The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-01-24

exception, believed that human art, skill or in
genuity could injure or disturb. When at
its perfect completion, Mr.. Grymes would
quietly take his seat, his boy antagonist would
as quietly rise, and informing the court or
jury that they had heard from his able oppo-
nent perfectly correct statement Of the mat
tiers at issue, would proceed to his difficult
task of changing the minds Of those who were
his judges and who were rarely left by his
great adversary with doubtful or questionable
convictions. And one by one, and in me-
thodical order, Mr.. Benjamin would attack the
strongholds of that apparently impregnable
structure, und here and there his great logic
would open crevice through which the light
would break, and within little time, piece
by piece, the great mass would loosen and be-
gin to crumble, and when, an hour after he
began, the boy artihcer would take his seat,
there would, perhaps, be no more left Of Mr..
Grymes' powerful structure than if it had
been made of gingerbread, only to Withstand
the shock of some child's assault.
These are the gifts and such the power of
J.. P. Benjamin. An Englshman by birth,
his habits, associations and school of thought
were French. He spoke the French language
| as much or more than his vernacular. The
law which he had been accustomed to prac-
| tice, and which would have been the only law
any other man than he, when the. confederacy
hov hon RI
practice, was the civil law, the law of Justin
ian and Napoleon; and all were surprised that
it was London, and not Paris, which Mr.. Ben
amin then chose as his future field of emf
hence. But none were surprised who knew him,
none wonder now in the forum where he
stands, that he should there have taken,
as he Immediately did, the very first place and
that the foremost barrister Of England, what
ever man he was, had to give his position to
the boy exile from the southern confederacy Of
states, who will be sure to hold it while
life lasts or reason holds its place in his mar
| velous mind.
Mr. Benjamin is the author of several di-
gests and reatises that adorn the law literature
of Louisiana, and since his accession to the
English bar has published some works in
England that are profound, comprehensive
and valuable. He is the one sole commenta-
tor in the law literature Of any language whose
works are as entertaining, if not so absorbing,
as novels. The language is captivating, ami
mated with an electric life peculiar to itself,
and teeming with illustrations that give point
and purpose to the principle sought to be in
culcated. Mr.. Benjamin has no equal, wheth-
err as an advocate or commentator.
He is about &c years of age, ard has prob
ably still his boyish look, for his life is pure
| ly intellectual one, and there is no reason why,
without physical wear and tear, he should
grow old with no weight but years to carry.
Personal
Mr.. and Mrs. G. C. Clamp, of Bracket, are
at Hord's hotel.
Mr.. and Mrs. E. P. Smith, arrived at the
Hord hotel from Tyler last evening.
Mr.. J.. Cummings Evans, Of Boerne, is in
the city.
Messrs. Chas. c. Johnson and Adolph
Kloepper, leave for New Orleans tomorrow
morning.
Mr.. George w. Fe,roy, of St. Louis, is in
| town on business.
Messrs. w. J.. Jackson, Sam Martin, T. M.
January and J. Joseph, of Laredo, have ar
rived in the city, and are quartered at Hord's
hotel.
Mr.. M. d. Kent, of Concho, the well
known sheep man, is in the city.
Rev. d. Pennington, of Gonzales, is paying
visit to the city.
Mr.. S. L. Driskill, of Austin, has arrived
at the Central hotel
Sheriff De Hymel, Of Losoyo, is the city on
official business.
Mr.. r. P. Edwards, the prominent stock
man of Fort Worth, is in the city.
Mr.. Hal L. Costing, of the Cas,roville
Quill, is again in the city.
Mr.. 7. J. Caswell, post trader Of Fort
Concho, is at the Meneer hotel.
Mr.. Flood, of the firm of bowling & Flood,
has been very i'll.
Mr.. Peter Kiolbassa, young Polish gen.
eral, reared in San Antonio, but now a resi-
dent of Chicago, and member Of the Illinois