The Portland daily press., 1867-08-12
Hon. +. X Smart swung Around H..
Circle.
-4 From the Rockland Democrat

HIS ENTRANCE INTO THE UNION PARTY.
In 1860 Smart was the candidate of the
democratic party for Governor. Unexpected
ly 10 himself he was beaten by all overwhelm-
ing majority. The next year the maenates
of the party determined to ignore party usage
and put a new candidate on the track
Ephraim scented the movement to sacrifice
him, and in a few days afterwards published
a letter which introduced him into the Union
party 'tt
' Is ELECTED TO THE STATE SENATE.
The republicans and Union democrats Of
hnox county, supposing Smarts declarations
OF patriotism were earnest and sincere, put
MN on Their county ticket and elected Lin to
the State senate. Ul... .-I..
90 THE JOHNNY HOOK STORY
On the day of the county convention n mass
meeting was organized in the streets of onr
city. and Smart addressed the crowd. His re-
marks were exceedingly patriotic He was
for going through the South with fire, sword
and confiscation. and hanging copperheads at
the North who made any opposition. In the
course OF his speech he declared that the next
issue of the democratic party would be the
public debt and taxation, and riuiculed the
idea, comparing the party TO Johnny Hook.
the mercenary butcher, who went through
the American army in the Revolution, bawl
ing "beef! beefp The democratic papers
and speakers, he said. would be yelling taxes!
taxes! just as Johnny Hook yelled beefl beef!
Events occurring now show that Smart hit
the nail on the head that time. But the
greatest Johnny Hook in the whole lot is
Ephraim with his Bond Taxer. Nobody in
the State shouts beef! beef! as Iustiy as he
IS EMPLOYED AS spy UPON corPERmEADs
In the fall of 1851 Smart had so far progress
ed in the good graces of Mr.. Lincoln's admin
istration, that he was employed as a detective
or spy to dog the eopperhead leaders who
were considered dangerous, and to attend the
tinkle OF Mr.. Stewards little bell. In this ca
pacity he went to the town OF Freedom, In
Waldo county, booted, spurred, aud armed to
the teeth, looking after evidence to hang Rob
ert Elliott. His achievements in that desper-
ate undertaking would require larger sheet
than ours to relate them. He probably got
what he went in pursuit OF, and Robert re-
manned in Fort Lafayette. How he kept his
eye cooked tor Moses Macdonald, and follow
ed him through Lincoln and Knox like
hound on the track OF fox, is no secret t.
some who are in the Union party, although it
may be to Mac and many Others OF Smart's
present associates. His dash upon Freedom,
in which he surprised the garrison, captured
the town, took several depositions, and re,
treated in good order without the loss of a
single man, was the most brilliant of his ex-
ploits as detective and waiter upon Mr. Sew |
ards bell, but it was by no means his only |
service We imagine it is in view of his ca
reer as a spy that he is now so anxious to let |
bygoI.es be bygones. Ii picture of him as |
he rode into Freedom, armed like dragoon,
with fire and smoke issuing from his nostrils, |
bent upon the extirpatiou of the copperhead |
race, and particularly Robert Elliott, were cir
culated in the Democratic conventions, it
would create a sensation among the "iilthy
cats" and if inserted in, the Bond Taxer |
three times, it would wind up that sheet for |
ever. 2 "a F" l~''