Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-15

SAM SMALL'S BROTHER
Tells Of the Early Life of Him
self and the Evangelist.
Frank Objects to His Brothers idea OF
Reform-Some Interesting
Reading.

II was out skating with the gang
last night"
These were the exact words, says
the Cincinnati Post, uttered in
rough but pleasant voice, and then a
form rushed into the private soffice
of the Pike Opera House, took in the
occupants with sweeping glance
and began nervousl y rafting the
mail in the letter box.f
The speaker was Frank Small, a
brother of Sam Small, and who is in
the city in advance of ga Kentucky
Colonel" which is playing at the
Pike this week.
Imagine man Of medium height,
rather slender build, as compact as
pony of the famous Morgan breed,
wiry, panther.like movement, wear
ing a typical Southern hat, hip pants,
blue and white striped shirt, whose
manner indicates kind of reckless
courage, and you will have an idea
of the brother of the noted evangelist.
In conversation of fully an hour
he said MANY interesting and DASH
ing things. Much of the flavor of
the whisy and the sparkling Of the
humor is lost in the telling. Among
other things he said:
''My father was newspaper man
in Knoxville, Tenn, and learned his
trade under fighting Parson Brown
low, of war fame. 1t was Brownlow
who introduced my father to my
mother.
"He was editor of the Knoxville
Sentinel, for many years the organ of
Andy johnson in the State. Brother
Sam, 20 years later, was also editor
of another johnson organ. Here's
the way it came about. When Sam
came home from college he was run
down in health from over-study, and
father wanted him to go to work at
some manual calling to give him
physical strength. He did so we'll
that in a short while he had spent all
his own money, amounting to $500,
and about $500 of mine, and then the
old gentleman called Sam to a halt.
| When he came down stairs that day
he came to me and said he and father
had had a row and he wanted 800 to
go away on. l told him he had spent
all of mine, but he replied that l could
borrow hundred and he could not.
So | got it and the next we heard of
Sam he was teaching Latin and
Greek in private family in Nash
vile for his board. At the same
time he read law and taught himself
shorthand. He went over to Green
vile, Tenn, and accidentally met
Andrew Johnson, who got after Sam
to settle there and start newspaper
favorable to johnson. He would
put up the money. Sam agreed and
when he was nicely fixed, l went to
see him. Nothing would do him but
that l must meet johnson. When
he introduced me to the ex. President,
he held out his hand, but refused to
take it, saying that would not shake
hands with any man who signed the
death warrant for the hanging of
Mrs. Surratt, in the face of a
recommendation for mercy from the
Court Martial, before whom the
woman had been tried. The affair
seemed to touch the old man to the
quick. He SAID that when he signed
that death warrant there was no plea
for mercy in the papers but that it
was stuck in the bundle that was for
warded TO The War Department later
for political purposes by his enemies.
Then / shook hands with him. /
l guess this is the only time on record
where johnson ever gave reason for
his peculiar action in that national
tragedy.
"When Sam began preaching the
news came to me that he was praying
for me to leave the theatrical profess
sion. / was hot when l heard it, and
wrote a communication in which l
stated that sam was brand plucked
from the fire, and that before he was
plucked he had been pretty well
charred. That before his reformation
he was a reprobate whom l had, on
more than one occasion, taken great
pleasure in kicking out of the stage
door of theater."