The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1881-05-28
BEN LANE POSEY.
THE BAR OF TIE kEA COAST
DOWN ON HIM
For Ills Letter in The Comet and
Arraignm emit Of them im the
Hand-bOrO Advertiser.
Bar Meeting ut Mississippi City.

Il
Bar Meeting ut Mississippi City.
At an informal meeting Of the members
of the Sea Coast Bar, held ut Barnes hote !
on May 10th, 1881. There were present Il.
Seal, Esq, Hon. W. A. Champ!In, Gen.
Jos. II. Davis, Elliot Henderson, Lyman
b. Holly, G. ID. Lancaster, Louis ii.
Champlin and Horace Bloomfield.
Upon motion Hon. w. A. Champlin was
called to the chair, and C.. ID. Lancaster,
Esq, appointed Secretary.
The chairman explained the object Of
the meeting to be to take into consideration
certain slanderous articles, written by one
Ben Lane Posey, of Bay st. Louis, Han
cock county, and published in the Jackson
Comet and Handsboro Advertiser, reflect
ing directly and indirectly upon the repu-
taton and moral standing of the sea Coast
Bar of the State Of Mississippi.
Upon motion Gen. Jos. II. Davis. r.
Seal and Elliott Henderson, were appointed
a committee to examine said articles and
and report at the next meeting, which was
to be called upon the chairman receiving
notification that the co mmittee was ready
to report.
On Saturday, the 2lst day of May, the
members of the bar again met, when the
following resolutions were presented:
Mr.. President: The undersigned, to
whom was referred the consideration of
certain charges made directly and by
| inuendo, by one Ben Lane POsey, of Bay
St. Louis, Hancock county, beg leave to
report, That, in the Jackson Comet Of
April 10, last, they find letter dated Bay
| St. LOnis, April 8, 1881, signed by Ben
Lane POsey, as follows:
The Courts the sea-cpast have recently pre-
scented some strange and novel scenes, some terrific
personal scatterings. the natural seqence OF which
In Other places would have been blows or blood.
The Circuit Judge Is trying TO keep the peace,
and with that yisw he has announced the following
rules Of Court
/. That no attorney shall appear b fore the Court
In a state OF intoxicaton, conf monty called drum
| kenDess.
| q That attorneys shall not carry concealed or
deadly weapons about their person, or under their
| clothing, while in Court.
| Sd. The attorney shall, to reasonable extent,
abstain from abusive and irritating language In
s'sa That n e ocers u ihe must be careful
and watehfu to avoid having the jury-boxes tam
pered with
5 That the Clerk shall take care to prevent the
loss Abstraction, or Justification VI papers in cases
pending In this Court
This IL about the subject Of the recent rules Of
court The fact that such rules are deemed neces
saIy is, in itself, revelation.
hear that the grass is getting very short the
law-commons in parts OF Mississippi. Then why
don't a good lawyer or two come down here and
hand out his shinge. The grass is long and green
here, and presentsa tempting field FIR good law
yer. But he must be good one In every respect.
an able lawyer, and n brave and good n,an a law
yer who cahnot he bought, bullied, nor cheated |
who deserves and can command the public respect |
and confidence such man will jump light into
the hearts Of the people, have plenty to 40, and
make money. But there Is no room or demand for
any other kind.
10 such a lawyer, l will give hearty well |
come and valuable assistance. None other need APP
ply. There already shysters, pettifoggers, and
jack-legs, more than enough.
Of course there are a lew good aud decent law |
yers here, but more are wanted.
The first statement in the above is not |
warranted by any facts within our knOwl-
edge, nor do we believe they have any eX-
istence save in in the fertile imagination
of the writer.
The next statement, That the Judge
was trying to keep the peace between
members OF the Bar, and with that view
has adopted certain rules and regulations"
is u statement utterly without truth, SO far
AS the same is applicable to the Bar. The
mputations and insinuatiOns that follow
on the Bar, OF the sea-cOast, are malignant
and malicious falsehoOds. But the crown
ing SANDER upon the sea-c0ast Bar is con-
tdihcu III All ~ tiSiO Puoitohcu III eho ANVIL
tiser, n newspaper published in the town
of aandsboro, in issue of April %, and
signed by Ben Lane POsey, which Is as fol-
lows:
EbIToR ADyERrIsER-Tbe last issue Of your pa
per cont aimed editorially some unkind and unwar-
ranted comment. on al extract you made from a
letter Of M ne in the Jackson COMET. This matter
you commented on IL simply affair between my
self and some sea-coast lawyers, and rs they are
more numerous than | AM, they ought 10 be
llt. ala. lhAsstE
ance. l named nobody In my lette-, but only de-
scribed class, and the caps which made will not
1T any decent lawyer, nor will any decent lawyers
where some jack-eg aud pettif0gging lawyers more
or less, aud no decent lawyer will take ofense at
the assertion. respect the humblesi lawyer, II he
he gent leman, but | have uncOncealed scorn for
pettif fggers.
Now, Il is possible you may not know 1t, but am
%Ss sf rS sy d s~ys Of e
ara hostile TO me, commenced the war on me, and
some Of them waged upon me secret, constant and
cowardly warfare Of SANDER aud conspiracy to ruin
me- or TO remsve by assassination 4 know where
Of / speak. Thus secretly assaulted In my charac-
ter and my life, am compelled to take means for
sell-defense aud self. reservation. But cannot
wage the same kind OF warfare then for IL Is
not my method. My war on them is In the light OF
day, face TO face, In the public FORUM and In the
press over my own name but TO make IL effective
must make aggressive well as defensive warfare. i
must thrust we'll rs parry. What do and say
about III an + open and ~ PaSS n and al see ana
- "a a. ,h' son,a ,.od raonle NAV he deceived
NV ,he "ou 70 h,eIeye Thai Am me eecressor.
Now. II have always heretofore lived in peace
aud friendship and courtesy with my honorable
brethren, tyour people may work out for them
selves the question: why ~ tnat an' NOT Az
peace or IendshlP win sood ,, na IA, uo . ~ All
on 'uis c' H.. .,or,avs sIiLa and tr.ive, me-
". - - u, -, -
mat tnere mas Deen, OF sun arc ahonB
a,e ,se Who have made = secret con.
49,, "a .owor,iiv warfare Of SANDER and
ss.n. nnu !" mi, Ran lane Pasey. and
.,,,.p,'a Nh, Iv assassina,ion IL malicious
~ w siand.r and was inferred and nnh.
a liz ,i,o IA posay with a mil lnowl- :
ISM ., H. ',n,r',h
euE Esc " rri,cr saws. "I know whcreot I
- >, This oLar1o Of a burmese 10 as
srpssir.,o nas considersd NV The grand ,
;,,r, ~ Hancocl County. At Raw 81. Louis.
y,,,hs,ro The writer resides and affer \ fuIl
81 nd tborongh eramination refi,fed as 4
saiiows
'o"o
I'VE further say .nat III ooeuicnee W .ne
directlons OF tne court, we nave n m PC r
fore US pubilcauoh nane IN tne pen1
cratstar on tae zs.n ut, cop! vi mni h
= herewl.h re.urn VI nJIg c" Ia
Tore " the su,nor " ~" P""ucauo", mi =