The Portland daily press., 1874-05-09
One Of Many.

Nathaniel D. Smith, representing himself
,a 4 as Trial Justice of Maine, was arrested in
Lowell on Saturday night for the larceny of
a 800 gold watch and chain belonging to a
y Mrs. Walker Of Aver. .
avT eye The reader of the above who has been
about the State capital any time for ten
ttSf years previous to 1868 will recognize in the
above N. d. Smith of Bowdoinham or Bath,
who was ever faithful if not persistent can
didate for last assistant messenger of the
s,.rss Senate or House. Every year Nathaniel
. IA DINO one would ever think of calling him
Nat,-went to Augusta before the organiza-
ton of the Legislature with his carpet-bag
Ia land his heightened testimonials, which were
in fact sufficient in the number and the infu-
ence of the writers to secure N. D. S. cabi-
AF met position, for he had letter from nearly
every prominent political man in Maine He
began his work Systematically; he read his
voluminous recommendations to every men,
Der he called to see, and the consequence
~. was that Nd. didn't see many He seldom
got over three votes in caucus. Defeated he
retired slowly from the field TO reappear the
next year, but with painful and growing evil
&,f dences of seediness in his raiment. The
lowest assistant messengership had become
chronic and it was evident that he was living
upon the great expectations of bis prospect
ges i've Office and was becoming loafer. His
last defeat was too much for his grave good
nature. As he retired from the field in which
% n he got but one vote, he moralized ON the in
gratitude of republics in general and the Re-
publicans of Maine in particular, and de-
clared that he had put in his last days work
for fruitage which had turned to ashes on
t'i"a his lips, 1--WE believe that's the proper way of
putting it, Nathaniel did not appear the
next year, but we saw a newspaper item
which gave us hope. He had shod dozen
ortwo OF horses in a day on wager, and
this led us to believe that he had turned his
50 No. LIS into surer paths and had betaken
him to that honest toll which gives good
@~.~ appetite and Is harbinger of sweet sleep.
Our hopes were soon dissipated, for his name
appeared in the list of trial justices and we
q once saw that he was still pursuing the
PHANTOM OF public position. Not long after,
- MS name appeared in the rublic press in such
.Ta connection as to leave strong impression
"i' .uA' ~ the night time, he did not fully recog-
'ue ulnerence between naeum and tuuna Since
.na' 'lme we have seen Nathaniel OCCASION
ys~s-s1i3' oo' ne mad the appearance of dis
= y Aeat 'ened man, for his clothes were the seed
lest Oh the seedy, his hat could only nv cour
9af q tesy De recognized by that name. and on a
a
Ia not Julytday ne was wearing rubber hoo+s of
immense size-indeed, they had to be huge to
contain the holes. year ago we lost siobt %
Nathaniel, but during that time he hos No.,
bue footing the downward road, and now apnears
in the city that Gen. Butler honors with his
residence, as thief and ungallant thief
@Ai at that N. D. was MOI brilliant man-be
spelled his name with an ''f'-but he would
-7ag nave made a good last assistant messenger
ana has not sold paper soldiers to his country
In time of war;
we have given this extended notice of Ma
'hanlel ID. Smith, not because his life is a
rare one Thousands of abler and better
n men nave been ruined by pursuing the same
'PnAn'om that he could never oyertake. We
$40 3 bnnd,s ds Na'naniel as warning example to
nunoreds of men who waste time and Talent
9 ana Gays, works in chasing the same ionis
Janus that lured him into quagmire.