Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-07-20
A Nice Young Man-Some of His OPP
erations-Who DR.. Lighthill was.

From the Leavenworth Times and Conservative
Some time during the summer of
1867 we were crossing the Shawnee
street toward the Planters House
when we encountered an old com>
rade, with whom we had broken
hard tack in the mountains of West
Virginia under the celebrated Geo.
b. Mcclellan, Esq, and known in
Chicago for two or three years be,
fore the war. We extended a hand
saying, Glow are you, Jerome?"-
But the person addressed didn't ap-
pear to see it in that light, for he re-
marked that there was "mistake
somewhere" We told him he could
MT play that, it was too old, but the
fellow checked the thing through
and refused to recognize us. Then
he walked away leaving us amazed
at his brass. A few moments afters
wards somebody told us that was Dir.
Lighthill, "the celebrated catarrh
and lung doctor!" The Doctor used
to come into the office frequently af
ter that, and we used to converse
with him about his profession, but
always as strangers, for he wouldn't
let down bit. Once we came near
asking him how he felt when the
Captain tied him up by the thumbs
In Cairo for sneaking out of his duty,
but the impudence of the man struck
US dumb on the subject of attempt
ing to expose him.
1t makes us smile to-day to think
how that fraud looked US right plumb
in the eye and said his name wasn't
Foster.
Well, Iighthill-or Foster-did a
heavy business here. He made all
the fools think they had the catarrh,
and pretended to cure them. We
thought it was none of our business,
If people wanted to employ and trust |
man whom they utterly knew
nothing about, when the country was
full of swindlers. Besides, haven't |
we already said the man was all brass
and couldn't be frowned down? He |
stayed here several weeks, and finally |
left for st. Louis.
That was the last we heard of him |
until yesterday, when we found a
column article about him in the Nash
vile Banner He has lately married |
a cyprian there, named Emma Hines,
and suddenly left the place. The |
Banner says he has a wife in New
York. He cut big swell at the
Tennessee capital, and got acquainted |
with all the leading people. His de-
parture created sensation.
We first knew of Jerome Foster
in Chicago, when he was put in Jail
for defamation of character, and kept
there long time. In 1861 he enlisted
in Barker's Dragons, in Chicago,
intending to get on secret service, or
as spy. We entered the same COM
pany on the same day. When we
arrived at Cairo, Foster, through
friends, secured the good will of Gen.
Prent:ss, and was detailed by that
officer for the duty be desired to do.
His Captain took otfense at some
thing Foster had said, and got the
order detailing him countermanded.
This was great disappointment to
the man, who was really well fitted
for spy. Nothing could make him
lose his self-posoession-the amount
of cheek he carried with him was
truly awful. After the first cam
paign in West Virginia, where the
company acted as McClellan's body |
guard, Foster was detailed as Assist
ant Surgeon at Grafton, town at |
the junction of the Baltimore and |
Ohio and the Northwestern Virginia
Railroads. This was the first we |
had ever heard of him as an NJ. d. |
In half an hour after he got his com
mission he wouldn't speak to . man
in the company.
Foster used to be great opium
eater. He would beg it, borrow it,
steal it, and would go away in the
mountains by himself, and eat it and |
enjoy it sleeping on the grass. He
was almost crazy at one time from
the effects Of it. Cheek alone must
have saved him. He is a very shrewd
man, and is not easily beaten by orr
binary people. He will be heard
from wherever he goes, for he never
rests.