14 December 1896 Letter from James Monroe Smith to Eva Slaton Submitted for the Union Parish Louisiana USGenWeb Archives by Robert S. Hendrick, 4/2006 ************************************************ 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. ================================================================================= 14 December 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. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== Letter Addressed to A. C. F. College Tuskegee, AL ================================================================================== Hotel Josephine C. F. Moore, Prop. Hot Springs, AR December 14, 1896 My Dear Sweet Little Girl, Your most welcome, sweet little letter came promptly & words can’t express the great pleasure its perusal afforded me, except for that portion postponing our marriage until April year was a very great & unexpected disappointment to me. Dearest, with all due respect to your feelings & judgment, you must know & believe I have as much & perhaps more than most men, for the woman upon whom I have bestowed my truest love & affections & would call my wife, I cannot consent to the postponement of our marriage until April year. I believe that I am reasonable in most things & I would grant you any wish or request I could for I love you so tenderly it pains me not to acquiesce with even in the slightest wish or request you may make and especially in one so important to us as the postponement you suggest. But dearest, I have no disposition to insist on our marriage next April or May, if it does not suit your convenience & wishes knowing that you will have closed your year’s hard labors, but I am not willing to defer it longer than September. You would then have 3 months for rest & recreation & make all necessary preparations & it occurs to me that would be long enough for any one. Even if 3 months doesn’t give you long enough to get your wardrobe in that state of perfection you would like, that doesn’t “cut any figure” with me as I am not marrying you for your wardrobe, but for your own dear sweet self. Then too darling, when you consider the matter from my stand-point & consider my situation, if you love me with that devotion you profess and verily I believe you do I know my sweet angel will agree with me. You must know that my home is very lonely & any thing but happy to me. My aunt (Mary Manning Callaway) who is so good & kind & self-sacrificing as to take the care of my sweet little children & overlook my household affairs, is getting old & in poor health & I feel it is asking great deal of her in her old age, when I know too that it is her wish that I marry. I know too the sooner we marry, the better while my children are so young, for with your tender care & training darling, they would grow up to know and love you as though you were their own mother. Then another good reason is darling that I love my sweet little angel so well, I am lonely without her & want her to be with me as soon as possible. I think the sooner we settle this question the better for both of us. I like to know always what to depend upon & how to make my calculations in all things dearest & especially in a matter of so much moment & seriousness as this. Don’t lets wait until June or any further time darling to fix the date of our marriage, we can decide the matter now just as well as wait longer. I don’t like to be kept in suspense & especially about a matter of more importance to me than any other. Darling, you are just so good and sweet and knowing too the arrangement is in favor of my side of the question I believe you will agree with me. There is no earthly reason that I can see why you wish to defer it ‘till April year. Why I would get perfectly cranky thinking about it to wait so long. I don’t see how you could possibly make me any happier by waiting longer. I think the sooner we marry dearest the happier my sweet little angel girl will make me. Why I am afraid if we should defer it as you suggest, it would ruin my disposition! Now darling be a good sweet little girl and accept my offer of compromise as to date- next September about the first. I have formed some very pleasant acquaintances since I have been here especially with the ladies- married, widowed & girls. I went out walking with 3 married ladies & a widow yesterday afternoon. One Mrs. Ferguson of Nashville, Tenn., who is a very attractive & charming lady, Mrs. Nettles our hostess, Mrs. Wildberger of KY and Mrs. Percell of Denver. All of them very jolly & fine talkers & very bright. We took in the panoramic views and beauties of “Happy Hollow” & had a most enjoyable, lively time. They all have a keen appreciation of a good joke & I think I have (?) couldn’t fail to have a good time. The ladies seem to be great friends of wine & several of them are anxious to make selections for me. Mrs. Ferguson says she has two very charming young ladies she is anxious for me to meet & Mrs. Nettles says she has some too. I told them I certainly appreciated their great kindness & interest & their high opinion of me & knew that my girl would too but that I had already settled that question with the sweetest, loveliest & brightest woman in the World. A pianist that could charm a Mozart or Handel with her magnetic much & sweet rapturous strains of music. As a conversationalist and for dignity & grace of manner could entertain a Prince. I told them however, I would be pleased to meet the young ladies if opportunity should give such occasion. I have already met two very charming young ladies here- the Misses Weaks. I escorted one of them to the Presbyterian Church last night. Accompanied Mrs. Ferguson to same church in the afternoon. 3 of the ladies are Presbyterians- Mrs. Ferguson, Mrs. Nettles & Wildberger. I told them I was greatly surprised to see such fine looking ladies members of the Presbyterian Church, I thought sure they were Baptists. It created quite a laugh. Mrs. Nettles told me that she heard a lady pay me quite a compliment - that I was so “gentle” in manner. I told her that she had better ask my girl what she thought about it before she professed judgment. I thought it would make her laugh. Of course I did not tell any of them your name dearest. Darling, I have been I think mighty good since I have been here here, going to Church every Sunday & playing cards with the ladies at nights except Sunday. A fellow is not “in it” (excuse slang) unless he can play cards. The ladies have card parties. There is no betting or wagers of course but just for fun & entertainment. Members of the church & all play. I don’t think there is much if any harm in it. What do you think about it? Dec. 15th- Dearest I extended to finish this letter yesterday evening, but the ladies of the house wished to take a walk & of course I had to join them & it was supper time when we returned & after supper some visitors came in join us in games of cards- hence I could not finish last night. I have just returned from the Doctor’s office. He gave my throat a very thorough examination & says it is in fine condition & thinks I should have no further trouble. I feel greatly improved & think so soon as I get over the treatment I will be all right. Even with the treatment daily, the soreness is very slight now. The Doctor has been so nice to me & I regard him as a most excellent man & a big man in his profession. He took me out to the Potash & Sulfur Springs 8 miles distant yesterday week, behind a beautiful pair of iron gates. We left at 2 P.M. returning just in time for supper. Had a most enjoyable evening. The doctor wishes me to remain until Saturday morning next, when I will start home. Will get to Shreveport about 3 P.M. that day & go to Ruston Sunday & home next day. Florence will join me at Shreveport & accompany me home & spend the holidays. What a pity my sweet little darling can’t be at Ruston on my return! We could have such an enjoyable old fashioned talk, these long nights repeating the old, old story of our love, making plans & sending in sweet thoughts for a happy future, when we are one. I am glad you are pleased with my photo. Dearest, I looked the best I could for I was thinking of my sweet little girl when it was taken. Knowing that you would like for me to pile on my dignity I thought I could do so perhaps better with a side view than a full. I am surprised though that being so long since you saw me, that you did not give my photo a more tender, affectionate as I did yours. You either did ashamed to say so & would have suffer a little K______ or rather did not & would have me (?) a little ======. You are a mighty sweet, cunning little girl. You are. Well, I was joking about that reception my sweet little angel. I know it was as tender & sweet as could be & direct from that pure, loving, trustful little heart that has locked within its sacred precincts the sweetest emotion of love & devotion for this boy. Darling, don’t know how well & how fondly I love you & how anxious I am to see you & have you with me for all time. Life would open up anew & would be one continuous bright beautiful ray of sunshine to me. If nothing prevents I will be at home next Monday. Write me a long, sweet little letter. Lovingly & Devotedly, James P. S. Excuse pencil as it was more convenient than pen. ##############################################