Morning journal and courier., 1893-01-12
GENERAL BUTLER DEAD.

| FAeumOb1o SuCCceuCu " IeaTL r HI
ure-Not X nOwn TO be Seriously
Until He Expfred-Lowell's Tribui
| sketch OF His Career.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11.-Benjsmin i
Butler, the lawyer, statesman, political
and millionaire manufacturer, died at hi
Washington residence, No. 800 New Jerse
avenue, southeast, at 1:30 this morning.
His death created an immense surprise
as It was not even known that he was al
ing, any more than any man who had live
and labored so long would. The announce
ment this morning that he had died at 3
from failure of the heart created more thai
little surprise, and at that hour of tn
night details of his taking off were NOR
than mesgre.
Shortly after o'clock this morning tn
general was attacked with a fit of cough
ing, which awakened the man servant
who always occupied an adjoining room
He at once fastened to the generals bed
side and asked him what the matter was
The general, meanwhile, had gone to tn,
bathroom adjoining, whittier his vale
fastened and offered his assistance. Tn,
| general mentioned that bis expsctoratior
| had been discolored with blood. He die
not appear to think seriously of the mat
| ter, however, and after his valet had as
| sisted him to bed he said: "Thst's all
West; you need not do anything more,
| and apparently went to sleep.
He had lain on his bed but q few min
utes, however, when his heavy breathing
again aroused alarm.
Lsnier Dunn, his nephew by marriage,
who resided in the same house, started out
in search of medical assistance. 1t was
fully fifteen minutes before he could &C.
cure aid, and then when he returned with
DR.. Luce 1t was seen that the general was
already in extremis. The doctor so in.
formed his two nieces. Miss Stevens and
Mrs. Dunn, who were at his bedside, and
death ensued almost Immediately.
The end was apparently painless. he
was at the war department during the after
noon after his appearance in court during
the day, and after his return to the house
he ate dinner, after which he sat chatting
with the members of his household. He
retired at about II O'Clock apparently as
we'll as ever.
The general was in the seventy fourth
year of his age. His daughter, Mrs. Gen
ersl Ames, was at Highlands, N. j., and
his son Paul at Lowell, Mass. On his way
here from New York on Friday General
Butler was taken sick on the train, but re-
covered. Yesterday he caught very
heavy cold which produced pneumonia,
and that in turn caused failure of the heart
which was the immediate cause of DEATH
The interment will take place at Lowell,
Macs, in the family lot, where lie the re-
mains of his wife and son Benjamin, the
latter of whom died in 1875.
The hndv of Ganera1 Rntlar will ha re-
moved from the residence of his relatives
where he died to the railroad station at 8
O'Clock to- morrow, whence 1t will be taken
to Lowell. The exercises at the house
prior to the removal of the body will be
brief and of very simple character. Ex-
Governor Ames, General Buffers son-in-
law, has arrived and will return with the
remains to their last resting place.
LOWELL, Jan. 11.-Upon receiving news
of General Buffers death this morning
Mayor Peckham ordered all flags on public
buildings to be placed at half and
called a special meeting of both branches
formal action upon the decease of their dis
tinguished fellow citizen.
Paul Butler left for Washington early
this morning and the arrangements for the
funeral will be made after his arrival there.
Before leaving, Mr.. Butler requested Col
onel O. A. R. Dimon to take charge of the
public exercises.
The funeral will probably be held in St.
Anne's Episcopal church Saturday after
noon.
Up to his last moment in Lowell General
Butler was very active. One day last week
he left COR Salem early in the morning re-
gardipg a will case on trial there. He
returned to Lowell at noon, attended q
funeral, and was then driven to the station
and left ON the train for New York and
Washington.
In speech in Lowell January 80, 1890,
General Butler, aaid when you bear me
to that little enclosure on the other side of
the river which hope for IS my last rest
ing place pray you put over me for my
epitaph:
"Here lies the general who saved the
lives of his soldiers at Big Bethel and Fort
Fisher, and who never commanded the
Army of the Potomac"
.'I ask, he said, 'for nothing else"
General Buffers wealth is estimated at
seven millions. He owned half million
of real estate in Washington and as much
more In Lowell. He was interested in
manufacturing at various points, and had
a large share in the American Bunting
company of Lowell. Among his western
Investments were the Craig ranch of 100,-
900 acres in Colorado, three fourths of the
Mora grant of 600, 900 acres in New Mex
leo, and his large holdings in the San
Miguel Consolidated Gold Placer Mining
company of which he was president. His
heirs apparent are his son, Paul Butler,
and his two nieces, Miss Nesmith and Miss
Webster, all of Lowell
Benjamin F Butler, who was famous in
congress and during the civil war in the
field. and at the reconstruction of New
Orleans, was born at Deer6eld, N. H.,
November 5, 1873 He was the son of
Captain John Butler, Who served under
General Andrew jackson at New Orleans,
where WAS fought the last battle of the
war with Great Britain, known AS the
"lsst war" and the war of 1879 Butler
was graduated at Wsterville college, now
known as Colby university, in Maine, in
1888, and then he began the study of law,
and was admitted to the bar in 1910. He
began practice at Lowell, Mass. the next
year, and has ever since maintained a high
reputation as lawyer, especially In crimi-
nal cases. He early turned his attention
to politics and, as a democrat, became very
prominent in that locality. He was made
a member of the lowest branch of the
state legislature in 1858, and of the state
senate in 1853 In 1860 he was one of
the Massachusetts, delegates to the demo
cratic national convention that met at
Charleston, S. O. The convention dis.
solved, portion of the delegates resssem-
bling at Baltimore few days afterward.
He then announced that the msjority of
the delegates would not further participate
in the proceedings of the convention on
the ground that there had been a with
drawal in part of the majority of the
states, and also that he would not sit in q
convention where the African slave trade,
which was regarded as piracy by the laws
of the United States, was approvingly ad-
vccsted.
In the same year he received the demo
cratic nomination for govsrnor of Mssss.
chusetts, but was defeated. When the wal
broke out in 1851 he held the commission
of brigadier general of militia and on April
II he went to Annapolis, Nd, with the
Eighth Massachusetts regiment and was
placed in command of that district. Or
May 13 of that year hs entered Baltimore
at the head of 900 men and occupied tbs
city without opposition and on May IS ht
| was assigned to the command of Fort Mon
roe and the department of eastern Vir
Qinia, The first union soldiers of the wal
on the part of the union to lose their live
were some of his command who were free
on by q mob in the streets of Baltimor'
when Butler aud his troops were passing
| fbrouoh tina citv