The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-01-31
JOEL SMITH POSING As BILLS SON
On the Strength Of Fraudulent Claim,
Florida Man Gathers In Shekels
Of the Unsuspootlng, says
William.

ness with them. All the far away
boys, save one, were here and never
saw them SO happy before. OF course
We had prepared a Christmas tree for
the little ones and Santa Claus came
down the chimney and filled their
stockings and then filed the tree with
beautiful presents and decorated 1t
with gorgeous ornaments. That part
OF Christmas has passed. The anxious
expectation and wonder OF the little
ones is all over, but the old mansion
is still wide open and running over
with happy children and grandchildren
and Moores first verse was changed to
Twas the night after Christmas-the
rooms and the hall
Had the holly and mistletoe still on
the wall,
The Christmas tree stands in the par
lor fsrlorn,
It's beautiful hangings all given and
gone"
Next day we settled down to music
and song and the quiet enjoyment Of
all the good gifts that Christmas
brought, including turkey and oysters
for dinner and turkey hash for break
fast every day while the boys were
with us. These boys are all natural
born musicians and what with the pia-
no and flute and violin and half doz-
en- sweet voices we had choir of our
own, and when they got onto the "buz-
gard lope" and other hilarities the
girls formed a ring and danced and
pranced to concord Of sweet sounds,
and all Of a sudden the maternal an
cestor lost her self-control and Joined
the procession and bowed and curtsled
and chased all and held out her hands
invitingly to me. What could l do but
accept the uxorial banter and as l was
about to take her hand in mine and
fly around she flashed her Pocahontas
eyes and declined my soft approaches
She fiirted away on her No. feet as
gay as a girl and went coquetting with
one of the boys. That the way she
treats me now in my antiquity. Time
was when she was glad enough to take
my hand and keep it and dident dare
to play coquette at my expense. But
now l am discarded, and so l retired
from the ring singing that old song:
I'm the last rose of summer left
standing alone,
My lovely companion has left me and
gone"
But the frolic is about over and the
children have settled down to the calm
enjoyment of their dolls and horns and
other toys and are still happy. The
day before Christmas it was a touching
sight to see some of the old men slip
ping around slyly in the stores buying
pretty things for the home folks.
met my good brother Yarbrough wad-
ding along about dark with some bun
dies and under his arm was new UNI
brella. He said the umbrella was for
Hezzekiah, his faithful servant, who
had lived with him an these years and
was true and tried and had never own
ed an umbrella. That was good and
Lind and was proof enough that Broth
er Yarbrough belongs to our old set
and had slaves to serve him "befo' de
wah."
But, Mr.. Editor, am still perplexed.
My Christmas pleasure has been mar
red somewhat by my pity for the poor
credulous, dependent women all over
the land who are dupes of that Month
cello man. Every day brings more let
ters from those who have long since
sent the S25 to my son at Monticello
Fla, and get nothing back. They say
they trusted him because he was my
SON Many Of them begged or borrowed
the $25, for they could not get the sub
scribers, and so they made up list Of
names from their aeduaintances and
then they went to work on the endless
chain humbug and got other womeI
in to send more money and be duped.
Now, Mr.. Editor, l beg you to put i
in large type and print 1t in red inl
that Joel Smith, Of Monticello, is NJ
son Of mine, nor do I know anything o.
him or his paper. saw late issue
In which he boasts Of having 10000
subscribers which I suppose mean
$4,000 that these dependent womeI
have sent him. He promised them 81
a month to write three hours a da,
and some Of them sold their jewelr,
and other precious things to raise tn
S25 Mr.. Editor, do please lend you
cnl1,rnr- 10 etnn This fraud unnn ~,