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Newspaper
Comet
Location
Johnson City, Tennessee, United States of America
Date
Jan 30, 1896
Page
2
The Comet outlines figures in the 1896 race including George H Kerry for Johnevn City mayor and party insiders from the Republican and Democratic camps. It notes resignations, court politics, tariff debates, and moves by officials such as Morton, Nix, and Money, with speculation on alliances and policy stances.
Robert Benson alias Frank Smith Sefton Clark Lon Smith, sought for twenty years, was captured and jailed in Baltimore awaiting trial. He faced charges of forgery and related crimes, later arraigned and sentenced to eight years in Maryland’s penitentiary. His long criminal arc began in Virginia with forged notes and bank heists, then spread to multiple states.
A long pursuit of con artist and forger Robert Benson alias Frank Smith ends with his capture in Orlando Florida after a web of forged checks and debt schemes across West Virginia Pennsylvania and Georgia. He used multiple aliases and charmed communities while fleeing lawmen pursuing clues from Maryland to Florida. He was finally arrested by Detective Albert Gault after a requisition and timed trap at Orlando.
The narrative describes a jail interview where Smith, a severely injured prisoner, breaks down and admits to passing a $4,200 check to creditors Biedler and Jackson. The account also notes promotional material for Paragon Hot Air Furnaces tied to J H Pierce, a local tinsmith and roofer, and a church furnace order.
A local revival movement grows with multiple denominations claiming a spiritual awakening in Johnson City. Citizens anticipate a lasting moral change as daily and nightly conversions occur, with prominent divines leading the charge and urging reform across the town. A separate note reports a runaway horse incident near Taylor & Bro’s store, injuring a buggy and its rider. Frank J. Cheney attests to a claim about a cure for catarrh, sworn Dec 9.
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