Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-02-01
Correspondence Cincinnati Commercial
WASHINGTON LETTER.
HON. W. J. SMITH.

/
porting to be counter statement TO m
biographical sketch of the Hon. w.
e, Smith, more Familiarity known as s'Ol
Jerusalem. This communication es
capped my notice at the time of IFS publ
cation, and learn since that much sym
~ pathy is excited in the House by what tb
~ friends of this member are pleased (
u term "a wanton attack on a good Unto
a man, who fought calamity his way u
y from private to the position of Breve
4 Brigadier General. p"
1 beg these sympathetic friends to sus
e pend their generous emotions until the
! learn few facts. And the first that
q propose to impress upon their loyal, i'm
q pulsive bosoms is that make no wanto,
4 attacks on any one. As journalist, it i
. my duty to puncture charlatans and i'm
, becnes to the best of my ability, and it is
not with me labor of love. DO it from
a high sense OF duty to my party and
Government and can appeal to better
record OF loyalty to both than two-thirds
OF these sensitive sympathizers can show.
ana, above all, want them to know that
L am certain of my facts before make q
move, involving such consequences as
does a personal assault on an honorable
member of Congress.
1t will be observed that the communi-
cation referred to does not pretend to re-
fute any assertion of fact that made. II
Is certificate of good character generally.
Now such evidence of good character is
applicable only when the charges of mis-
conduct are in doubt. This is not the
/ mr. "a
be wei for the friends to begin by DENY
ing at least some of the charges made time
and again against the gentleman in ques-
ton. Then the allegation of good charac-
ter in general would be more applicable.
1t is, at best, a negative sort of evidence.
and means only that the witness knows
no i'll of the person indicted, and in the
case of the venerable Jerusalem this
amounts to confession Of not knowing
him at ALL
As for his fighting, it is the dreary sort
OF stuff we hear rung in our ears by every
rogue who seeks to hide his shortcomings
under the ample folds of the star-span-
gled banner that has been so often used
in that way that it is getting to be very
dirty and ragged. Smith was member
of the West Tennessee Cavalry, subse- |
quently called the Sixth Tennessee. and if |
this regiment did any fighting other than |
that OF hummer campaign among I'M |
armed people for plumber, it was I'M
known to the officers in command during
the war, in Tennessee. The sympathiz- |
ers can test this by appealing to General
WaShburn, now on the floor with them.
and | win abide by his response. If not
satisfied with this, they can appeal to
Gen. George II. Thomas, or any other
general officer in command in that part of
Tennessee.
OF Old Jerusalem's part in this noble
style OF warfare, we have some records
that throw much light on his brilliant ca
reer. / hold in my hands a document
marked General Orders No. 16S. - and
dated Headquarters, Sixteenth Army |
Corps, Memphis, Tenn, Dec. o, 1868" |
which document purports TO be the record |
OF "a general cOurt-martial which con-
yened at Bolivar, Tennessee, pursuant to
Special Orders No. y, paragraph u,
lated 10th March, 1868, from these head
quarters, and of which Col Robert B.
Latham, l06th Illinois Infantry, was !
President, " when w. J. Smith "was ar
aligned and tried on charges, first, of
'Obbery," and the specifications set forth
bout as vile detail of stealing side
addle, then a mule, then bed-clothing.
UGH as quilts, counterpanes, sheets, ETC.;
hen he robbed church, then a bale of I
ottOn. All going, | suppose, TO make up !
be property he claimed to have been r
AIKEN from him by the secessionists, and
hat grew in value from the $4,000 paid Y
y the order of the General commanding, ! f.
y tax collected on the neighborhood, to
ne enormous amount now pending before
congress.
The second charge is one of ''uisappli- n
alton and embezzlement of public prop II
-ty intrusted to him" II
Charge third Is of insubordination, Sc
lille the fourth and last is of conduct un- 81
ecoming an officer and gentleman, and is
rehash of the first, the officers compOs-
e the Court laboring under the singular
elief that a robbery of a woman of her
lie saddle and of a church, is rather TN sS
and unofficer-like.
This document is authenticated by the ha
anne of rs. A. Hurlburt, Major General, "a
nd I. II. Harris, U. S. a., Adiutant NJ
eneral, and am assured by good au- u
ority that the reason that this old fellow of
d not find his way into the Penitentiary at
stead of Congress, is that in the trouble L,
at followed the trial, brought about by Nj
e unexpected arrival Of Gen. Hood and as
e Confederate army, the case was not On
llowed up to a just conclusion.
So much for Old Jerusalem's military IS
cord. tn
If any one cares to peruse the military cal
ut at something to be proud of, he e.
ust use due diligence in knocking such c
allow pretenders in the head. 1t is a tic
lty we owe to ourselves and the gallant as
en- who really offered their lives to their ele
untry. az
As for this gentleman's political past, 1 en-
we before me anaddress issued by ''The c
istrict Executive Committee to the Re tic
lblican voters of the Eighth Congress
1nal District of Tennessee, - and signed GO,
J. L. Chandler, Robert Medlin, J. w. su
lrriance, A. r. Davis and S. J. Ireland, y
d dated Oct. II, 1868; and this ad- sui
ess publishes to the world the infamous
liticaI record of this man, that l gave IT
brief in my letter, and much of such die
fanny | did not give for lack of space. the
Ike, for example, his support, while in '
e Legislature of Tennessee, of Edmund car
oper's bill, that sought indirectly to re-
ce the c0lOred citizen to his former nv
tie of bondage, and which the New eIo
,rk Tribune denounced as Establishing
ystem which differed from slavery only e eai
degree" As Old Jerusalem is running '
sympathy, it would be well for the Es,
mpathizers TO look up this record, and "
how far his past agrees with their MI
ssent. att
Then, in this address follows the charge so'
#, as d member Of the Tennessee Legis- e'T
IRE, he sold his vote and influence TO der
: Memphis Freighting Company for at
cnty-tive thousand dollars, paid in stock can
that company, that was so infamous in tiol
Illegal monopoly that the people sus- ~
ned the courts in their destruction of it. for
The next change l give in the language obi
the commit ee: 4
Another plundCring scheme the very cs,,
eature Of Smith, has been thus far more
,cCssfuL No such swindlinC project v
s, within our knowledge, ever before Ma
IN devised and put in operation under v
2 forms of law in this Orany other State. aCa
e refer TO the Nonconnah Turnpike
mpany. The original charter was v
inted May q, 1866, and empowered Cor
? corporation to build bridges and rcnair eleC
/, leyces across the Nonconnah Creek Nv
j bottom, on three Of the principal at t
u