The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1893-01-19
DEATH OF GEN. BUTLER.

He Passed Away Suddenly ut His Home
in Washington.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11.-Gen. Benja-
min F. Butler. the lawyer, statesman,
politician and millionaire manu-
facturer, died at his residence, 2a0 New
Jersey avenue southeast, at 1870 o'clock
q. m.
The end was apparently painless
He was at the war department during
the afternoon, after his appearance in
court during the day, and after his re.
turn to the house he ate dinner. after
which he sat pleasantly chatting with
the members of the household. He re-
tired about IL o'clock, apparently as
well as ever. The general was in the
74th year of his age at the time of his
death.
Benjamin Franklin Butler first saw the light
OF day in Deerield, N. H., November
5, 1878. His father was Capt John Butler who
served in the war OF the revolution. Benjamin
was graduated At W aterville college, Maine was
admitted to the bar in 1910, began practice at
Lowell Mass, and soon made = high reputation
rs lawyer, especially in criminal cases. He
also won prominence In politics At an early
day, being elected to the Massachusetts, house
1859.
The following year he was q delegate to the
democratic national convention at Baltimore,
but withdrew with . majority of the Massa-
chusetts delegates, with the announcement:
Il would not sit in convention where the
African slave trade, which is piracy by the
laws OF my country, il approvngly advoca ted -
In the same year he was defeated as the demo-
cratic candidate for governor OF Massachu-
sets.
When Lincoln called for troops in April 1851,
Butler was brigadier general of militia He
was placed in command of the district of An
napolis, and May 10, 1861 he entered Baltimore
At the head OF 800 men and occupied the city
without resistance. A short time afterward
he Was made major general and ASSIGNED
to the command of Fortress Monroe and the
department OF eastern Virginia. While there
some slaves that had come within his lines
were demanded by their masters. but he re-
fused to give them up on the ground that they
were contraband OF war hence the origin Of
the word ICON traband' as applied to negroes
Gen. Butler captured Forts Ratteras and Clark
and conducted an expedition to the gulf Of
Mexico.
He took possession OF New Orleans Nav 1.
1867, and administered the affairs of the city
with great vigor Because of his hanging Will
lam Mumford for hauling down the union flag
and for issuing an order restraining southern
proclaimed him an outlaw. HIS seizure OF
$500, 900 which had been LETT in the office of the
Dutch consul for the use, as Butler claimed
OF the confederates, was not sustained
in Washington, and he had to return it. De-
cember l6. 1852, he was recalled, and toward the
close Of the next year he was placed in COM
mand OF the department Of Virginia and North
Carolina. and his force was afterward desig
mated as the army Of the James. In December
OF 1864 he conducted an Intellectual expedition
against Fort Fisher and was removed from
command by Gen. Grant He then returned to
his home in Massachusetts.
Gen Butler was one of the most active of
] e managers appointed by the house In 1868 to
conduct the impeachment proceedings against
President johnson, he at that time hav-
ing been elected to congress as q repub-
hcan He was elected governor of Massa-
chusetts in 1884 by the democrats
after having been several times previously de-
feated as a candidate for the same office His
administration vas signalized by the Tewksbury
almshouse inquiry, in which he appeared as the
prosecutor. His charges were not sustained by
the legislative investigating committee He was
renominated in 1888 for governor, but was de-
feated. In 1884 he was the candidate OF the
greeioacK ana antl-monopoiy parties Tor the
presidency and received 1913 ",.5 votes Since
that time he devoted his energies to the prac-
tice OF his profession, appearing in many
notable cases before the United States supreme
court among them being that of the Chicago
anarchists who were hanged