Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-07
HE KEPT a HAREM.
Ben. ButIer's Nephew Obeyed Orders to
DO As the Romans Did.

Chicago Malls Washington Special
NJ. P. Handy, it is said, is to be ap-
pointed Consul-GCneral at Cairo, the post
last filed by the late Eugene Schuyler,
one OF the most accomplished men the
American diplomatic service has had IN
many years. MIR. Handy is newspaper
writer. and has served New York and
Philadelphia papers from Washington
for several years. The salary OF consul
general mt Cairo is 81, 900 year. If Mr..
Handy is MS artiul rs George Butler,
nephew Of Benjamin Butler, who held
the place during the Administration OF
General Grant he viii be able to make
it worth $50, coo to $4,000 year.
The stories of Buffers escapades are
many. When Mr.. Fish became Secre-
tarv Of State he sent ont circular-letter
to the Ministers and Consuls of the
United States instructing them to com
ply as far as possible with the customs
and manners Of the countries to which
they were accredited. One morning, to
Mr.. Fish's horror, ne received a commu-
nication from Colonel Butler to the eff
feet that he had received General Letter
of Instructions No. 100, and that in
compliance herewith he had fitted out
tho United States consulate III the most
recherche Egyptian style.
For particulars he referred to the in
closed tented bill, and he also men
toned the fact that he had drawn draft
on the United States Government, which
had been duly honored by the leading
banker of Cairo. A more wonderful
communication never shocked decorous
Secretary of State. Among other items
was one for six Circassian girls, 1000
piasters each nine ditto Nubian. lie
bepged TO assure the Secretary that his
taste had been unimpcachable, for he
had availed himself of the large expe-
rience and advice OF the khediye's chief
ounuch in selecting them.
Being called upon for an explanation
Mr. Butler replied that he had acted IN
obedience to the Secretary's instructions
70 conform to the habits and customs of
the country he was in. All gentlemen
in the Orient kept harems, and he did
not propose that the United States
should be outdone in the dignity OF
their chief representative if it broke "
the State Department TO do 1t. AS
matter of fact Mr.. Fish paid the draft
out of the contingent fund of the State
Department. Ben. Butler was at that
time in the full flower of his influence,
and Mr.. Fish did not like to quarrel
with him on his nephew's account.
Young Butler made about seven times
his salary by very simple arrangement
with Mourad Pasha, tho governor OF the
city. A fayorite pastime of this Egyp-
tan official was to occasionally bastinado
n Jew until he gave up everything he
had. Now if q Hebrew trading IN Cairo
could show papers Of American citizen
ship signed by the Consul-General he
was perfectly safe. These papers were
to be obtained at prices varying with the
means of the purchaser. The proceeds
of this traffic were divided between the
Governor and the Consul General.
About this time also there were num-
her of American officers In the service oil
the Khedive. Among them were Major
General Valentino Mott, General Charles
Il. stone (bdQksb Olu clllcl VI hl1h !,
Major General Charles ". Field, Colonel
Beverly KEENAN,, and Lieutenant Colonel
NJ. Morgan. There were also many
European officers in the service. The
Americans did not get along very well
with them. The khedive very nearly
raised q mutiny among his staff by re-
curing them to put on their best uni
forms and pay a call Of state to the khe-
dives newest Partisan mistress.
Colonel Morgan, who spoke perfect
French, calmly notified his master that
no would see him in eblis, which is the
ninth degree of the Mohammedan hell,
before he would wear his uniform on
such mission. The other Americans
stood by him. The Russian, German,
French. and English officers did not
mind this little thing, and thought the
Americans were too fastidious, but Colo
mel KEENAN,, of the engineers, said they
had TO draw the line somewhere, AMI he
meant TO draw it right there.