The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1869-09-29
S. s. Prentiss--" Bench and Bar. =

In the july number of a monthly periodical, called
the Bench and Bar published at lineage IS wen
written professionally Eewritten article, emitted
| s Prentss, which the author modesty concludes py
saving, 'He was seriousi. damaged By the vices oil
drinking and gambling tut they were the wees ol Tue
society in which he lived and he sought N them only
excitement never sordd pleasures, nor gam lie was
more their victim than their priest and was sacrihced
on their altar. Such, mperfectly skeched, Is some
account of this remarkable man. # has name as By
this means rescued from obtap5oa Tor moment longer
e. by virtue of the friendly notice OF the writer IN
the "Bench aud Bar aforesaidl our object is ae-
compished."
The object of the writer was to rescue the name OF
Seargent S. Prentiss from oblivion to rescue the name
of the proudest orator of the Southwest one VINO was
thoroughly identified with it for over twenty years aud
whose name is household word throughout its length
and breadth; whose forensic triumphs were known
from the praires of Opeousas to the blue grass re-
gions of Kentucky who knew more men and was
known and loved by more men than this Bench and
Bar ever had or ever will command among its read
ers whose brilliant political displays were coexten
sive with the whole Union whose daily life was the
uOuDIe feHeX Oh MS VI
his adopted country to rescue his name from obi-
WON the peculiar object OF the writer and the slngu
lar good fortune of the Bench and Bar" published at
Chicago To rescue his name, AFTER too, the pous
and elegant biographical tribute of his brother, now
nearly if quite, fifteen years before the American
people as part of its history Really the temerity
which provoked and the pretext which supplied the
lor,o for tho miserable scare crow and nrp.
tended likeness of poor Prentiss gibbeted in the
Bench and Bar, )" are enough to provoke the wrath
of all the surviving friends who knew the aectionate
beautiful, brilliant, gifted and noble qualities of the
man 1t reminds of Caryle's indignant protest of
Bishop Hares life of John Sterling" Why no BIZ
ography and the privilege of all the weary" not accorded
to poor Prentiss? As if tradition and affection
nothing, the beautiful biography Of his brother
nothing, and if it necessary for the Chicago
the fame of Seargent s Prentss Who would recog-
mise him in the carcature of the Bench aud Bar
To distort the features of the living is an oense
scarcely to be forgiven in the of daubs but what
shall be done with the bographis who, like the hyena
desecrates the grave, to dstort the features of the
dead9 What punishment is adequate for such sacr
legeg There is none. Not the contempt given the
dauber nor our natural ioathipg of the hyena COM
bined is at all, commensurate with the offense. In
our mere incapacity to nfct what is DUE We only
dismiss the offender with the calm rebuke-" Sin no
more!" Let Prentiss sleep the sleep that knows no
waking forever raherthan his ashes shall be disturbed
by the contributor of the Bench and Bar" and his
noble presence be gbbeted in the likeness of this pre-
sentation.