The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-09-02
SOUTHERN GLEANINGS.
"Reminiscences of Ben Hill of Georgia.

clared himself n candidate for congress in the
Fourth Congressional District, and at an in
formal meeting OF representatives of the
Wing party, held in the town of Newman, his
candidacy was indorsed In this campaign
MIR. Hill was I'm reality the candidate of the
| American or "Knownothing" party, which
had just taken shape in Georgia. lie was OPP
posed by exChief Justice Hiram Warner. OF
Greenvillc, who ran ms the nominee of the
Democratic party. The race was warm and
closely contested Warner winning by the
trihing majority of 66 votes in n district which,
prior to that time, was accustomed to roll
up democratic majority of $500 votes. In
1896 liil was placed on the electoral ticket
Tor Willard Fillmore. 1t was during this year
that his wonderful powers on the "hustings"
were first shown to the best advantage. he
having met and vanquished both Alex inder
ii. stephens and Robert Toombs in debate
in the town of Lexington, Oglethorpe
County. Toombs didn't care to fight him,
but stephens was SO incensed at the
new great man who had literally laid him out
on ms own stamping ground that he forth
with challenged hun. In reply Hill wrote that
celebrated note which is now a part of the
political history of the State. It was i'm these
words: " will not fight you. have con-
science and "a family. You have neither" In
ISoo Hill was retained to defend William A.
Choice, who killed the bailf, Webb, at Attain
ia The case is reported in "a Georgia, and is
famous. Bill Choice, as lie was called, was
man of good education and marked talent
belonging to one of the best families of Rome,
Ga. While on a visit to Atlanta he got on a
spree, and while drinking with some friends
IN the bar of the old Atlanta Hotel, which
then stood where the Kimball House now
stands, James Webb, the Justice court bailiff,
nanded MN notice showing that he had
that he attempted to punish Webb on the
| spot, but was prevented by bystanders.
Early the following morning, fresh from the
nights debauch. Choice walked into Prior
street, and, seeing Webb standing on the OPP
posite side of the street several hundred feet
away, drew his pistol and having taken de.
aim. shot him " w IN flp licrllt
est warning The town was in an uproar in
few minutes. and many of the best cit.
liens were so outraged at the act that they
declared for lynch law. Choice defied the of.
| Ulcers, saying that he would kill the first man
| who laid hands upon him. Iie was finally
| captured by strategy and safely lodged in tho
| lock up Just before the bowling mob, clamor-
Gus for his blood, reached the station. house.
Many able lawyers were 'engRged to defend
\ hims young Hill among the number. Public
lSomnon'wnS agaihstitlTe prisoner. Tile de
| fenye pleaded insanity and after the longest
| andn1ost exciting trial in the annals of Eul-
| ton county, the prisoner was convicted. Hill
| had thrown his whole Soul into the case, and
| was bent upon saving his client. In those
| days the pardonng power was vested in the
| State Senate. Hill went back to Troup Coun-
| ty, made the Choice case an issue in the cam
paign and was elected to the state Senate,
| where he made his celebrated speech for the
State Senator William Harris, OF Worth Count
sy once &c said M was the grs9dest effort that
| good and lovely mother of the prisoner, dress
| ed in the deepest black, leaned upon the arm
| of young Hill, as, pale, slender, and Thought
| full, he walked down the aisle The galleries
! were packed, and the excitement was smoth-
| cred but, intense. Hill spoke many hours
His tongue seemed to drop mama, for surely
| such exquisite Strains of pathos never fell up
| on the air. The, senate was in tears. The Presi-
! dent wept aloud. TIE women screamed. I
| SHAH carry to the grave two sentences of that
I marvellous speech. They ring in my ears even
now, and that scene was enacted twenty 1--WE
years ago. He said, speaking of Choices in
ia Altxrr ft.nTn tI,a
| grove, carrying the prayer OF an angel the
| spirit of Webb will whisper in your ear. Spare
again: If you hang William IL. Choice, in.
scribe upon the gallows in letters of blood,
that all time may syllable the shame, this is
| Georgia's Lunatic Asylum" Choice was de-
sclared insane by an Overwhelming vote and
sent to the asylum. Hill was the ablest and
btterest opponent In Georgia of the recon
strllction measures and at the peril of expa-
| triation, delivered a speech of the boldest
and most fiery invective in Davies Hall at
Atlanta in 1866, in which he denounced the
| United states authorities and fiercely vi
| tuperated and defed the Nothern SOL
| diery, who, accompanied by their Of
fcers, formed part of the audience Toombs,
| stephens, jenkins, and other public men had
| been asked to address the people on the
| situation b 1T Hill alone had the audacity to
speak his sentiments in public. He cont1n-
| ned his opposition to reconstruction by writ
| ing his"Notes on the Situation''-which are
| regarded in the South rs the finest philippines
| since those OF Demosthenes-and at II vast
meeting of the people OF Georgia. held at At
! lanta in 1863 he gave utterance to his cele-
| brated Bush Arbor invective, in which he not
only advocated the social ostracism of Re
! publicans in Georgia, But advised their own
| wives to leave them Howell Cobb and Bob
I0 loo n s. SPOKE at the SANE i time and place,
| arose in the presence of the vast crowd and
congratulated him. saying: "Sir, it was the
| gTandest effort | ever heard" Bullock fed the
! State in 1871, and upon the coming into power
OF the Democrats, in 1872, Hill, Gordon, and
stephens offered for the Senate. Gordon was
~ BOD NlNn asNfA aNI
Ninth Congressional District, Hill, who lived
part OF the time at Athens, in that district
became candidate for the nomination. The
| convention broke up in IA row, and Hill made
the race before the people, beating his oppo
nent, Estes. His term having expired. he was
| renominated and returned to Congress with
out opposition. In 1876, while still in Congress,
| he antagonized Norwood for the United States
Senatorship. The people held meetings in
| Vatious parts of the State, urging the iegisla-
| ture to elect Illl, and he made a three hour
| speech, advocating his claims in a mastery
manner, and then left for Washington. Nor
wood remained in Atlanta, buttonholing
! the members. The galleries were crowd
! ed during the three days ballotng,
and the populace were for Hill. Nor.
wood held his own pretty well, but the
| pressure was too great, and on the third day,
J II Norwood man changed his vote to Hill, the
! Norwood men stampeded, and enough votes
were changed to give Hin the prize. The Re-
| publicans and negroes in the Legislature Vot-
ed for Hill. Ii has often been said that in
oratory Cicero was Mr.. Hll' model, and it is
| known that of the great men of this country
| his favorite was Henry Clay. Hill himself
! gave the best definition of the true orator
/ mot excepting that of Demosthenes) the cor
respondent ever heard. He said 'The true
| orator is he who has the intellect to see the
4 truth, the heart to feel it, and the courage to
| speak it." How could a definition be more
concise or comprehensive? MIR. Hill was dis
| tnguished in civil as well as criminal law,
| ana received the LARGEST fee ever paid to a
| lawyer in Georgia in n single case. Ii was
| $4,000, paid by Thomas Metcalf, one of the
wealthiest men OF Augusta: in a cotton claim
case argued by Hill in the United States Court
! at Savannah lust after tho Nvar