The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1878-05-03
SMITH AND SHERIDAN.
IN. y. SUM-

IN. Y. SUM-
WAsHINGTON, April 25.-The mo-
tives that have moved Hayes to pick
up and try to squeeze into fat offices
two of the broken fragments OF the
old Louisiana carpet bag ring, of
course, arise out of the rascalities where
by the eight electoral votes of that
State were stolen from Tilden and
counted for Hayes. George l.. Smith,
lector of New Orleans, and George A.
Sheridan, whom he has named for
Recorder of Deeds in this district, are
average specimens of the tools whom
Warmoth used for unclean purposes
in the days of his power.
Smith floated down to New Orleans
from New Hampshire through rather
dirty channels. He drifted thence up
the Red river, and was stranded at
Shreveport. He was one Of WarmOth's
picket guard on the northwestern
frontier Of the State. He ran for MEM
Der Of the Legislature in Caddo parish.
BY INSCRIPTIONS ballot-box stuffing
and much loose counting he achieved
a seat in the Capitol, where he dis
played no abilities OF any sort except
an aptitude tor smiling and cheating.
BY and by he got into Congress by
ployed to reach the Legislature. He
was cipher at Washington. After
things had changed, he appeared with
another certificate of election. Fearing
that If he pressed his claims, there
would be more likelihood of getting
into the Louisiana penitentiary than
into the House of Representatives, he
withdrew from the contest, and skulked
back to New Orleans. Smith had his
dirty hands in the Hayes swindles,
and the beneficiary is proposing to
pay off the benefactOr by a lucrative
Office.
Sheridan has traced checkered life.
He originated in Ohio. He was form
erly a clown in a circus. Nothing was
ever heard derogatory to his public
career as a clown. Indeed, it has been
commended on many occasions. He
was doubtless II good clown. Sheridan
thinks he is an orator. He is only II
rather superior blatherskite. War
moth utilized him on the stump among
the Louisiana negroes. The willy
Governor made him his Adjutant-
General. BY this he acquired his
sonorous title-Gen. George A. Sheri-
dan. He was a serViceable instrument
of Warmoth, who made him tax col
lector in New Orleans, where Sheridan
found rich pickings.
Sheridan loved to roam. He went
to Europe. 1t was at or about the
time Phil. Sheridan was travelling
there. Some of the Landgraves and
minor Countesses, who supposed that
America was peopled with red savages,
mistook the whilom circus clown for
the hero of Five Forks. Pinchback,
who was then claiming seat in the
United States Senate, was travelling
in Europe with a couple of colored
members of the Louisiana Legislature.
They happened to run across Sheri-
dan, and those who had taken him
to be one of the great soldiers of mod
ern times not unnaturally imagined
that Lieut.. Gov. Pinchback and his
two dusky friends were servants OF
the renowned warrior. But the eN-
tax collector finally found his level in
Europe, and returned to his native
shores. In the last Presidential cam
paign he blatherkited for Hayes on
sundry stumps in several States.
Whether Hayes would set him to
recording deeds Mt round prices in
consideration of his stamping, or in pay
ment for jobbery in Louisiana, is not
yet known.