but one conspicuous
exception in her entire military history. During the trial
of Andrew Johnson, Butler, who was one of the managers, employed
spies to visit, in his absence, the room of William M. Evarts,
counsel for the President, and to search his waste basket
in the hope of spying upon his correspondence. Of this he
shamelessly afterward boasted. Later he employed dishonest
persons to get from the wires the private telegraphic dispatches
of Henry L. Pierce, then his colleague in the House of Representatives,
sent to the Hon. W. W. Rice at Worcester.

But this is not all. Wherever Butler is found in military
command there were constant rumors of the same story which
Governor Andrew told in the beginning. It is like the ointment
of the hand which bewrayeth itself. Jobs, fraudulent contracts,
trading through the lines, relatives enriched by public plunder,
corrupt understanding with the enemy. These stories pursued
him to New Orleans and from New Orleans back to Lowell. Is
there another Union General, at least was there ever another
Massachusetts General to whose integrity such suspicion attached?
He scarcely undertook to discuss the matter himself. After
the war a New Orleans bank, on which Butler had made a requisition
for eighty thousand dollars in gold, employed the late Edwards
Pierpont to bring an action against General Butler on the
ground that the money had never been paid over to the Government,
but that he had kept it himself. Butler saw the counsel for
the plaintiffs and said he had received the money in an official
capacity and had paid it over to the United States. Mr. Pierpont
answered: "If you will show that, it will constitute a good
defence." In the course of the conversation Pierpont said:
"Your neighbors in Lowell will not think very well of it when
they see you riding in your carriage through the streets,
and know it was paid for out of the money you have taken unlawfully
from this bank." Before the time came for the trial Butler
surrendered and paid over the money. After the matter was
settled he said to Mr. Pierpont: "Well, you beat me. But
I want to tell you that you made one mistake. You said the
people of Lowell would not think very highly of me when they
saw me riding through the streets in my carriage and knew
it was paid for by the money of this bank. The people would
think I was a fool for not having taken twice as much."

General Butler was appointed treasurer of t