The East Huron Gazette, 1893-02-23, Page 4•
OLD OF BEN BUTLER
Al;oae CHARACTER STORIES OF THE
OEAE, GENERAL
A Wonderful Personality -His Queer
mels -Witty and Sarcastically Quick
-
A ;Sew Story of the Spoons -His Great
Nerve and Phenomenal Memory.
It is queer how Death treats public
men. On the same night that Senator
Kenna died on Capitol Hill in washing
ton, another statesman passed away.
His death -bed was located not a stone's
throw from that of the young Senator,
and like Kenna he had kept his life -work
going on until the last. He was, how-
ever, 30 years older than Senator Kenna
and he was -a figure in the public eye al-
most before Senator Kenna was born.
I refer to Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, who
also began life young, but who for near-
ly half a century was a national char-
acter. Had Kenna lived 30 years longer
how much more -might he have accom
Jfished! He was only 8 years old when 1
ohn Sherman came to Congress and he
was still a boy when Blaine was in his
prime. He was only 12 years old when.
Ben Butler jumped into National prom-
inence at the Charleston Convention,
and when he • started into the Gron-
'federate Army as a private, Butler
had gone through his careerat
New -Orleans and had become a major -
general. Every day of- Butler's life for
more than half a century was packed full
of activity. His fingerswere on the key -
'board to which are attached the wires of 1
the great things of our Nation and he
accomplished every year more than
many dozen other public men. A close t
friend of his who was associated with
him for years .in business told me the s
other night that he made more than
$50,000 annually at his law practice and
that his income from his work often ran s
into the hundreds of thousands a year. '
:His GFabernational campaigns cost him
$100,000 apiece and when he ran for
President, as the candidate of the Labor
• Party,. he had to mortgage the big gray
-stone house which he afterwards sold `to I
the Government to get the ready money
he needed. I know a man who held a ` p
mortgage of $90,000 on this property for i
some years and I am told that Butler g
spent every cent of it and more in his to
campaign.
BEN BUTLER'S LAW PRACTICE.
i am>I3utter of hasesl Gov
Butler, you`ndent fool!" And
i amidst they ofnseapoiogies c'fthe' doer-
kee -he wend" into. Se =Senate:; He
of course the right to s so by: vir-
tue of his .being an `ex-Oongressinan as
well as—Governor.,. .
BEN'S WPi
Manystories are here told of.Ben .Btit
ler's wit. His brain was as quick as a
flash and he had one of the most car-
castic tonguesthat ever cut . a soul or
cracked a joke. I heard a story last
night of his remark at the -close of a
Congressional speech of John A. Bing -
ham's. Butler did : not 'like Bingham,
but the speech was -an able' one and at
its close the -House was .:wrapped in
silence andyou could have heard a pin
drop any place in the chamber. The
Congressmen were ready to .burst into
applause when -Butler, cocking his queer
eye, said in a stage" whisper:
"I always didlikethat speech!"
This: meant, of course, that Bingham
had but one speech and that he had
spoken it many -times before. It effect-
ually settled the applause.
A NEW STORY OP THE SPOONS.
I heard a. ne*: spoon -story concerning
Butler last'.: `
nSght. His enemies -never
tired of.tnitting -him= on -the infamous
slander Whfeh was charged , against him
in New Orleans and during his cam-
paigns in Massachusetts there were
always allusions to "spoons. One
night �he was speaking to a meeting
when the word "spoons" was hurled at
him. He replied to it thus : -
"I see there is some opposition here.
But i1 it is congealed -if it stands alone
ike that spoon it will not trouble me
much."
The crowd pared - and- Butler carried
he town by a large majority.
This spoon talk,:however, went oa:for
ome time until Butler finally got tired.
One night while hewas addressing a big
manufacturing town in •Massac"husetts
omeone in the audience howled out
`spoons." Butler stopped:and askedthe
speaker to come forth. -He waited a
moment and no one rose. He then said:..
"I would:like: to see any respectable
citizen father .such .a -charge against me
have :heard ..this matter jested about
and have seen it, Printed- in the plblic
rens. but heretofore_I have considered.
t beneath my dignity.tonotice it. I am
etting tired of it now and I would like
end it by making some manpay me
eavv damages for libel."
That settled it. Butler's speech was
sported and he heard nothing more
om spoons during that campaign.
BEN BUTLER'S NERVE.
