■;; ; . ; : ■ ■•■•■•■ S664P5 m mt mm mm% W. J. SMITH, M.C. (?) Eighth District of Tennessee, lite man wlto bolted the Republican Nomination, and by fraud and rascality, defeated the Election of Hon. D. A. WTJNN. His Legislative and Poetical Antecedents,- Bribery, Frauds and Extortion, Can a Republican Congress afford to sustain such a man? V The following letters of* Col. Bon Piatt, have been very generally copied hy the Press. West and Month, and are now printed i as this tor in for the in tor in at ion ol* ill em hers of" Congress. Every member of the House who is opposed to Imposters and Charlatans should read these Letters, BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE ANTECEDENTS OF W. J. SMITH, (M.C.?) From the Washington correspondence of the Cincinnati Commercial. Washington, December 20, 18G9. A SPECIMEN BRICK. If any half dozen spectators in the gallery of the House were called upon, separately, (o point out, in the crowd of members be- low, the one that, from his get-up, gave the best evidence of being- there through some violent eruption, or mud volcano, in our social and political formation, each would select a queer, little, slender creature, who. continually shambling about, exhibits a body that came into the world only half made up, and that so lamely that even Moses and Son fail to give it the semblance of a man. • His small, beardless face has bilt one expression, that i> of low cunning. His head of dry. withered hair suggests poverty of soil, and cries out for a top dressing of some rich fertilizer. It is across between Uriah Beep and Tim Dodge. His manner carries in it an humble apology for being alive, and his movements suggest moral irregularity. This is the Honorable W. .1. Smith, of the Eighth District of Ten- nessee, commonly called, where he is best or worst known, '-Old Jerusalem." His political career, lately investigated and about to be published by the House Committee on Elections, is one of the most extraordinary ever known in either fiction or fact, and goes to show what the South has brought upon itself by the wicked and unholy war against the best government in the world. Where Old Jerusalem originated is unknown. There is a belief prevalent that he was ejected in a moment of extreme nausea from the State of Vermont, But I am unwilling that the Mountain State should be held responsible for such an evil. As seven cities claimed the honor oJ being the birth-place of Homer, so thirty-six States stand prepared to make affidavit that Old Jerusalem did not origi- nate with them. 4 The first we know of him. positively, he w: s a peddler of peanuts Mini gum-drops on the Memphis and Charleston railroad. It was said that he had failed in the house and sign painting busine^, and a forlorn and dejected man wis said to he about, once a partner in the business, hut after the only remaining asset. It was further rumored, that at the (irand function Old .Jerusa- lem held, owned and occupied a half acre devoted to hort icult i ral products, commonly called a nursery. For this I cannot vouch, and must say that it is very doubtful. But for the peanuts and gum drops T can answer, as I have conversed with in telligehl and hbtiesl people, who have suffered from seeing and dealing with the trader in that capacity. When the war broke out Old Jerusalem turned up before the world as quartermaster of the Sixth West Tonne-see Cavalry. lie was a fitting quartermaster for this gallant body of gentlemen, who, pledging their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to the holy cause asked nothing in return, being eminently capable of living on the enemy, and failing in that, persuading, wit\\ t heir arms a livelihood out of their friends. Old Jerusalem would have preferred being sutler, but thai useful office was abolished by a promiscuous clean in-' out of the establishment in about fifteen minutes !,y the ^allani gentlemen of the spurs. No learned and elaborate historian has appeared to give us Ten nessee in the war, so that ! am at a loss in putting ><> record the daring deeds of this renowned regiment. I am inclined to believe, however, that it was engaged in the less dangerous, but more ar duous duty of supporting itself. We may gather what this amount ed to wlnm we learn, as we do through the records of I lie War Qe. partment, that it required the rations of twenty-two men to support the family of the Quartermaster alone. It is true that some absurd old pumps, who figured as Brigadier and Major Generals, objected f<> this informal mode of proceeding, and procured the arresi of the Venerable Jerusalem, and charged him with conduct becoming a convict, and but for the strange lps3 of the papers, at Nashville, this patriotic Solon would now, in