Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-12-27
SMITH.
TIE %an Who Usurps Leftwich's Seat Done
up in Natural Co!Ors
General Jerusalem W. J. Smith as be
Appears to Don Piatt.

Don Piatt, in a recent letter from
Washington to the Cincinnati Com
merci0l, says: If any half-dozen spec
tatOrs in the gallery Of the House were
called upon, separately, TO point out,
in the crowd Of members below, the
one that, from his get-up, gave the
best evidence of being there through
some violent eruption, or mud volca-
no, in our social and political forma-
ton, each would select a queer, little,
slender creature, who, continually
shambling about, eXhibitsa body that
came into the world only half made
up, and that so lamely that evenMOses
& Son fail TO give it the semblance Ola
man.
His small, beardless face has but one
expression, and that is Of low cum
ming. His head Ofdry, withered hair
suggests poverty Of soil, and cries out
for a top dressing of some rich fertili-
zef. Its a cross between Uriah Heep
and Tim Dodge. His manner carries
in il an humble apology for being
alive. and his movements suggest
moral irregularity.
This is the Hon. W. J. Smith, Ol
the Eighth District Of Tennessee, COM
monly called, where he is best or
worst known, "O!d jerusalem" His
political career, lately investigated and
about 10 be published by the House
Committee on Elections, Is one of the
most extraordinary ever known
either in fiction or fact, and goes 10
show what the South has brought
upon itselfby the wicked and unhOly
war sgainst the best government IN
'de world.
Where Old Jerusalem originated IS
,,pL-,, aEn. There is a belief that he
US aia.-te1 in a mOment of extreme
naUse3 from the State Of Vermont
BUr am unwilling that the Green
NTount,,in Stale should be heidrespon-
sibIa for such an evil. As seven cities
claimed the honor III being the birth
v,s9ee Of Homer, SO t.lrty-slA otates
.5stss.1 prepazed to make aindaVIt tnaI
.0,d IernSalem did not originate with
them. tit,
ME first we know Of him, positive
". he was q yeldler Of peanuts and
.Gum-drups on the Memphis anG
Charleston Railroad. 1t was SAID
that he had failed in the house Sud
sign-painting business, and iytlDrn
and detected man was said TO De ABOUT,
once a partner in the business, but
after the only remaining asset.
IL WAS further asserted that at the
Grand Junction Old Jerusalem held,
oVEed and occupied a hail acre de-
voted TO horticultural products, COM
81ouiv caiied nursery. For TINS L
cannot vOuch, aDd must say that IL Is
very doubtful. Bat tUT the peanut ana
gGm-drops / can answer, a5 1 nave
cOnVersed with intelligent ana re
spectacle people, who have suffered
from seeing and dealing with The
trader in that capacity.
,Nhen the war broke out Old Je-
-rr,ssIa,.1 turned up before the world as
.,Gr1Srfarr,. .aster Of the First West Ten
,'.---aa CayaI.-y. He was fitting Quar-
tarn1asrar for this body OF gdlidn /
Gentlemen. who. p.edging their lives,
fortunes and sacred hUIOr 20 the nelly
cause. asked nothing in return, pelng
eminently capable OF living On the
ppemv,and falling in that, ,persuadlng
with their arms, livelihood out OF
their friends. Old Jerusalem would
have preferred being sutier, but that
useful Office was abolished by i pro-
miscuOus cleaning out of the establish
ment in about fifteen minutes by the
Gallant gentleman OF the spurs.
No learned and elaborate historian
has appeared TO give Us Tennessee ia
the war. so that / am at a loss in put
ting to record the daring deeds OF this
renowned regiment. ] am inclined TO
believe, however, that IL was engaged
in the less dangerous, but more ardu-
OUs, duty of supporting Itself. We
MAY gather what this amounted 10
zen We learn through the records Of
WI ''ar Department, that i required
the " 1s Of twenty-five men.tO sup
the ratio nily Of the QuartermasteF
port the fdL ''e inst some absurd old
alone. 1t is T., ed IS Brigadier and
pumps, who figu, ted 10 this infor-
MajOr-Generals, ObjeD end procured
mai mode of proceeding, teFUsalem,
the arrest Of the Venerable, bacOm-
and charged him with cOnducu ~sage
ing a convict, and but for the su. Ss
loss Of the papers, at Nashville, til
patriotic SOlOn would now, in ali
be in dUrance vile, in
stead Of serving as a light from Ten /
neSsee in the Congress Of the United .
States.
Escaping the absurd formalities Of l
military law, our hero afterward fig /
ured as Major of the regiment, and, in 1
the absence Of his superior officers, 1
signed himself, LUMINOSITY, acting |
Lieutenant-COlOnel. As acting Lieu /
Colonel, however, he continued |
his system of peculiar warfare, even to |
rObbing a church. But the church /
was of the Methodist Church South, |
long before given over to the devil, |
and, therefore, proper subject for a
forced loan.
The war being ended, and the great
State under process of reconstruction,
sanctioned, guided and controlled by
the piOus BrOWnlOw, Old Jerusalem
had himself returned to the Legisla-
ture by his own gallant regiment, and
appeared in that august body, as
Smith, of Hardeman.
As 4 LEGISLATOR.
He loomed up larger as a law-ma-
ker than he had as a military law
breaker. The bills he introduced were
numerous, and, looking to the public
good generally, kept Old Jerusalem's
Interests in view all the time.
One bill, passed to a law, created
an immense freight company for the
city OF Memphis. Memphis had suf-
fered during the war 10 such an eX-
tent that she was actually without
freight company. Smith, of Harde-
man, made one. 1t was immense. It
was so great that no other company
was thought to be necessary and
this charter said so. 1t ruled out all
Others. An old woman could not
send home a basket ofpOtatOes by any
other means than the great Memphis
Freight Company.
For this iar-seeing and patriotic ei-
fort Old Jerusalem received the re-
cOmpense OF great reward in the shape
of twenty-five thousand dollars worth
Of stock. Unfortunately for the old
festive cuss, the courts intervened,
and knocked the great company end
wise. The stock collapsed, and the
venerable Smith considered himself
an iIl-used man.
His next move was to augment the
fare on the Memphis Street Railroad
from five to ten cents. For this he
received the pitiful sum Of five thou
0ud dollars He then procured the
s., -age Of a law incorporating COM
pas the old Memphis Freight Com
pany- ind-that gave itpOssessioa OF
paDy, IL. 7s and bridges thereon lead
all the roa1 9phis, with the right to
ing into Mei. aid company so wish
repair them il p rate forcing ii to
ed; and at any ~oads made and
charge toll. Thus 0eople were in
bridges built by the Is of Smith,
geniously put in the han, vman and
an old partner named Merr. without
one Slack, a brother-in-law, ~ogpse
the expenditure Of a cent. Or, Nog-
the company obeyed the law ana {, :.
iacfed toll. Venerable cOlOred pei
1ONNNN - - thnsa rnIfE.S