Speaking of Ben Butler's law practice, ! fr
.he had many big cases before the Su- I
;preme Court which netted him fortunes,
yet I happen to know that he did a large
amount of " thank you " business. His B
• heart was as big as his body, and while b
hecharged millionaires tens of thousands b
for his work the poor got it for nothing. -his
I remember an instance here at Wash- I th
ington which -happened only a year or so cot
ago. A soldier's widow who occupies a ni
:very responsible position in one of the
=departments had ahoy seriously injured ye
in a railroad accident. She was toopooe ca
to employ a big Iawyer and the railroad
corporation laughed at her demands for
damages. She went with herstory to ' w
Gen. Butler. He received her in his cr
on Capitol Hill, grunted as she told '
her :story, but when she had finished it. : P
he said he would undertake her case for pe
her and would not charge her a cent. j t
As soon as the railroad company heard au
that Butler was her council, they came
to terms and were glad' to compromise '
at a good round. figure. - wo
The partner of Ben Butler tells me l
there was no harder worker in public ' sp
life than he: Said he: pe
_'Ben Butler once told me that he th
would rather try cases of common - th
ter
wh
Th
c
There was never any doubt about Ben
ntler's nerve. Many instances of hisas
revery have been told and he hnever
eenaccused of cowardice. -He showed
:courage a number of times before.
e War began and I have heard a story
how -he saved a crowd at Lowell one
ght from -a panic when Rufus -Choate
was speaking. Butler was then only 28`_
ars old. It was during the Buchanan
mpaign and Choate was addressing a
crowded house in the biggest hall of the
ity. There was great enthusiasm -end
hen the stamping was:the loudest.a
rash
.wee heard and the cry. went forth
'The floor: is sinking." Every one turned
ale and the.audience rose for a stem -
de when young Ben Butler came to
he front of the platform and called the.
dience to"Mit. He said there was. no
danger and that the architect of the:
building was present and that they
uld go together and examine the
building. Choate then went on with his
eech. A. moment later Butler re-ap-
ared and smilingly. told the audience
at there was no present danger but as
e hall was overcrowded . they had bet -
quietly adjourn to thepublicsquare
ere Mr. Choate would finish his speech.
e crowd went quietly out and the
atrastrophe was averted. As Butler
drunkenness at $10. a snit ,than remain
idle. He was the personification of in-
tellectual activity and the gray- matter
of his brain was a great electric dynamo
which wag never idle. He was system
atic in his work and he kept his paper
and letters carefully arranged and filed
away for future use. There is a grea
amount of unwritten history in his cor
respondence and I would not be surpris-
ed to find that he has left considerable
unpublished manuscript, He was work-
ing not long ago on a lecture on Judas
Iscariot, his idea being to prove that
Judas was the purest and noblest of the
12 Apostles. He claimed this on the
ground that Judas alone appreciated the
greatness of Christ and that he betrayed
thin to give Him a chance to assert His
greatness supposing that He would by a
word crush all His enemies and make
•Himself °The King of the World."
BEN BUTLER'S QUEER DRESS.
Gen. Butler courted notoriety : more
than any other man of his:greatnesson
the stage of statemanship = -He did this
not only by his actions, but in his dress,-
and he seemed to have as many different
costumes as an actor. At one time he -
appeared here- in an overcoat of beaver
fur with a hat of the same material.
waking himself look for"all the world
like a great animal. His Coat . warpingwarpingenough for a good-sized tent Med his hat
was pulled down ° over' his ears so that
you only saw his great round face with'
its cock -eye lookingoutof .one side of it.--
At another time I remember he trotted
around in a great wihirte sombrero with.
a stick in his hand,- and he - never ap=
geared on the platform of an --evening:
save in a dress: suit with a red rose in
his buttonhole. Manly -people associate'
this TOSS* with his lave for his- wife's
memory,forit is said this she always
pianed such a-flowerin his buttonhole
ore lie left home for his day's:work -..
- I stepped into the platform he had de-
ceived thein by his smiling face and with
a half laugh which came from his lips as
t he,whispered to Mr. Choate before he
- spoke to them. These were the words
he whispered: -
"Mr. Choate, I>must clear this:.ho
or we shall all bein hell in five minutes
BEN BUTLER'S MEMORY.
Two wonderful things about Ben B
ler were his -memory and his power for
sleep. A Washington correspond
told me -the other day how he cane
upon him one day for an interview
Gen. Butler had been working rig,
along for 18 hours and he was still
work when the correspondent entered.
