Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-05-19
Ida 6reeIey's Husband.

So much has been said about Col.
NICHOLAS SMITH, who married Miss
IDA GREELEY, that we feel impelled
to venture our opinion on this society
episode. Col. SMITH claims to be
from Kentucky, but the following
from Chicago Tribune correspondent
shows just where he belongs:
LEAvENwoRTH, May 5th.-So many news
paper correspondents are penning sketches of
Col. Nicholas Smith, and SO many OF them
are writing from hearsay, that am tempted
for the sake of truth itself. to tell you some
thing about our Kansas bridegroom. AS Col.
Smiths neighbor and friendly acquaintance
of five or six years standing, can speak of
him with some knowledge OF his merits as u
man and his worth as "A writer
Like all men, he has his faults; and his
vanity of his personal beauty. In form and
beauty. In form and feature he is the hand-
soonest man ever saw. He neglected moth
ing calculated to enhance the effect of his
handsome figure. His teeth are two rows of
superb pearls, without blemish. In riding,
walking or standing, he studies the grace of
attitude = always displaying his elegantly
moulded form to The best advantage. : His
beauty is of the Edwin Booth tppe, If that
may be called type of its own. He is of me-
dum stature, perhaps slightly above, and
Judge about forty years OF age. ought not o
neglect to say that he adopts the Brooklyn
style of long hair When add that his eyes
are large, dark and expressive, your readers
may be able to form a correct picture Of Miss
Greeley's husband, from Kansas"
1t would seem from this that Leav-
enworth, Kansas, has furnished an
other newspaper item. Leavenworth
is, perhaps, the most beautiful city IN
the West, but has had its prosperity
ruined by local feuds, desperate politi-
clans and railroad thieves. Lately
she has furnished more scandals,
shooting scrapes and frauds than any
city on the Missouri river. She has
had thieves, assassins, dead-beats and
grasshoppers, but the biggest toad in
the puddle is this veritable Col.(?)
NICHOLAS SMITH, of Kentucky (?),
the widower who married IDA GREE
LEY. He came to LeavenwOrth from
Kentucky in the early history of the
town and his name is NICHOLAS
VERREs SMITH, but the practical
Kansans call him every Ridiculous
SMITH" Having a little education,
he was selected by JIM LANE as his
private secretary, and when JIM was
giving his characteristic "Great Godn
speeches, NICHOLAS would be posing
in classic attitude against one of the
cottonwood posts of the platform; or
when jim wanted an illustration from
ancient mythology, his good-looking
secretary furnished it. NICHOLAS is
about six feet high, well built, with
flowing locks and face a cross be-
tween TILToN's and JOAQUIN MIL
LER's, disdains to work and covers his
face and hands with corn meal at night
to keep them well bleached. He is a
lawyer without practice, and boasts
that he has never labored for living.
He is poor in everything but looks,
and for years has been pensioner on
his sister, Mrs. JOHNSON, the widow of
Col. H. P. JoHsoN, of Kansas, who was
killed early in the war.
Early in the late war he received a
commission in the regular army, and
was sent to Louisville, KY, on re-
cruiting service, where in two years
he recruited two men at an expense of
$4,000 to the Government. Here he
became acquainted with his first wife,
beautiful and accomplished lady,
daughter of wealthy Kentuckian,
who refused to marry him unless he
resigned his commission. The gallant
Captain finally wasted several pages
of official note telling President LIN
COLIN that he had had severe strug-
gle between his patriotism and his
love, but at last his love had tri-
umphed, and soon received q brief
reply on his own communication,
accepted. A. LINCOLN"
1t was only a short time afterwards
that his impecuniosity drove him back
to LANES bounty. and the latter OBJ
tanned for him the appointment of