| Title: | N.B. Smyth, New Orleans to [?] Fitzgerald [Washington?] |
|---|---|
| ID | 3009 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | Smyth, Natalie Bouligny/38 |
| Year | 1911 |
| Sender | Bouligny Smyth, Nathalie |
| Sender Gender | female |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, USA |
| Destination | unknown |
| Recipient | Fitzgerald |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | business |
| Source | Copyright Retained By Brendan O'Reilly, O'Reilly's Bar & Restaurant, Main St. Dromara |
| Archive | Original Held By Above Donor. |
| Doc. No. | 9904044 |
| Date | 2/4/1911 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 07:04:99. |
| Word Count | 669 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Dear Sir- In the Army & Navy Museum at Washington is a specimen of the first successful ligature of the innominate artery for sub-clarian aneurism. This operation in its success, after repeated failures from the most eminent surgeons of Europe & America, has placed the name of Andrew Woods Smyth in the foremost rank of surgeons - It has opened up a new field of success in operative surgery & become a classic by which the U.S. takes a foremost rank in the annals of the [world's?] surgical [record?] In the American Medical Times of Aug 20 1867 the great Valentine [Mort?] of N.Y. [New York?] wrote that the man who had succeeded where he had failed: "On the [brow?] of Andrew W. Smyth of N.O. [New Orleans?] will always rest the launch of the first successful operation of the ligature of this great artery - Time can never rob him of this great surgical achievement" - Time, yes, cannot rob him of this; but it has robbed him of almost all else - In an unfortunate hour Dr Andrew W. Smyth accepted the Superintendency of the New Orleans Mint - During his incumbency as Superintendent a fire occurred in the Cashier's vault. The Cashier reported having found that an electric light had burnt in the vault setting fire to some currency in a [green?] bank box - An expert from Washington was sent down to N.O. [New Orleans?] from the Treasury department - She and a special agent from the treasury found sufficient evidence to warrant the indictment of the Cashier James Dowling in a criminal prosecution During the trial when an employee of the Edison Co in N.Y. [New York?] was giving testimony, showing how the [broken?] electric light had not exploded because the carbon filaments did not give evidence of such explosion, & that the glass of the electric light must have been broken from the outside, a strange incident occurred -: an electric light burst in the court room - The jury seized upon this incident as [verifying?] the origins of the fire - the expert who was giving testimony asked to be given the exploded light to show the difference between it and the light which was supposed to have exploded in the cashier's vault. The presiding Judge - (Boannan) refused this & told the jury that they should not decide in the evidence of expert testimony alone - & Dowling was aquitted. Dr Smyth was then indicted as Superintendent & held accountable for the missing currency -Yes that was eighteen years ago - Dr Smyth was then 61 years old - Having always practised his profession more for science & humanity - than for money he was unable to pay the missing currency for which he was held accountable & thus his bond had to make good - Lately some savings bond having been drained Dr Smyth was enabled to repay his bond by mortgaging his property. The mortgage is due in February 1912 & with its foreclosure the last chance for peace and comfort to himself & his family will be lost - In our exceeding week & after my exile, 18 years for Dr Smyth broke up his home in N.O. [New Orleans?] and has since lived, or rather vegetated with his family on an Irish farm, I have determined to make an appeal to Congress for a special and direct appropriation - to repay to Dr Smyth $32,000 - (original sum & interest?) which he has paid to his bond- Now Sir, to you I address myself begging that you will use your influence to help us - & that your heart will only respond to my appeal from Ireland where an old man of nearly eighty years awaits recognition & rehabilitation, there will surely sir come a blessing - I enclose such papers as I think when you have read them will express the equity & justice of my husband's claim Yours very respectfully - N.B. [Nathalie?] [Bouligny?] Smyth. |
