[6] Fullarton and the pamphleteer Pierre McCallum widely reported that Smith was the instigator of Picton's cruelty, putting forth the view that the governor was under her influence.
[7][8] In his report, Fullarton accused Picton and Smith of jailing, punishing and starving maroons and runaways for petty offences and then conducting clandestine sales of them to friends for minimal purchase prices.
[9] In actuality, the two had a contract with Antonio Vallecilla, an operative of the Intendant of Caracas, who used his cover as an international slave catcher to conduct surveillance on the British.
Further using her influence, she was accused of eliciting bribes from prisoners to secure reductions in their sentences and holding weekly salons to dole out her favors.
[2] Despite claims by Fullarton that Smith was unsavory and reviled, she continued to build her business in the slave trade with prominent local businesswomen and men including the Congnet and Philip families.
[17] She also conducted business with Bartholomew Dwyer, a prosperous, free black attorney, purchasing slaves with him and jointly owning a 350-acre plantation, La Belle Fille, in the Quarter of Santa Cruz.
They did not produce goods for export on the plantation, but rather used it to grow their own provisions, avoiding the costly import fees typically charged on food.
[11] More recent scholarship by Kit Candlin, and others shows that she was largely used to add fuel to the animosity between Picton and Fullarton[8][19] and that no real evidence of her character exists.