On January 20, 1876, Illinois citizens opened their papers to find reporters enthusiastically recounting the discovery of a string of thefts at the New State Capitol. Supervising architect for the project, Alfred Piquenard, confirmed that he suspected valuable designs and ‘moulds’ had been disappearing for some time but due to the relatively small number of items that had gone missing and the apparent honesty of those who may have been involved, Piquenard had no evidence.
With nothing else he could do, Piquenard kept a close eye on the Capitol’s work crew. He was eventually able to narrow his suspicion down to three likely suspects. On January 18, Piquenard went before Justices Brock and Keedy to obtain a search warrant. Officers Pierce and Reavely were sent out to perform the search. They discovered twenty-two plaster casts of various ornamental designs in the store room of a plastering company owned by the Butler brothers, Edward (Ned), George, and James. Molds for making the plaster casts were discovered in the privy on John O’Connor property, a worker in the plaster room on the Capitol’s construction crew.
From there, the officers traced two trunks of plaster work and several pieces of bronzed plaster to the home of John Swartz, though the officers do not believe Swartz was involved in the theft. They found more pieces of plaster and a bronze medallion at the homes of Cortinas Batteece, the head cook at the Leland Hotel, and N. Delimont. Only two arrests were made that night; O’Connor and Batteece. Both were brought in and as of January 20 were waiting to go before the Justice on Monday.
Piquenard positively identified the retrieved items as belonging to the New State Capitol construction. The stolen items were valued at fifteen hundred dollars since many of the pieces were imported from France.
The arrests of the guilty parties and the return of the stolen property would have brought an end to the case as far as the public was concerned, but Ned Butler, head of the brother’s plastering business, did not appreciate the newspaper’s insinuation that he and his brothers had been part of the theft. He wrote to the papers to explain his side of the story.
He informed readers that the Butler company was a legitimate plastering company that did not hide the fact they were in possession of what was considered some of the best plaster patterns from the New State House or that his company was happy to furnish customers with copies of these designs. He admitted his company had come under scrutiny, as some people held the belief that his copies could not have been from the Capitol but since Piquenard himself identified them, he is in no doubt that those suspicions will be put to rest. He also expects a drastic rise in orders now that the public knows the designs are genuine.
Butler acknowledged that some members of the public have questioned how he came into possession of the designs, but he brushed aside those concerns, assuring readers that it doesn’t matter as long as he came by them honestly. ‘I am willing, but not over anxious, to tell where I got some of the best ornament, when the proper time comes. Till then breathe easy.’