Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-04-15
MACON, MISSISSIPPI, APRIL Is, 1871.
Tht Lecture Of DIR. MIIbuFn Stories
Never Told Before.

Inc lecture OF the blind preacher
on the life aud character of S. 5. Prem
tiss, recently delivered in Memphis, /
caused the publication in the Appeal |
OF the following graphic sketches from |
the faclle pen of s. J. Deupree, Esq. !
They will be of interest to all Missis-
sippians who are still proud of their
wonderful orator. lie says:
We thought il somewhat unfortu-
nate for the lecturer that the greater
his success in the delineation of Prem
tiss' character and in the portrayal of
! his marvellous powers and endow.
ments, the more striking the defects
of one who is not the peerof PrCntiss.
The theme of the lecture is thus nm
fortunate for him who adopts it, and
especially is this true when among
the audience there were very many
who used 10 Follow "Prentiss' Mena2-
erie. None of them can ever hear
with perfect patience an orator, even
as DR.. Milburn is an orator, declaim
about the wonders of Prentiss' elo-
quence. When the lecturer evokes
the dead from his resting-place and
re-invests with life the little body
; that used to swell till it became gigan.
tic in the eyes of the listening, won
dering, spell-bound populace, inefiace-
able memories are re-excited, so
vividly that DIR. Milburn's recitals arc
forgotten while the marvellous reali-
ties Of the "fiush times" of Mississippi
float before enrapturGd visions. We
remember, and it is among the first
recollcctions of bcyhood, how Prentiss
once addressed a throng within the
walls of a church. Women filed the
body of the building, whily men
crowded aisles and windows. In the
midst of the speech the women threw
up their handkerchiefs and appIauded
some poetical outburst of the peerless
orator. Prentiss was suddenly silent,
his face grew pale, and, when he be-
gan to speak, his lips tremDled and
his eyes told of all ine~pressible sor.
row lie said he would tell how it
was that he so loved and admired
woman, and yet had never welded q
wife. lie told of fAir-haired, blue
eyed little girl, his cousin, if we re-
member Alright, with whom he was
reared he told bow he had loved the
pretty child, and how one sultry sum
mer Sunday afternoon he went with
her 10 the endol the lane in front Of
~ aud nt thn faak 4r a
great oak with his arm around the
girls waist; how he was studying
the world OF wondels and of love tLat
dwelt in the depths of the eyes OF the
matchless child. A thunder torn
came, and the lightning killed the
girl in his arms. No stroke of light
ming was ever so terrible as this sim.
= pie story, as it fell from Prentiss' lips
= Such was its effect that he was for O
!. long time silenccd by the weeping Of
If men and women. Prentiss genius
+ was such that it invested the Amplest
e story with the richest charms, and
IS whatever he touched turned to gold
IL ANOTHER STORY.
n Not long ago we read story i0ld
i by Cough, the temperance lecturer, to
It which Prentiss gave paternity, II
= was of Prentiss' invention, and il
a memory serves US, Mr.. Foote was the
It subject of criticism when it dawned
e upon Prentiss' inventive faculties. He
n was ridiculing Foote'S lOquaciousncss
e and fondness for the tones of his own
y voice. lie said that on one occasion,
: : in the midst OF vast assemblage,
when the orator of the day had finish
ed his task, Foote was anxious to be
heard. lie had asked persons sta
toned in diff orent parts of the crowd
ed hall to cry out "Fo9te 'Foote "
e Mr.. Foote Don mounted the rostrum,
but a huge fellow would not be ST.
fenced. and continued to eAelaim with
. Stentors lungs, "Foote" "Footew
"Foote." The chairman of the meet
! ing came forward and insisted that
the admirer of Mr.. F0ote should he
! silent, as Mr.. Footc was on the stand
! and ready to speak. "l-ou can't fool
} me-" answered the Stentor "that's the
: fellow that told me 10 call for FoOte."
, "FOote!" "Foote!' "Foote!' persist
emily yelled the admirer of supposi-
tious Mr.. Foote. 1t was found neces-
sary to eject Mr.. Foote's claYNer from
the house, and as re was kicked down
The stairs, he still shouted, like the
drifting head in Tie ancient faUle,
"FOotcw "Foote. !" "Fo0te!"
PRENTIss IN MEMPHIS.
Prentiss n,ver appeared but once in
Memphis. lie came through the vii
lage in 1887. General Il. p. Gaines
was then citizen Of the place. IIo
and many others met Prentiss at the
wharf and escorted him to the town |
hall, room forty by twenty feet,
above confectionery, on Market !
street, between Main and Front. The /
building disappeared years ago. The
apartment was soon filled by the pom
ulace, eager to hear him speak, whose
wonderful eloquence had recently
shaken the Federal capitol and en-
tranced statesmen and orators, such
as no longer live TO gild with the lus-
ter of splendid genius the annals of
mighty republic. Prentiss was full
of physical and intellectual. force,
weary of confinement and wcaried by
the monotony of tedious ioG:uey.
He gave unrestricted rein to his fancy
and delineated with a masters hand
scenes he had recently behold, and
events in which he had been the most
prominent actor at Washington. lie
uttered anat'iemas against the domi-
nant party compared with which
those that Demosthenes directed
against Philip of Macedon, paled their