Another story of James Edward Smith, by Kenneth Goulding Sr.

This story about James Edward Smith Sr. was told to me by my father, James A. Goulding, who married Dora Burton Smith, Who was the oldest daughter of my Grandpa Smith. James Edward was a rather heavy, stocky man. He loved horses and cows and made part of his livelihood freighting. Grandpa would make a bed and chair combination and would sit up in the front of the wagon and lay his head back and rest it in the makeshift chair and ride along and doze for miles as his horses traveled down the road. He was an expert woodsman. When he chopped down a tree, he wasn't a fast worker, but he made every lick count and he was very fussy about the notch, it had to be just right. He would not allow a sloppy job to be done.

He was a man who was at ease around anyone and he didn't fear any man. On one occasion there was a man who was just a little bit crazy and they had Grandpa Smith watching him. After the man had spent a little time with Grandpa, there was an ax laying nearby on the ground. That fellow grabbed the ax and shouted, "Jim, what would you do if I would get after you with this ax?" Grandpa replied, "I would knock you down with this cheer (there was a chair setting there) and this was the way he would say "chair". The crazy man said, "That's just what I thought you would do." Grandpa never mistreated any man.

Grandpa was a very good judge of horses and he passed this trait on down to all his sons, who were all lovers of good horses. On one occasion W. J. Henderson brought a horse from Cannonville to Henrieville to trade it to Grandpa Smith. The horse had one leg that was a little crooked. Henderson didn't think Grandpa would notice the crooked leg. As they met, Henderson began to tell Grandpa what a fine horse it was by bragging on the horse, by telling all the good qualities of the horse, while Grandpa did not say much but just listened. When Henderson quit talking, Grandpa said, "If you will let me take my ax and chop off that crooked leg and let me put a straight one back on, I would trade for the horse!". Being a good judge of horses, they did not fool Grandpa and the trade was not made.