He heard his request and then said:
"I would like to talk to you, but
mind is full of this case and I will hay
to sleep first. -<.If you will; wait 2
minutes I will give -you an interview.".
"Alt right," said' the corresponds
and=•Butler went . into the next room
At the end of 20 minutes he carne out
fresh as a daisy and his mind was as
clear as -a -bell. He had slept just
minutes and :I am told that he coul
sleep at any time and in any place. H
often slept ih his chair in hie Office
neither his mind -nor his Memory eve
seemed to fail him. He Wee noted fo
his kindness to: his friend, and when ,
was elected .Governor he was surround
ed by office -seekers. One of these, name
Smith; came upto him andiaid::_ °'Gen
Butler, I have done all I could to "have
you elected and /*ant yon toremen be
me now when you come into your _king'.
dem'?
h,'= said Butler, "What is your
name"Smith" was=the reply. "I have
worked for,.vou for'years." ;
"Ab, iSinjtk It- steins to me- that I.
rememiiereyou. You played me false at.
a convention lust 15 years.ago.You
promised to vote forme, and yon voted
for may_opponent. No Mr .Snaith, :I
don't rihiik tI shall; need you._: Good
slay "=Baff$10 Express
Meelarenients. elf n S immer.
ffi.,de"Eeih is,at work -on a statue
:df `-The Diivsng Girl," and- as a: model
BSS. BUTLER AT' TEF. CAPITOL.
Sce-he.left Congress Ben Butler has
t a large part pf every year: at the
aitet The door -keepers ; knew kW
'we and , they were:- prepared for- . his
queer. freaks in tine way _- of`Areas: He
tT a right of eniraneee to both Hii ase.
and Serrate' and he u snally went in with
-ont'tiouble., . t the first of one session,
however, he' agorgeous
his. .
white - Sombrero, ;'his - patent l€ather-
:Pwn- and• dared ed.suit " He came
#ta one of the fear doors pf the -Senate
her; " started to `1 in .-. he
ger was a new one. - He thonght
run ' the CEap , and he ptit
a :arm acia'door and told`t.
ntler to -Stand ,back. - "Yon can'tgo in
ere-;'_ said he. "This deiot is onlyir,
nators wht the Senate` in sess-
ni.• F t er him :send �.rt
Itotikfrand I have arig
gligtO
wk.
Earner;
use
Bu i pe cial
ant
ht
at
my
0
nt„
as
20
and;
er
r
he
a
e"
r
1881
4vr
111ter.
AGAIN Grim Winter is upon us;- again we must bestir
ourselves to withstand his attacks.
Wt.
(II
EMORTES of past winters and by -gone experiences
have taught us what is needed, and we have secured.
the beat things in
2,4
m
STAPLE and�falcy Dry Goods,Fine Boots and
S Shoes' M ,n's and
Women's Rubbers &
Overshoes, etc., that the market affords, and at
prices that keen competition and stern necessity always
offer to the cash buyer.
4►,
Ni -NO YOU KNOW
that the word " >>
influence in the wCo~�rld�o�o�-m=iner hasta wonderful
Often and often goods are secured at far less- than the cost of production.
This is a lesson we learned long ago, and have censtantly used our lest en-
ergies and cashtosecure the bargains offered from`time to time; and we still
adhere to the rule of sharing the advantages we receive with our customers.
smeta
�
4%
•
•We lead the Van in the MILLINERy BUSINESS
in this section of
the country.
Our Customers come from far and near.
_.."=""''''''"="
1893
Our Stook is fully assorted for Winter, and M1SS KINSEY will undertake to satisfy the most fastidious in this line.
BJP �it�
We keep 9onstantl3r- on hand a well -assorted stock of CHOICE FAMILY GROCERIES.
Our specialty is TEA.'We say without fear of successful contradiction that our 25c. and 35c. Tea cannot be beat.
Do not forget the place, and don't be afraid to ask to see any line, whetheryou waut to purchase
consider it no trouble to show goods. P ase or not, as we
REMEMBER=One Price to all ; and 4%
right down to the limit below which -
honest.. goods Cannot be sold.
N-)
ontreal House, G1rri e.
•
.
00
4r00,46‘ hod
AGEl\T'L
FOR]DWIOH, ONT.
--o—.
Money tb Loan on Farm' Se-
curity at the Lowest rate
of Interest.
