The National tribune., 1892-02-11


book said that Ia his fathers book Of the war he did
not hesitate to criticize Gen. Butler and give his est
make Of him In free language. Regarding that .
portion OF the book Ia which Butler nlludes 10 the
untruthfuI and viainous statements Of The late .
Admiral Porter concerning the capture and sur
render OF Forts ~. Philip and jackson, below New /
Orleans, aud also imPutng eowar3ice TO my .
father, have only to say that during the war
my father received four votes Of thanks from Con-
gress for conspicuous conduct each vote giving
him the privilege Of remaining the active
list of the Navy 10 additional years after the I
retiring age Of 62 years. This IS one vote more |
than was accorded to either Grant or Farragut, |
and will hardly sustain in the minds o. the Ameri-
can people the accusations Of untruthfulncss and
villainy sought 10 DO applied 10 him by Butler. I
Moreover. after the capture Of New Orleans Con- I
gress honored my father with the rank Of Acting
Rear Admiral and Mr.. Gideon Weiles. the then
Secretary Of the Navy ordered him to the COM
msnd Of the Upper Mississippi Squadron. II Is
known that Secretary Welss did not feel friendly
toward my father and fthere had been any founda-
ton for the charge Of villainy and cowardice in his
conduct the Secretary would have been only too
glad to lessen the AdmiraPs influence rather than
TO have increased IL by so important command.
This should be sufficient TO refute the charge that
the brave, truthful and only strategic General
that the late war produced has imputed to Admiral
Porter. A book giving the life Of my father Is now
In course Of preparation by Assistant Secretary Of
the Navy Solely. This work viii contain
curato history OF the circumstance that Butler
calls untruthfu and viIlaiuous"
Lieut.. Charles r. FurIong Regmental Quarter
master Of the l7th Wis., who took charge Of capt
ured property in ycksburg after its surrender and
is beloved in the South for the excellent discretion
and tactfuI kindness he showed 20 The citizens has
the interesting popularity, among rich men at
L II
Of ample income. Gen. FuronG at the close Of each
year il in the habit Of distributing among the
genuinely needy the surplus Of income over ex-
penses. How many men there are who would be
only too glad Of an opportunity Of investing what
he gives away.
Gen. Stewart Van Yliet, o. 3. Army, retired, Is
| full Of army "reminiscences, with which he some
times delights his friends by narratiug The other
/ evening he amused an audiences OF comrades by
telling story of his life on the frontier. when he
was young officer Of the Old Army. The General
/ built Forts KeaFny and Laramie. some time In the
\ year 1913. He had occasion TO go to ST. Louis to
make some disbursements. Said the General: 81
had started from Fort Laramie with two wagons
and five or six men, and struck st. Joe, the
Missouri River, in order TO catch steamer for st.
| Louis. l went TO the hotel and found 10 very
| crowded, and was informed by the landlord that
/ the house was filed, and that I would have TO
double up. I retired early, and had my saddle
with holster pistols, and my belt with revolver
| and huntng-knife and my rifle, placed under the
edge Of my bed. Before had gone 10 sleep, the
man assigned to the room entered and took of his
coat and hung it on the wall. and commenced to
take of his vest AT that moment he turned and
saw me in the bed. Without removing his eyes,
he rebuttoned his vest, took down his coat put it
on. and left the room. slept undsturbed. The
next morning the hOtel-keeper told me that the
young man had informed him the night before
that he would go 10 another hotel, for be didn't
want TO sleep with wild man from the prairies.
| My white hair hung down over my shoulders at
the time, and presented sort Of strange appear
Rnce."
Gen. David Mem. Gregg, the new Auditor Cen
eral Of Pennsylvania, Is gradually recovering from
a long siege OF the grip. He expects TO remove
from Reading to Harrisburg early in Nay.
Gen. Hartwen B. Compson, the new Brigadier-
General Of the Oregon Militia, has received some
sharp criticism from the Oregon press but he Is
| and was a valiant soldier nevertheless. He was
mustered out Of service Major Of the 5th ". Y.
Cav, having fought his way from the ranks TO that
position. He participated in 65 engagements dur
ing the war Of the rebellion, and his body bears
many scars received in the service He is a New
Yorker by birth, and enlisted when II years Of
age. He also comes Of fighting stock, his ancestors
I
that Of 1872.
Two good stories are told Of COL Abraham j.
Seay. Odd Mo-. the new Governor Of Oklahoma
Territory. While holding court at FL Reno, Okla
homa, after his appointment Judge of the Terri
tory, a number Of gamblers were brought before
him charged with violating the laws of the Terri
tory. All but one decided to plead not guilty and
have their cases postponed. The other man de-
cded to plead guilty and in doing so made great
mistake. The Judge inquired whether he was
guilty or not guilty; to which the gambler with q
smile, answered Guilty, sir" The Judge opened
the docket and commenced to write som ething
and in "a high toned southwestern Missouri voice
said 4" i fine you $50 still writing his docket
The young man with asmile said, Judge, L We gOl
just that amount in my hip-poc<et and can pay it.
The Judge kept writing but hesitatedas the young
man counted out his money, finally continuing the
sentence, and six months IN the County Jail
Have you got that in your hip-poc<et, too?n The
gambler still languishss IN Jail. Judge Seay diff
fered from most OF the expOnents of law who emil
grated to that new country in that he did not sci
his farm and put all his wealth in law books. he
just went down there with his good sense and past
legal requirements. Commenting upon this fact,
| aud that the other two Supreme Judges had large
libraries for reference, a friend once said to him
Where's your library, Judge?" He replied, 81
haven't any. Law books always tended to confuse
1 me- IDi8 coming rom a ripe lhWyer VINO nae
served I2 years on the Circuit bench in Missouri
showed how justice could bs dispensed without
observing the technicalities Of law.
Commodore Montgomery. Of Confederate naval
fame and later popular Captain Of river steamers
says that the most interesting cargo his boat eve
carried was that which comprised the remains o
the men who fell az the of the Little Ri.
Horn. There were q collins, the dead In eael
wrapped in army blanket, and most eonspicu
Gus among them all was the body Of Custer. Al
, the other dead had been mullated by the Indians
but Clusters remains had been spared. The tFiI
was a mournful one down the Little Big Horn int
the Yellowstone then down the Missouri 70 For
, Lincoln, whence the collins shipped overland
to Eastern homes
Horace J. Poland Is the name OF the Boston maj
who voluntarily surrendered his pension of s. pc
month a short time ago, which created quite a sti
0 | i'm the Pension Bureau. He says he finds that h
| is fully capable OF supporting himself and n
. | longer requires the aid Of the Government
. While Comrnde Poland has a perfect right to re
Hnquish his right to a pension, most people
especially old soldiers. will think that he coul
have done a much better thing by drawing tn
money he was entitled to and giving it 20 some oil
a soldiers family who find il hard work to exist. ia
q stead Of turning IL back into the Treasury of on
: OF the richest and most prosperous Government
!, I'm the world to which II is but drop in a bucket
y whileit would relieve much distressK properly di.
tributed