The San Francisco call., 1897-09-26

studied law there and was admitted to the
bar in the spring of 1889, when just 20
years of age.
The outlook for young attorney with
out good pair of arms to swing in dra-
matte fashion when striving to impress
jury was generally conceded to he very
unpromising, and many people shook
their heads and told him so. They even
suggested that, though ambition was
good thing, in his case it might prove his
undoing, and recommended him to tackle
less pretentious undertaking.
The fedgling attorney listened respect
fully to the wise advice of the Dou biting
Thomases, but paid no heed. He hung
out his shingle with his feet), and 1t was
not long until he found himself estab-
lished in a lucrative practice. He stuck
to the law until 1898 and made good rec
ord, developing a strong talent Tor jury
arguments. the very class OF work in which
his friends had prophesied failure. In
politics he is and always has been strong
Democrat and was the nominee of his
party for County Judge in 1894. He is
pleasing public speaker, a good cam
paigner and has the ability to shine in
the lecture field if he should choose to
essay the role of public entertainer.
In the fall of 1893 Mr.. Smith purchased
the Mount Pleasant Times-Review. and
ne has since conducted that journal with
marked success. Under his management
it has become one of the best weekly
papers in Texas, and Mr.. Smiths edi-
torials, indited with his toes or with the
pen held in his teeth, or printed on the
typewriter with a stick held in a similar
m amer, are widely quoted for their terse,
epigrammatic style. their rich humor and
their apt presentation OF his views on
subjects of current interest. His style,
both as q writer and a speaker, IS ready
and graceful and he is almost invariably
on the right side of question. His
ability, fairness and fearlessness have
made him popular as journalist. he
runs the business end of the Times Review
as we'll as its editorial department and his
wife helps him when not employed with
her work as teacher of art in the Mount
Pleasant schools. Mrs. Smith is justly
proud of the success of her husband and
though she claims no credit for it, he un-
hesitatingly says that to her encourage
ment and the influence OF his mother he
owes all of his success.
How does Mr.. Smith manage to do all
these wonderful things? He just does
them in the way that to him seems most
natural Never having known the use OF
arms and hands, he adapted himself to
conditions as he found them, and, when
still quite young, learned to use his feet
for hands, When he was little fellow
people for miles around went to the Smith
home to see the wonderful baby that could
feed itself with its feet. As he grew older
he played games with the other boys with
all the unbridIed enthusiasm OF youth.
He played ball, marbles, croquet, etc.,
with the best OF them, and he is still
lover of outdoor sports he can play the
guitar and piano very well with his toes,
and might have been an accomplished
musician had it not been for his aversion
to making an exhibition OF himself.
1t would take up TOO much space to tell
OF all the remarkable things that this
armless editor can do. His editors den is
fitted up with all sorts OF ingenious con-
trivances TO facilitate his labors, and 1t is
really amazing to see how much work he
is able TO dispose of in a very short time.
One of the writer's most delightful mem
ories is of q half f-hour's chat with this
CHEEKY editor in the cozy sanctum OF the
Times Review.