Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-08
EX-SENATOR NEsMTTH.
Insanity of the Queer Statesman of IL
RouudEaSs West

Insanity of the Queer Statesman of the
Bouudiess West.
The news Of ex-senator Nesmths in
sanity, says a Washington special to the
New York W0rld, has caused great sur
prise among his friends here. Nesmith
was a famous Senator here during the
war. He had d keen wit, and was most
excellent story teller. Some of his say
ings gave him a national reputation. He
was plain fr0ntersman who crossed the
plains long before the days of Pacific rail
roads and settled in Oregon when it was
a wilderness. He lived so long the free
life Of pioneer that he never became re-
c0nciled to the confinement of town life.
Continued sleeping under the shelter of a
roof used to give him what he called
"choky" feeling. To get relief he
would take his blanket and fly
to the woods, where he would
often spend months camping out
and sleeping upon the ground. He is tn e
author OF the famous saying of "W hen
was first elected to the Senate | wondered
all the way to Washington how | came to
after l had been there few days | won
dered how the rest of the boys got there"
lie served out his Senatorial term and
was not reelected, The last day Of his
term he walked from the Senate chamber
to the railroad station, where he had his
baggage. taken and left Washington with
out saying goodbye to any one. He did
not return to the city again until he was
elected member Of the House in 1872.
He served only one term then. He was
thoroughly well liked by every one, and
aside from few eccentricities never gave
evidence of an unbalanced mind.
The San Francisco papers give as o
reason for Nesmiths insanity that he has
been driven to it by dom site trouble.
MIR. George, the member from Oregon,
who is a resident Of Portland, where Mes
NTH lives, says that he never heard one
word Of any deines5i6 trouble, Nesmtta
has a Hne Tamily and a large property.
Two Of his daughters are married to Lead
ing men Of the State. One is prominent
banker and tGe Other is the wife OF Chief
Justice Macarthur, Of the Oregon Supreme
Court The insanity of the ex-senator is
political in its nature. He labOrs under
the delUSiOn that his former Democratic
associates in Portland have entered into
a conspiracy to deprive him of ever again
holding any public office. In one or
two instances he has threatened the
lives Of these mythical cOnspirators,
and in one particular instance
made AN assault upon an old
l4A0Hu Win tbG lhtShI " Nil him' AiCtA
this his own family asked to have him
shut up. Chief Justice Macarthur was
instrumental in securing his incarcera-
ton. Nesmith now labOrs under the
delusion that the Democratic leaders of
Oregon have had him Kidnapped and con-
fined for the sole purpose OF preventing
him from going into Cleveland's Cabinet.
1t is believed IN Portland that his insanity
is incura Bile. he was the last of the type
OF primitive border men in Congress. He
had the courage to write in the biogra-
phy OF himself which he furnished to the
Congressional directory: 81 received o
education" Y ct there was nothing I'M
c0uth in his language. He was excess
sicily plain, his figures were often homely,
but yet he was regarded as one of the
good speakers Of his time. He was very
clear and direct, and as fond as any Irish
man of n fight