The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-07-09

torial Office he entered uDon rho car
ryins out of certain engineering plans
which he had advocated as legislator
ana Governor for the Improvement
OF conditions within the State. lie
stood for the best Of what has charac-
terlzed each and every oCn-r4<1-ase
from the time Of. Governors Vance
ana JARVIS 10 the DAYS of Aycock and
Glenn and kitchin. He lived lust
one hundred years before his time.
he could not long remain out Of poll
tics. and in 1916 his neighbors return
ed him to the State Senate. General
smith was a Jealous Mason, and dur
ing his prime was three years. from
1898 TO 1911. Grand Master Of the
Grand Lodge of North Carolina.
Up to 1892 there were no homes
IL the ne~ighboChood of Fort John
s,on. near the mouth OF the Cape
rear river. and Mr.. Joshua Potts. of
Wilmington. VINO made the first
movement toward establishing a town
there. has given us an interesting az
count Of the settlement Of ~SmlthNilia
In a manuscript that has come down
10 us. and published in 190i by the
University of North Carolina in
James Sprunt Historical Monograph
No. 4, PIP. S6-9e. Mr.. Potts has told
us how he and certain Of his friends
in 1890 undertook to lay off a town
there and obtain a charter. Their
plan was unexpectedly opposed II the
Legislature by Colonel Smith, and the
charter for the town OF "NaShton,'
as they purposed calling the place.
was defeated. A year after the de-
feat of the bill at Fayetteville. General
Smiths neighbors who favored the
bill determined that he should not be
sent to the Assembly unless he would
do his best to have an act passed Tor
the intended purpose. Genera! <SInftn
accepted the conditions, was elected.
and made good his word. The act
was passed at New Bern in 1872
General Smith, when he returned
from the Assembly, old his friends
that on his making "a motion and Of
fering the bill for the act, Mr.. Macon
or some other respectable member
made an observation that many appl-
cations had been acted upon for DIT
ferent towns in the State, but that
few, if any of them, had succeeded,
that the said worthy member said.
AS General Smith has applied IN be
half of this petty town. it should be
called Smithville. as if BY way OF de
risjOn to the applicant. should the
town like many others> not sue
oeed.'"
BENJAMIN Smith married Miss Sarah
Rhett Dry. daughter Of Colonel VIII
liam Dry. a man OF ability. eNcelieh'
education and rare ACCOMPLISHMENTS
and a members of the Kings Countii
She was also a direct descendent 1reff
Cromwel1's admiral. b Blake
Both she and General Smith inherited
large estate. We earn much OF
their manner Of life and their gener
Gus hospitality from the diary OF cen
eral Joseph Gardner Swift. OF Ne"
York. first graduate OF the nltec
States Military Academy at NeS'
: Point. who in his younge days ENJOY
cd intimate association with Genera
smith. Swift. a young second lieu
. tenant in the corps Of engineers. was
sent to Wilmington in 1So4 TO eA-
anime the harbOr of Cape rear, ahc
to direct the execution OF a Contrac
with General Benjamin Smith. OF Bel
tyidere to construct a battery az tns
site Of old Fort Johnston. IN Sni1tn
VILE. of a material called tanda.
He gave to the United State Govern
ment ten acres of and or Bald Head
or Smiths Island. which he owned
: on which to build n lighthouse a
: the mouth Of the cape Fear river
\ He constructed the causeWay IRON
Wilmington across Eagles Island.
LAS he advanced in years to u.s.
: the words of DR.. Battle. "GoNerno
n Smith lost his health by high livinl
and his fortune by too generous sure
tyshiD. He became irascible am
r,roae to resent fancied Sights. HI
tongue became to oPpo
nents. Hk once spoke with unde
4 served abusiveness Of d Al1re'
Moore. and the insult was venged D.
0 one of the members Of the Assembl
e from Brunswick. Judge Moores so
e Maurice" General Swift has give
e us in his "Memoirs'' an account Of TN
it duel. which was fought on June "a
e 1895. just over in South Carolina
) near to the ocean side, where the
G stood h Boundary House, the IN
: running through the center or Tn
entrance hall and main p~aSsaSewa1
CAPTAIN Moore was attended by M
i cousin, Major Duncan Moore. Whii
a General Smiths second was Genera
Swift himself. DIR. Andrew Scott at
It tended as surgeon for both combat
e ants. Al the second fire Genera
!; Smith received his ANTAGONISTS ball j
e his side and fell. DIR. Scott. aide
q by DR.. Griffin. took the General t
r S-;+bNijia nv water. while Genera