26 November 1896 Letter from James Monroe Smith to Eva Slaton Submitted for the Union Parish Louisiana USGenWeb Archives by Robert S. Hendrick, 6/2006 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Materials from the Personal Collection of Dr. Robert S. Hendrick, Jr. Transcribed and submitted by Robert S. Hendrick, Jr. ================================================================================= 26 November 1896 Letter from James Monroe Smith to Eva Slaton Smith became the Union Parish Clerk of Court in 1879 and served until 1900, when he resigned to serve as a Louisiana State Senator. Smith had courted Slaton prior to his marriage to May Olive Kidd in 1885, but May had died in February 1895. Smith and Slaton married in January 1898. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== [James M. Smith to Eva Slaton] (Addressed to A. C. F. College Tuskegee, AL) Hotel Josephine C. F. Moore, Prop. Hot Springs, AR November 26, 1896 My Own Sweet Little Girl! Today is Thanksgiving and I knew of no way I can spend a portion of this afternoon so pleasantly as writing to and communing in spirit with my sweet little girl several hundred miles away. This is a very gloomy, rainy day and I fear my thoughts and feelings would be in keeping with the day were I not holding “close communion” with the sweetest loveliest woman on terra firma. Dearest, I use the expression “close communion” as I am writing to a Baptist, which you know is a very familiar and significant expression to us Baptists & always readily understood. Dearest I had almost come to the conclusion you had forgotten and “gone back on me”, as it had been near 3 weeks from the time I wrote you until I received your letter which was last Monday (23rd). I believe you get more tardy every letter and should I not fear my little girl does not think of me as sweetly and tenderly and as often as she once did, but for the fact she says I must not gage her love by her tardiness? Dearest I know you are just as sweet and good as you can be, and I have the best proof and reason to believe that you are just as true and devoted and your love for me as pure and tender as any truly good and noble woman ever cher-ished for the man of all men she has selected for her future husband and I know dearest, you have just as good reasons and strong assurances of my undying love and devotion for you. I believe I will be the happiest man living the day the preacher calls God to witness that we are husband and wife – one inseparably while life lasts and then “when life’s long dream is o’er”, hope to meet again in the Paradise of God. I left home Sunday the 15th getting to Ruston that evening & remained there until next evening & accompanied by Emmet Kidd (brother-in-law) we boarded the train for Shreveport arriving there about 8 P. M. . Shortly after our arrival Gov. (J. Murphy) Foster & Auditor Heard came in on the T & P in route to Ruston to attend a meeting in the interest of the drought-stricken suffers. We spent a pleasant evening together. I think it was about midnight or later when Heard & I retired. Next day Tuesday Emmet K. & I dined with my sister (Florence Smith Thomas) & spent a very enjoyable day looking around over the city – at nice residence lots & enquiring into first our enterprise & another my sister carried us out to look at her lot, which is on Jordan Street one of the most elite & fashionable streets in the city. It is very pretty & nicely located. She also showed us the drawing or the plan of her dwelling, which the architect had not quite finished. It is a two story and a beauty. Mr. (L. E.) Thomas will soon begin work on it. His house & lot will cost about $5,000.00. (House was located on the corner of Line Ave. & Jordan St. It was torn down around 1960.) Next day Wednesday at 11:30 A. M. I boarded the Kansas City & Gulf train for this place & got here about 8 P. M. that day – one week ago last night – I am stopping at this Hotel Josephine. It is a fine hotel and I am comfortably & pleasantly situated. This is a wonderful city of some ten to twelve thousand population besides visitors – cosmopolitan in every since of the word. For picturesque beauty I think it hard to excel. It is situated in the valley of Hot Springs Creek, with a high mountain on each side some 500 or 600 feet above the city & some 1200 feet above sea level. The business portion of the city follows the meanderings of Hot Springs Creek, which you can imagine is very winding & crooked – the creek being covered in & a streetcar line running over it. In the business portion of the city I don’t think it will average more than 100 to 150 yards in width – from mountain to mountain. The mountains cov-ered with native forest trees & growth & stones of every size & shape. Last week 2 friends I have made here – one a young Presbyterian preacher (from Senatobia [?], Miss – Rev. Caldwell), who is here to have his eyes treated & other a young man from Helena, Ark. Mr. Booten, who is here for indigestion. Both very genial, fine fellows – decided we would scale the heights of West Mountain & view the city below. Well we did so, but it was the ruffest & most fatiguing walk I ever tool. It is very steep & stones of every size & shape & so numerous, could scarcely step without striking one & then too my shoe soles got so sleek walking on pine straw & other vegetation, it seemed at times difficult to decide whether my head or my feet would gain the victory & be on top. But we managed to get there after a while & I don’t think I was ever more fatigued. It seemed like August to me. We got some very pretty views of the city & surrounding country with the aid of glasses. Had a rough time making our descent, but nothing to compare with the ascent. We crossed the mountain & made our descent on the south side of the city, having ascended on the north side. We must have walked 3 or 4 miles. That is the last walk I take of that kind. Accompanied by my friends we usually walk 2 or 3 miles every day taking in the different portions of the city. There are people here from everywhere & for every thing in the catalogue of ailments. These waters surely possess wonderful curative powers. They must be the “Fountain of Youth” for which Ponce de Leon searched in vain. Here you see the “the lame, the half and the blind” – on crutches, rolled in chairs & in every other shape. Do you know I can’t keep from associating these waters to a de-gree with the Pools of Siloam and Bethesda of Scriptural