Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1860-01-09

Ocoee BANK
CLxvELaxD, TENN, Jan. 4. 1860.
EDITORS NASHVILLE PATRIOT. Dear Sns;-
Your paper of the 29th ult-. contains ccm-
munication from Hon. S. A. Smith, in regard
to certain charges which appeared in the
Knoxville Wig against him in reference to
a former contract for the House printing. in
which it is alleged that he received 81 500
from Cornelius Wendell as bis part Of the
profits, &C., and that the same was paid in
whole or in part by drafts through the OcOee
Bank at this place. In the communication
referred to. Col. Smith says:-'I have no
or hanger-on who had the privilege Of GO
ing behind its counter. obtained a knowledge
of the fact that tbe) had drawn the draft re-
fefred 10 on WENDELL, and used it with
view to injure me (hini) both personally and
politically And further be Gays: .sThe late
officers of the Bank. to preserve their own
character for integrity and honorable dealing
as business men, owe it to themselves TO dis
avow any completely with the instigaiion OF
this foul calumny, and to state the facts as
they appear upon the books of the bank"
Inasmucb as / was the Cashier of the OcOee
Bank al the time alluded 10, and presumed
to be more familiar than any one else with
the facts. so far as the drawing OF drafts is
conc erned, feel directly called upon to re-
spond to the above paragraph. ln doing so,
l take the occasion to say in the outset, that
know nothing of the truth or falsehOod of
the charge made against Col. Smith in the
Knoxville Wing. / do not know whether he
has received anything from Cornelius Wen
dell or any one else for services rendered
while a member of Congress, and / utterly
repel the iBsiBuatiOn conveyed in the lam
/ guage quoted above, if be refers to me. that
'some one coznec1ed soith the bonk' obtained a
knowledge of facts. aud used them to injure
bin both personally and politically" /
have at all times studiously avoided making
| statements in regard to The business of the
/ Bank with its customers. / have given no
| information to my knowledge OF Col Smiths
transactions with Wendell or any one else.
through the Bank-and if at any time any
remark of mine has been made, or word spO-
ken in reference to any draft of his, do not
now remember it. Although knew that he
bad dealings with Wendell through the bank.
l have never known what the consideration
and tendency of those dealings were. and the
| transactions themselves made so little i'm
preston on my mind at the time they were
made, that did not inquire or even suspect
their nature. In fact, had never even heard
of the charge until saw it published in the
| Knoxville Whg. and If Col. Smith bad seen
proper 10 have called upon, or addressed me,
before the publication of his card, be could
have dispensed with bis gratuitous insinua-
tiOns nvolving myself and others who have
been connected with the bank
Since reading Col. Smiths card, and at the
request of Col. Galloway, who was President
Of the bank during the time of the transac-
lions, / have examined the books by permits
sion of Mr.. McMillin, the. acting Cashier. and
proceed to make statement of the result.
The American Exchange Bank, New York,
was at that time the correspondent of the
OeOee Bank. and received all its deposits in
that city, and find that from the 2Ist June,
1856, to Sth September, 1851, the business
done by Col. Smith on his own account and
by way of collections for the Ocoee Bank.
amounted in the aggregate to the sum of SIO,-
294 so, as follows: