Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1878-07-18
EDGEFIELin s.
..HgEI. /. !. BENJAMIN Il .PlIIHIT !.
Written by Gen. Waddy Thompson, 1.pi'
iIMinlster to Mexico: . tEI A.

). ! l. g aS-tt :. -. hA55
.,,'fThe Hon. Benjamin Frank lFassrfr.
ry, a distinguished member dflsi7
South Carolina bar, and still n?ory
distjn guished fol the ability and fl.tii
ness. with which he resisted the lis:
Union movement iniSodtH: Cali tsna,
was born November %, 1905, id fht
District. Of Pendleton,, .,f
The childhood and youth 81. 7 qri
F. Perry were spent amid hills .at.
mountains, alternately going t4 #s4l ael
and working on the farm, Il lis sas
sixteen years Old. During thaE Pc
t 'riod, he manifested. ia :great pa i9r
for books and read everything ae
colld lay his hands on, even 10 tae
American Encyclopedias Thisse 4 !.
and strong manifestation for leltl,, !
and. learnlnginduced his uncle, Rohi
S. c. Foster, to prevail on his pS1si
to give him a classical education a. t
profession. He commenced tbs
study OF the.4anguages al Ashetll,i,
N. c., where he met David L.,SWail
rs telIow-student, who was :5attes-,
wards Governor of North Cit:6iir:i j
and President of Chapel Hill Wa-
versity, between whom there apranl
up an ardent friendship. which con.
rinucl through life. Tile LatiA
grammar was put into Ills hanFis
Tuesday morning, and such was His
intense application. combined With
remarkable facility for lear ming. iliat
he memorized the whole Of it betore
the coming Saturday evening. lis
the course Of ten months he read ali
the Latin and Greek books required
to enter the JUNIOR class Of the Sout;i
Carolina College.
In 1924, Mr.. Perry entered ths
la*-oGice Of !Jutge; Earle and beins
only eighteen years old, he was Ell.
abled to-furnish his mind with thos,f
rich stores tof general information
and literature which have since en-
abled him to mingle with the labor
of large professional practice very
many able articles.t to the periodicai
literature OF the country. He varisif
his reading daily between law, histo,
ry, poetry, and novels. lie finished.
his course Of legal study in the Office
Of that eminent lawyer, Col. james
Gregg, Of Columbia, ana was ad-
rnitted to the bar in 1927.
In commencing his profession al.
Greenvllle, he had more than the
usual severe probation of young law.
yers, for there was very little bust
ness and an unusual number of emf.
nent lawyers al the bar Oh the West
ern Circuit, which included Green
vile. Mr.. Perry has pursued the
laborioas study + his profession even
more assiduously since than before
his admission, and has realized, by a
comman ling practice on the circuit
which he rides, the rich rewards oil
emoluments and reputation to which
l=alAo.-e--of- a--4ieh order, great labog
and study, high personal Character
and speaking talent of high order.
50 we'll entite him. -
In the exciting and memorable
notification contest ofl332, Mr.
Perry took; charge ,;of the Editorial
department of a newspaper then rnb
lished in the town OF Greenville,
where he resided. Nearly all Of his
friends-Judge Earle, Warren R.
Davis, General Thompson, and others
who would have been most likely to
influence and convert his opinions,
and would have influenced those oil
most any other young man-were
nullifers. Most Of the young men
of the State were on the same side
as they are always apt to be on the
side that seems to be that of honor
and patriotism, because perhaps it is
the side of action and danger, But
the opinions of Mr.. Perry were fixed
and undertaking in favor Of the
Union-.~the result Of muGh reading
and reflection, not crude and hastily
formed.
Tie whole theory Of notification,
as set forth by Mr.. Calhoun in his
various publications, was, in the
Judgment of Mr.. Perry, at war with
the fundamental princi::les of our
Federal Government, and impractica-
bic in its operation But it was a
painful struggle for him o-separate
from, cherished and honorad friends,
and from large portion Of the EN-
bodied chivalrY and honor Of the
State. The crisis was one, however,
which demanded the sacrifice, and
he made it, and firmly and resoluteiy
did he pursue the path OF duty as he
regarded it, which is always the path
of honor. Tile Mountalncea' soon be-
came powerful and leading organ
Of the Union party. and all sorts Of
influences were exerted to bring over
its talented young editor. Appeals
to old and cherished friendships, to
patriotism, courage, interest and
honor, to gowith his State and friends,
were all made in vain.
In the course of this angry and
exciting struggle, Mr. Perry b'came
invo' we'd in a duel with the editor Of
notification paper published in the
same town. His adversary was NOR
tally wounded at the first fire. This,
we have reason to know, mas been the
most painful circumstance of Mr..
| PerrJ's life, although he h4s 9ofhiqs
to reproach himself for in the oir-
cumsianoes which led to it. His ad-
veesary was comparatively stranger
to him, young man OF talent and
promise, toward whom he entertained
nothing approaching a feeling Of un-
kindness. But under the circuin-
stances of the case, The temper of the
times, and the prevalent feeling in
South Carolina, there was no alterna
tive,
In 1854, Mr.. Perry was put in
nomination by the Union party for
Congress, and was beaten only sixty
yote1, il a polI Of siE OF spYan thou,