Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

[113] was then punishable by death. No man doubts that there never was a more outrageous transaction, or one more disgraceful to a Massachusetts community, or one that caused a greater libel upon its justice.

At that time the laws of Massachusetts contained no provision which made the town or community pecuniarily responsible to the losers by such riotous acts. The owners of the school appealed to the legislature for redress, claiming that they were entitled to it because their loss was suffered by the supineness of the constituted authorities. The legislature, however, refused to pass any bill for the relief of the sufferers; but in 1839, five years afterwards, they did pass a bill by which such losses could be compensated in the future, being driven to the enactment by the justice of this claim. That act provided that when any town suffered such an outrage to be committed thereafter, it should be liable for three-quarters of the value of the property destroyed. But they forgot to pass a bill giving three-quarters of the value to the sufferers by the convent fire, and left the poor young lady pupils to pocket the loss of their wardrobes.

At the age of thirty-four I found myself for the first time a member of the House of Representatives of Massachusetts, with the memory of the sight of those flames still vivid. The thoughts that clustered around that memory were intensified by the feeling that great disgrace had attached to Massachusetts, because no reparation therefor had been made. The legislature was in the hands of a new party of young men, composed of the democracy and those whose sense of great injustice to the slaves had caused them to break away from the Whig party, which had controlled the legislature quite wholly since the burning was done. Animated with hope of justice at their hands, and without consultation with anybody, I caused the subject to be brought before the legislature, argued it before the committee, and had a bill for the relief of the injured parties reported. After full discussion it passed the House, on a Friday, as I remember, and went to the Senate for its action. I have never doubted that, if I had been fortunate enough to have had my bill pass on Tuesday, it would have been sustained by the Senate on Wednesday or Thursday. But virulent religious clamor was raised, and on Sunday a goodly number of clergymen — such as afterwards