Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Smith, Charles Henry (humorist)

SMITH, Charles Henry, humorist, b. in Lawrenceville, Ga., 15 June, 1826. He was graduated at Franklin college, Athens, Ga., and in 1848 became a lawyer in Rome, Ga. He served in the Confederate army, and after the war settled as a planter near Cartersville, Ga., was state senator in 1866, and mayor of Rome, Ga., in 1868-'9. He began his literary career in 1861 in a series of newspaper letters under the signature of “Bill Arp.” They enjoyed a wide popularity, and are remarkable for homely humor and shrewd philosophy. A southern writer says of his widely read and quoted letter to Artemus Ward in July, 1865, that “it was the first chirp of any bird after the surrender, and gave relief and hope to thousands of drooping hearts.” He is also a successful lecturer. His publications include “Bill Arp's Letters” (New York, 1868); “Bill Arp's Scrap-Book” (Atlanta, 1886); and many humorous and philosophical sketches that he has contributed to the press.