The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-10-27
Biographical sketch OF "a wrnre-
sentative Gnrprt-wmGUcr.

fiance
Biographical sketch Of "a Repre-
sentative Cnrprt-HfngEcr.
From the Canton Mail.
Referring 20 the mild sentence orJLdrc
w. Ben on the two negroes, George panucl
and Elijah BOddie, who were found guilty
ola most atrocious crime. "a the last term 81
our Circuit Court, the Meridian Mercury
asks as:
"Now tell as Mr.. Canton Mail, what sort
OF man IL your Judge Cunningham la
there no eNtenuatinR circumstance Was
II a bold, naked, aTrant panderinn Co Tho
savage element that moved him % Impose a
nominal fine for so atroclous wrong upon
| adecent quiet family Say. Mr.. Mail, can't
you say Cunningham wns-WCli, can't YOU
say he was drunk Make some excuse f0r
him. or people may have mean opinion of
| your Judge Cunningham"
We hope our contemporary won't thluk the
LEARNED Judge" Of this fortunate district
hard case. We think, on tho contrary, ho
Is quite "a soft case. We must state this ~
the only ''extenuating circumstance" in
his favor.
We don't know the learned Judges podi-
| gree. He may be, for all we know, h cross
between an Andalusian donkey and Bra
lillian ape. lie very certainly inhcrts tho
brains Of the former, with all th0 interest
| ing characteristics Of the latter.
While we cannot tell precisely, though,
OF what honorable ancestry this Interesting
! scion Is sprung, we can give some Fcmarka-
BILE points La his history, within The brief
period he has gathered (not cast) hia for
tunes In this disloyal and beniRhted section
/ With these few points, aud with tile photo
graph above, and the few little compliments
extracted In regard 20 him, from other APP
| preclative papers, we shall, for the present
bid the Judge, whom we have overs so warm
\ " admired, an aneetiOnate adicu-uutil, no
| least, he does something else smart.
We think h. was about the nrst year after
the war the Judge (not then Judge oflaw
he may have been OfsOmethinR else,) with
carpet sack In hand, arrived al Murfrecs-
boro, Tenn. There, we think 1--WE can't
state positively, AZ we havn't thc Judges
| biography 70 refer to- he was employed hy
| Col. Manogsto come down and manage
plantktsoh near CHfhoun station Do
county. To the bare Circumstance Of "a
hero coming here 10 make cotton do we owe
the extraordinary streak Of luck which
gives us Judge 80 far .lenrnod in thc law
above his fellows" for this Circuit
The Judge, Che wasn't Judge. then. and
we doubt whether such lofty.nnd ennohllur
aspirations occupied his thoughts like Ciu-
cinnatus, was quietly pursuing his nRricul-
tural pursuits, when the citizens 0f Canton
needing a postmaster who could take tho
oath-they all being tainted with treason
to this glorious gOvcrnment-bellCViuH that
w. Ben. was good kind or man, got him
TO take the position as a matter Of convent
euGet so we mlENh bf NFANNNN IA NnNhr NllliNa
This little taste Of Office, only mere drop
as IL was, suddenly awakened an unquench-
able desire with w Ben. 20 "bc hero lu
the strife" In the carpet-bag field ofpiun-
der. His latent ambition was aroused aud
famed into full flame. lie ran for Gle Com
ventiOn Ia 1866, was elected by the Loyal
League, and remained there the entire 1888
days. performing his arduOus duties and li
he failed for any day 20 draw hls ten dollars
| IL does not appear on record. The mcmorn-
1 ftguufffttfEun ra1ktnb Hn FFfUIf fHN
thot patriotic body Of black and tan states-
men. for 1888 days tat ten dollars n day csch)
will not soon be forgotten. But somehow
when IL was submitted. 20 the people fDr
ratification, they not fully nppreciating thc
instrument, voted against it, black and
white, % such extent that u was defeated
| by a very large majority. AZ the same time
| that important instrument was submitted tO
the people OF Mississippi for ratification, Che
! name Of Hon. w. Ben. a.. was presented to
the citizens Of Madison county, as % eandi-
date for the Legislature. Tho Constitution
being defeated. made "a hash ~ ben'h hopes
| In the particular direction iu which they
| were then exercised.
mt Ben was not Of the material 10 b.
| baked IN his pursuit for Office and pT0M.
| He az once looked around, and the Office Of
| Circuit Clerk attracted his attention. Hn
| nc once went 70 work 90 have the occupant
| elected by the people, removed by Gen.
Gillem, on q mere prctext, and himself ape
| pointed Instead The Probate Judges posi-
| ton next occurred 70 him and the edlct OF
the military satrap, AmeA soon put him ln
possession Of that place also; and
w. Ben thea took the oath,
(None else could 20 flll them both
CHORUS.
"Do you belong 70 Gldeons Band, etc.
Next we see him acting District Attorney
K for his particular friend sheppard (who was
| recently tried and Gund guilty Of emhezzte-
4 ri hplW0r NUrwnWrIfmfNH "a % VI
| by reason Of incapacity fH0H comps meHtif.l
1 After this we get wound up in the perfect
maze OF offices he held, when we Try tO re-
\ call them. lie was L 3. Commissioner, ia
addition 20 tho five already mentioned. as
his having held, then was soon afterward
elected 20 the Legislature, where BE figured
| especially when be was kicked out "a che
1 House on motion Of his colOred colleague,
| Spallman. for having stolen into the ONCE OF
| the Secretary Of State, and there destroyed
the oath Of Office no had filed as Circuit
Judge, In order that he might hold De seat
/ and draw his per diem In the Legislature,
few days longer. 1--WE had omitted 70 mem
| ton, In the proper place, that he was "a re-
gistrhr too.) And now we have bad Die
eminent ability, for some time exercised ORA
the capacity represented In the photograph
4 above.
Judge Ben Is one whom our citizens
should appreciate. Never before, perhaps,
/ In the history Of any government ga any
/ one man hold SO many Offices ln ~ luefeu~
4 IDLY short n space Of time, or ~ many ln-
compatible with each other a. time aa has
been done by him. What ifhe cant answer
Il lmnertInenf little conuudruma ha regards
hfs drmvgfna $4,000 land slipping overFl for n
| neriod ~ nine months aud seven days na
tSrnbate Judge. be being only allowed $500
4 rsr anuum Ben ecorns ~ notice these ln-
sinuatlons but goes on drawing I've sup
noae1. and passing sentences that mark him
"a. Indeed. Alearned In the law above his fol-
ThIstn briefoficial biography ufns won
derful m cRrpet-baRger aa ever came from
New England 10 Che South, ~ eniightcn go
| in loyalty. and 90 hold the Offices 90 profit.
i We think his like "wc meier shall see again
4 We give this brief sketch tn hu4wfF 70 Ahl
1 Inquiry Of the Meridian Mercury, and 100 or
der that our Northern friends may see q t-A
material comp0ses che apostles of ioynily
now in the South. How grateful We should
4 feel toward New England. and tbs Govern
meut ofthe aBar Stangled apanueFE what
II Great mar come FROM that COUNTRY NNMl
4 ~ 49, Plymouth Rock, and Naneut fi-iA
and HARRIS nhecher Stowe arc Mi NNN
CunnlnRhamf
How can we thank the#
I sweet land ofLinerteti