YOU
find that it SO far transforms itself into
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 i,
that, instantly on the sitter rising, it auto
maticaily withdraws itself from under hin
and adheres closely to its STANDARD.
Behold Gen Butler placidly seated in on,
of Mackaye's chairs. lie had enjoyed tht
hslf-hour piece which opened tie enterta n
ment, for it was a neat little thing, and tdt
long agone marrying or IN actress ha.
specially interested him in the mtrica
cies Of stagecraft. His big bald head
reminded ME OF the globe in the school o
my childhood, than which no object of 70
tundity has ever more endurably impreSse,
me. His massive shoulders and length o
body made him as conspicuous as most six
footers, and all gazes were Immediately
transferred from the actors 70 him after til,
fall Of the curtain. At this iUncture, whel
he was the focus of tie audience, he rose t
his feet for stretch of his disproportion
ately brief legs. The chair silently folded it
intricate parts, and stole away 10 hug it
central standard. The statesman, hayin,
settled the kinks in his calves, reasonabl
supposed that he would drop gracefully int
his seat again. The hard iioor away dowI
on the level of his feet, was the first slGfac
with which he came into cantact. His bulk
head was just in sight, and it was more gre
teSque and Kaleidoscope in expression tina
any comic rubber dolls while distorted b
the unheroic nature of the mishap and th
| hilarity of the spactatOrs