--0
GOOD` NOTS . DISCOUNTED.
he has choseniss Clara Beckwith, the
champion -144y swimmer of the world
"Ilio not✓-hink ere Sara more per-
fectly
er-
fec y:formedwomen America than
lfl k th,"said" m fie, ' >Beck
=with's =ineasurements are -perfect,: and
besides siiehas development of muscle,
With'a superfluous_:Resh. Her head in -
- , inches, -so does her
ooert i< eft mEes 307 -inches, ands _
eeinches 'Member of (1lttaria
Attention given
CONVEYANCING.
—o
s cooK,
North of the Post Office,
FORDWICH
Forclsmz-itoh.
holler 1�Iills.
WILSON BROS., Propc.
—c.
First-class. Manitoba Wheat Flour
manufacturedand always kept in Stock
and sold in any quantities. -
FLOUR - per cwt.
BRAN , . per ton.
SHORTS per ton.
$1 90 to $2 00
10 00
13 00
Special attention given tc GRISTING,.
which is done on the shortest
possible notice.
Highest Price Paid
for Grain.
The mill is fitted throughout
with the very, best roller pro-
cess machinery and of pliances
and we are confident of being
able to give perfect satisfac-
tion.
PATONAGE So 1:ciarD.
WILSON BROS.
nmouneement.
Havingpnrehased a first-class f ull plate glass Hearse I ata in "a better Position
odothe and`ertaking Ofthis commumty: than before, and: owing to reductions in
hewhoIesale prices of our goods I am in a position to give:the use of this mag
-nificent Hearse free, that ;is to say my' charges will be ne more and some
leo 0114,11.1;"014-0' .
•
Cas
...-hr4org ice nip nqi t� cues upper
er arm 101
-role-`:neck
but -my
l}�v a4�ott esx:ereas_the'
in+e-hesf
414kt;i elj &wn':
and 3ier to
The Kplreasurenten
eiBiatAfat- of
ne�incTi
f<ira>-r
lt�
a,
fi-
ool' of Embalming.
Funittre-Dealer and Undertaker -
Eas Jlurori gazette.
GORRIE.
Home News,
Diserict News.
Miscellany.
The Best Advertising Medium in this
section.
Have You Renewed
Your Subscription
for 1893 ?
The $ will be welcome
OUR
Jobbing
Department
Is REPLETE
With the -Latest Faces of Typo, M es
Modern Conveniences, Rapid
Pau tet
and every facility for -turning out
first-class work on the short-
est notice and at the low -
eat prices.
the
lees i
oontri
comic)
istic o
the f
seems
in the
attrac
the
In
hang f
or, sho
in the
TOMO
trinsic
has gro
taining
friends
become
ed, is n
of sen
Diffe
never
few m
cious to
for eac
portantsigned
glass
window
glass
Neither
parotin
scape,
tame an
Al mos
approve
five feet
center o
not appl
atadie
er. Nor
close
alIIc8 {
Unless
tures m
line, it is
Sat
eteAdtage, Sand
observer.
ly obviat
of one,
own. F
ity ��
well ; an
sometim
Food effec
at berme
Wire for
use
but this s
otherwise.
all, it its
they are h
by a sense
In pre
to remem
best adv
design ; o
If choice o
control, th
suitable
and impo
curtain lar
the frame
ground.
With t
you will
picture too
round it
es fro
op
that it is p
without th
has come d
A beautif
appropria
valuable, w
pears cold
glect of thel
Serving -1
A housek�
asks how to
the other did
after the oat
fast; when t
plates shod
table or pine,
The condi'
ferent fami
can be giver
are a few 1
helpful: Hai
kitchen to pi
wilall keep , and h
iiny form ma
soon as cook]
timed very eq
the table at 1
It in saner
for that pun
eat mush or
wait for the
mush hag
dishes, and p
fast on the to
hot and be p'
the carver.
the coffee.
bet of the fax
and course o
should be re
work. It is
to have to
also to arise
second course
ten
must,
hurry in the
their wives it
Ladies' Home
Yalu.
Every house]
ingitistoha
squeak, and hl
to move unl
Many do not r
oil will, as a
artcee: First
that part of t
hinges swing.
machine oil
oughly, and
and forth until
Wipe the hin
main for a few
the
locks andble bolts
same manner.
wooikfn them
ease, The egg -:
ma nr 1 4u1d
113/Aller.
A. 000d
.Miz with a s
Aral* and wate
Make a thick
- tel's hair be
=miite.
A Go
t mua
ttth and a
dd a eq