Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-03-20

/
ing 'Picayune Butler has come to
| town" On his arrival in New Or
leans Gen. Butler was met by tumult
and discord. The Confederates had
abandoned the city, the wharves, cot
ton press piles of coal and several
vessels were in blaze, incendiaries
had been at work and the most select
ed mob outside of Paris had contro,
for a short period The Naval author
tiles had, previous to General But
lers arrival, taken possession Of the
Mint, Custom House and National
buildings. The State flag was taken
down from the City Hall. On the
Mint and Custom House the stars and
stripes waved once more gently in the
breeze, and the order promulgated
that any one found attempting to
haul 1t down would be fred upon.
The Naval authorities suppose want
ed to have all the eclat attending their
great victory-and great it certainly
was, not alone for the navy but the
entire country. But they found after
hoisting the flag they could not spare
force enough to defend it. The de-
tachment of marines and sailors in
possession of the public buildings
were menaced by the mob but held
on until properly relieved. After the
sailors and marines proceeded aboard
their ships, one Mumford, a sporting
man round town, hauled down the
flag from the Mint, traiied it in the
dust, tore it up in shreds to be dis
tributed among the bowling mob, too
cowardly to go with the Confederate
soldiers to thefront, but brave enough
to be an enemy in the rear. Mumford
was tried for that crime by Military
law, found guilty and sentenced to
hanged on the spot where the flag
had been torn down from the Mint.
The sentence was put into execution
and Mumford was hanged. I learned
from authority that it was the intention
of Gen. Butler to commute the SEN
tence to expulsion outside the lines,
but gang of desperadoes formed in
the city menacsd him with instant
death if hair of ALtsinfortl was touch
ed. They enclosed to the General COM
mand:ng, that menace with the typical
coffin profled at the top That as a
matter Of course entirely changed the
intention of Gen. Butler. Had he
reprieyed the condemned man the
gang would ascribe it to fear of the
threats. they had made and grow bold
er in consequece. Gen. Butler is the
last man in this country to be intimi-
dated by mob law. Thus it was that
the sentence of the court became con-
frmed and the foolish and unfortu-
nate man met his death by the actor
OF his associates. There are few men
so cool headed or temperate in his ac-
ton as Gen. Butler. The course Of
the desperadoes presented the alterna-
tive Of giving away to them or sup
pressing them, the latter course was
adopted and the mob disappeared.
The Red Bills-red handed from
many murders, found security behind
iron bars. Gen. Butler became in
formed that large amount of money
belonging to the people of the United
States had been abstracted from the
Mint and lodged with the Belgian
counsul for safe keeping. He requir-
ed this money returned to the origin
al, lawful owners. Meeting with re-
fusal, his previous demand was en-
forced and the ingots deposited in the
Custom House to the credit of Uncle
Sam.
All the foreign consuls at New
Orleans rose up menacingly and pro-
tested against the violation of the
consulate. Those fellows were active
agents for the Confederacy, which in
no wise tended to moderate the firm
attitude Of Gen. Butler toward them.
In keen, cutting and decisive langu-
age the Commanding General inform
ed the bunch Of foreign consuls that
they appeared to forget their calling,
neeessating his reminding them they
held their positions from the United
States government, not from the Con-
federate, and if they did not conform
to the duties of their office, they
would be supplied with passports and
ordered to leave within forty-sight
hours. The British consul was rather
prominent in those proceedings and
quite malignant in his line of pro-
cedure. The removal of Gen. Butler
has been attributed to foreign inter
meddling. The money he seized was
returned and converted into purchas-
ing arms and equipments to aid the
rebellion. President Lincoln was
ready to sustain Gen. Butler, but for
State reasons Mr.. Seward influenced
his removal in order to placate foreign