all probability, he in durance vile, instead of serving as a light from Tennessee in the Cpngress of the United State-, Escaping the absurd formalities of military law, our hero after ward figured as Major of the regiment, and, in the absence of his superior officers, signed himself, luminously, acting Lieutenant Colonel. As acting Lieutenant Colonel, however, heconlinu d his peculiar system of warfare, even to robbing a church. Hut (he church was that of the Methodist Church South, long before given over to the devil, and, therefore, a proper subject for a forced loan. The war being ended, and the great State under process of recon- struction, sanctioned, guided and controlled by the pious Brown- low, Old Jerusalem had himself returned to the Legislature by his own gallant regiment, and appeared in that august body as Smith of Hardeman. AS A LEGISLATOR. He loomed up larger as a law-maker than he had as a military law-breaker. The bills he introduced were numerous, and looking to the public good generally, kepi Old Jerusalem's interest in view all the time. One bill, passed to a law, created an immense freight company for the ci'ty of Memphis. Memphis had suffered during the war to -uch an extent that she was actually without a freight company. Smith, of Hardeman, made one. It was immense. It was so great 1 hat no other company was thought to be necessary — and this charter said so. It ruled out all others. An old woman could not send home a basket of potatoes by any other means than the great Memphis Freight Company. For this far-seeing and patriotic efforl Old Jerusalem received the recompense of great reward in the shape of twenty live thous- and dollars worth of stock. Unfortunately for the old festive cuss, the courts intervened, and knocked the great company endwise. The stock collapsed, and the venerable Smith considered himself an ill-used man. His next move was to augment the fare on the Memphis Street Railroad from live to ten cents. For this he received the pitiful sum of live thousand dollars. He then procured the passage of a law incorporating a company — the old Memphis Freight Company, mind — that gave it possession of all the roads and the bridges thereon leading into Memphis, with the right to repair them if said company so wished; and at any rate forcing it to charge toll. Thus roads made and bridges built by the people were ingeniously put in the hands of Smith, an old partner named Merriman and one Slack, a brother-in-law, without the expenditure of a cent. 01' course the company obeyed the law and collected toll, with exem- plary activity. This was extended to foot passengers. Venerable colored persons who had traversed these routes from early child 6 hood free, were called upon for their ten cents, and not allowed to pass without this small amount of fractional currency. The Memphis papfers made themselves perfectly absurd by protest i 1 1 ir against this beautiful practice. And they even went so far as to get pathetic over one old Gaberiungy who tried to pass a bjpitlge one wintry night, and not having the necessary dime, was driven off. The poor old creature, objecting to freeze to death so near home, attempted to wade the river and was drowned. His body was fished out a few day after, with hi- -ivy eyes star- ing at the pitiless world as if very much astonished, ami his old, withered hands frozen above his head, as if the ridiculous old crea- ture had been calling upon God to do something about it. Served him right. lie ought not to have tried to evade the law and swiii die the company. He was so useful to the sinful and stupid city of Memphis as the member from Hardeman, thai at the next election he was returned as Senator from thai rebellious place. Memphis was unhappy, of course. But I hold that Old .Jerusalem is senl as a punishment to the rebellious and stiff-necked -inner-. From the Stale Senate of Tennessee to the Congress of the United States is but one step, for such a Smith And here he is with his seal a— ailed— contested, it is called — by anot her man. who claims to In- more duly elected than Old Jerusalem. AS A CLAIMANT. The biography of this remarkable man would be incomplete without reference to his wonderful talent as a claimant. Toward the (dose of the war he appeared before Genera] Hurl- burt, then in command at Memphis, with a claim of three thousand dollars for damages done him by the rebels. The General's milita- ry bowels of compassion wer • -<> moved that he issued an order as- sessing the los> upon the rebels of Hardeman — each mother's -on of them to pay in proportion to his worldly goods. These wicked rebels were assessed ami execution had; for that the nursery of Grand Junction had been despoiled. Pianos were