notoriety. If our Savior were on Earth now healing the sick & afflicted as He did while here, I would suppose he could probably find more work to do here at this place than any other place near its size in the world. I would suppose that there are representa-tives here from every State in the Union, besides I am told good many foreign-ers here too. Dr. Short who makes a specialty of the eye, nose, throat & ear, has a great reputation for his skill & wonderful cures he effects. He is treating me & while in the waiting room of his office a few days ago there were 8 or 9 men & boys waiting for treatment, besides 3 or 4 ladies in an adjoining room. Out of curiosity (as you know it [mine] is great) I thought I would see how many states were represented & upon inquiring I found Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Tenn., Missouri and La & don’t know where the ladies were from. Gov. Stephens of Missouri is here now for treatment for his eyes by Dr. Short. Well I guess it will be more interesting darling to you to know what the doctor thinks of my case. He gave me a very thorough examination the day after my arrival. A week today. He says my throat is due to a catarrhal trouble, which is only local and he can cure me. He gives me a daily treatment & thinks I can go home about the 18th or 20th of next month. I am bound to be at home on Dec. 22nd as I have some business that day I will be bound to attend to & no one else can do it. Dr. Short is one of the nicest & most pleasant men I ever knew. After treating me today he asked me to sit with him and we had a long pleasant on things generally. He has office hours until 1 P. M. each day & then has leisure after that time unless he has an operation to perform. He invited me to go quail hunting with him some afternoon when the weather is good. As I am fond of sport when I have time, I think I shall go. I weighed 163 pounds last week pretty good for a sick man, don’t you think? I had a picture taken of your future husband a few days ago dearest, but not completed yet. I have seen the proof & I think it a splendid picture & so do my friends. I had it taken expressly for my sweet, charming little girl and will send you one of the best so soon as finished. I will not get your ring here as there are so many Hot Springs diamond imitations & it would take an expert to detect the difference. The jewelry stores here are on the small order & don’t carry much genuine diamond stock & not very reliable. I will wait till I go to N. O. or order one should I not go. Dearest, it is probably as much a pleasure to me as to you, your great suc-cess in your concert. I had no fear that you would make the least failure. If I had caused you to become a little cranky(?). Yes I am very much disappointed at not getting the invitation in time to be there, for I know I would have highly entertained and probably the most interested spectator there, being personally interested & my sweet girl the most conspicuous actress and queen of the oc-casion, at least, in my estimation. Tell that editor I appreciate very much indeed his complimentary notice of my sweet little girl’s beautiful stage manner and artistic playing and that she not only excels in that and could highly entertain & charm with her sweet, grand, magnetic strains of music a Mozart. A Mendel-ssohn or a Verdi or any other of the great Masters were they present but in addition to all that, she is the sweetest, loveliest and noblest woman in the world. Darling how long you reckon it will be before I have this most charming little girl with me for all time? I need you all the time with me & am so lonely without you. Dearest we love each other so well I know it will be a happy moment to us when we marry & can then be together all the time. I wish we were married now & you could be with me here. Have you talked to Dr. or Mrs. Massey yet about it? Do you still think you can arrange it for April or May? I am almost sick to see you & just don’t feel that I can wait even that long. A month seems like several months. I am very sorry that it was not convenient for me to occupy that rocker me or you while writing me, but the Fates have so decreed. I often think of the happy moments we passed together last summer on the gallery & of everything that occurred & how I long for attention. As to the letter he carried in my pocket a day or so before mailing, that is a mistake dearest. I wrote you at night at the house & put the letter on the mantle for the boy who makes fires to mail & the mail may have been made up & he was too late & had to lie over till next day. I usually write you at the office & mail them at once myself. Dearest that is a mighty sweet reason that you were a silver woman because I was a silver man. This and other things leads me to believe that I will have a sweeter, kinder & more devoted little wife that most men – one who will always be found by her boy’s side helping him fight the battles of life, with oneness of heart & purpose in all things. Am I right dearest? That home cooking you did must have been awful nice. I wish I could have been there & joined you in the eating & not in the cooking. I think you will make a fine cook with my assistance & in fact a first class all around housekeeper and entertainer and above all a sweet, charming, lovely & loving little wife for your scribe. Dearest you know I love you so well. I will be a good boy for your sake if for no other reason or incentive. But I hardly think the girls just a little just for entertainment and pastime is wrong, do you? You know I have a great fondness for the fair sex, especially when they are attractive & magnetic, but I will try & carry out your wishes & not court them much. Well I have certainly written you a long letter this time & hope my sweet, precious darling will write me soon a long, sweet letter. You had better write my name in full – James M. Smith care of Hotel Josephine, as there are others here that have my initials. I look for a letter from you some time next week. Don’t disappoint me darling, as you know I get lonely & anxious to hear from you. I received a letter from Mother [Fannie Kidd? His mother was deceased], Aunt Mary [Mary Manning Callaway], & sweet little Lois & Ed Everett – my deputy yesterday. I wrote Lois & Jamie a little letter too today. They will be charmed with it. With much love to my sweet little girl. Lovingly, J. M. S. #####################################################################################