The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-12-16
7. v. SMITH TURNS UP.

The New York IriDtl,e has an amusing article
upon Nolney Voltaire Smith the fugacious
| claimant Of the Governorship Of Arkansas,
| the hunt for him. and his arrival, after many
trials and tribulations, at Washington. We
make the following extract:
There was Il great chase after him. If he
was really Governor Of Arkansas, the people
| Of the State probably wanted to dress him up
| in good clothes, and call for speech. and
inaugurate him with band Of music. And
if he was not, why Gov. Garland may have
had some business with him which the Ar
kansas newspapers have not taken the trouble
| to specify. But Volney V.:Smith did not stop
to explain things. The hunt was fast and
early III the day. The pursuers scattered in
every direction, secured the whole country
about Little Rock, searched the morasses on
| the eastern border. and pushed up into tn.
Ozark Mountains.
| Now and then ilnttering as Of = few
pages Of legal cap was family deserted in ii.
| heart Of q swamp. and distant cry o.:
"Mofe Troops. went up out OF the brown
bosom o. some far of cotton field but these
reminders OF the vanished Noiney, like the
deceptive apparitions ot the will-o -theewio,,
| only tempted the chase into tangled bush and
| bria. and dangerous mud hole. Across Arkan-
sas. and through the mountains Of Tennessee,
and into the pine forests Of North Carolina
! the .hostly CRY Of "More Troops" went on
ahead. Then there was silence. The Arkan-
sas people people believed that Volney V.
Smith was dead, and went home.
But yesterday morning dirty and footsore,
with cotton seed in his tangled beard, marsh
mud on his legs, flavor OF turpentine about
his tattered garments, and no baggage except
Yonleys Opinion, which was strapped to his
back like a knapsack, the fugitive crossed
over the Long Bridge and presented himself
at the National Capital With what feelings
he approached the City Of Refuge we may
never know, but we can guess Dreams OF Il
formal reception by both Houses Of Congress,
a state dinner at the White House, a coniden-
tial interview with Mr.. Williams on the sub
ject of Ionley's Opinion, and triumphant
return to Little Rock, with the garrison Of
Washington, marching few days in advance,
and an iron-clad gunboat going up the Arkan-
sas River, had cheered him in the dark nights
of his flight, when he camped in the swamps
or slept up a tree He went straight to the
Attorney Generals Office. The colored mes
senger at the door of the great Cabinet Min
lister was startled from his decorum by the
spectacle OF this figure coming up the stairs
and muttering More troops" at every land
ing. Fancy Smiths feelings, you who can,
when Judge Williams received him with a
cold salute, heard the name Of Nolney Y.
Smith without emotion, looked at Yonleys
Opinion in disagreeable sort Of way,
and remarkirg that he didn't command IN
the Southern States any more, and was
not granting calls for more troops nowadays
to any extent. politely bowed the wayiarer
out, and resumed his reading of the Tribune.
Worse yet was the condition of things at the
Capitol. The Republican members of Con-
gress having had a surfeit of intermeddling
were entirely Indifferent to the merits of Vol
neys case, and refused even to read the cele
brated Yonley's Opinion. Gen. Grant seems
to have been busy. The populace was apa-
thetic. There was nobody to say word of
welcome except Poker Jack, and with that
worthy Gov. Volney Y. Smith by this time is
probably preparing to assure the Northern
people that under the rule of the usurper
Garland, intimidation reigns supreme"
and celebrating how to get home afterwards
at least expense.