seized and sold, household furniture put up, and even pot- and pans levied upon, that Old Jerusalem might lie rebuilt. Not content, however, with this raid, Smith, of Hardeman, while in the Legislature, came back with his claim, that had now grown to eiirht thousand dollars. R\s tale of woe so moved (Jen. Geofrge 11. Thomas, that he also issued an order of assessment. But, fortu- nately for the wicked rebels of Hardeman, the order passed through General Washburn's hands, then in command at Memphis, and he stopped it in transitu, calling General Thomas'' attention to the fact that said claim, in its infancy, had been satisfied. Theft the Venerable Jerusalem turned his attention to Congress. He sent thither his promising claim, that had now grown to the enormous magnitude of twenty-two thousand do lars. It is a prec- ious document. The nursery and peanut stand at Grand Junction have grown into a plantation. The plantation has been ravaged. The items are given with painful accuracy, down to two ducks and six chickens. The claim was forwarded to the Hon. Mr. Stokes. and as it seemed to hang drearily on Stokes' hands, Ancient Jeru- salem procured his so-called return to Congress, and was scarcely sworn i'n before the Hon. Stokes handed him the papers, saying: "There's your claim now prosecute it yourself." I learn from some members of the Committee on Elections — and from thence I gat the details for the pleasing little historical sketch —that the seat claimed is considered shaky, and after the holidays the ■v'eii&rable Jerusalem will probably be turned out, to go, once more, into the useful and ornamental pursuit of peanuts and gum- drop^ D. I\ From the Cincinnati Commercial. January 29tli, 1870. The Arlington, Washington, January 26. I was shown, a few days since, a communication in the Commer- cial, signed by a number of citizens of Memphis, purporting to be a counter-statement to my biographical sketch of the Hon. W. J. Smith, more familiarly known as -Old Jerusalem." This communi- cation escaped my notice at the time of its publication, and I learn since that much sympathy i* excited in the House by what the friends of this member are pleased to term "a wanton attack on a good Union man, who fought gallantly his way up from private to i lie position of Brevet Brigadier-General." AS TO THE CARD OF SMITH'S FRIENDS. I beg these sympathetic friends to suspend their generous emo- tions until they learn a few facts. And the first that I purpose to impress upon their loyal, impulsive bosoms is that I make no wanton attacks on any one. As a journalist, it is my duty to puncture charlatans and imbeciles to the best of my ability, and il is not with me a labor of love. I do it from a high sense of duty to my party and Government, and can appeal to a better record of loyalty to both than two-thirds of these sensitive sympathizers can show, and, above all, I want them to know that I am certain of my tacts before I make a move, involving such consequences as does a personal assault on an honorable member of Congress. It will be observed that the communication referred in .Iocs not pretend to refute any assertion of fact thai I made. Il is a certifi cate of good character generally. Now such evidence of good character is applicable only when the charges of misconduct are in doubt. This is not the case in the present instance, and it would be well for the friends to begin by denying at leasl some of the charges made time and again against the gentleman in question. Then the allegation of good character in general, would be more applicable. It is at best a negative sorl of evidence, and means only that the witness knows no ill of the person indicted, and in the case of the venerable Jerusalem this amount- to a confession of not knowing him at all. SMITHS FIGHTLNas laudable. I claim to he as good a Union man as anybody, but I like lo see lair play. General Smith and m\>elf are on'the best of terms, and have always been friendly, but the idea oi' those thirty-nine citizens saying he had a good character, N re markable. Most oi' the thirty nine who signed it are clever men, but a pressure must have been put on them. I know lha one of them, an officer in the Government, told me they tried hard to gel him to sign it, and another in high office said he had almost rather have died than sign it, bu1 ii looked as if lie was obliged to do it. General Smith's general character is infamous. * * During the warhe levied a contribution on forty of his neighbors, at Grand Junction,. of sixty dollars, and when he collected it, he took two, or three or four times as much. lie took from some pianos, from some mules, and others bales of cotton. So successful was he in this thai, for another pretended lo