Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-02-01

Ex-Governor Smith.
e WASHINGTON "Postn saws

| War Governor and one of the old time pol
| iticians, was captured by Post" repor-
! ter Saturday. The Governor is now in hi
eighty-first year, but were it not for hi
snow white hair he could pass for sixty
| He enjoys good health and gets about az
actively as he did twenty years ago. HI
is up by the peep of day every morning
and by sunrise has everything going or
his farm in Fauquier county, Va. He was
! first elected Governor of Virginia in 184t
by the legislature, the mode of election
then prescribed by the Constitution of the
State, and in 1868 he was called from the
camp to the Governors chair by the vote
of the people.
s'Where were you born, Governor p
asked the reporter.
I'm genuine son of old Virginia" he
replied, with an air of proud satisfaction.
II was born in King George county, be-
tween the Rappahannock and Fredericks-
burg.''
''When ?''
''Thereby hangs tale. We old men are
like the lady who said she was twenty
because she didn't want to get out of her
September.
"How was it Governor that you got the
uame of Extra p Several versions have
been told.''
.'Well, I'll give you the correct one. I
was educated lawyer, and when young
man was praetlcing with success in Gull
pepper. We had only one mail a week, and
that came by horseback. I became i'm
patient at this isolation, and having good
deal of energy bid for mail contract.
"Well, got it, and had on that bid a
two-horse stage allowed. Thus we had a
mail line in d two horse coach instead Of
horseback. But soon found that wouldn't
do, and applied for an extension from
Culpeper to Orange Court House where we
intercepted the regular stage line from
on charging and extending until l got a
mail line daily from Washington City to
Milledgeville, Ga, with numerous branch
es. Every extension of service secured an
extension of pro rata compensation. These
extensions were denominated in the Blue
Book as extras and marked with star.
They were very numerous in the rapid ex-
pansion of the mail service on my line, and
one day our Senator, at that time Benja-
min Watkins Lee, in commenting on these
things applied the term to me, and it has
stuck to me ever SINCE"
ssWhen was your mail line in operation,
Governor %
''That ranged from 1927 to 1888. Oh,
had magnificent line till it was superce-
ded by railroads. AS railroads advanced I
retired.''
did you make much money out of it,
Governor ?"
'sNo; I didn't make any. On routes
with an allowance for mail three times a
week 1 carried it six times. 1 went IN for
opening up the country more than to make
money!
'You saw some active service during the
late war, didn't your"
II went into the Confederate Army when
[ was slxty-four years of age, and proud
ly) had brigade that never broke in bat
tie.
"And during the war you were elected
Governor the second time 20
eyes; in 1868. I never left camp to do
any canyassing. I was Governor when
Lee surrendered
s'Did you remain In Richmond ?
''No; went out with the others. 1
didn't know how much fight was still left
in the people. went over the State, many
times right among the Federal soldiers,
and there was reward of $4,000 offered
for my capture
'Were you captured at last %
s'No, sir; / was not. When I saw the
thing was all over l wrote to Gen. Patrick
telling him would surrender, but that
wanted a safe conduct to headquarters.
He sent it and gave myself up.