The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-09-07
Interesting Letter from Col. Claiborne.
NATCHEZ, Aug. 30, 1882.

Hon. G. s. MCMILLAN
NV Dear Sir: | have read in the Brook
haven Ledger the proceedings OF the Bar
in reference to the late Hon. ID. w. Hurst
read them with great interest. The address
of H. G. Bridges, Esq. in literary point
of view, is one of the most polished and at
tractive have ever read, and as an analy-
sis OF the mental attributes of a remarkable
man, of peculiar and contradictory idiosyn-
crasies, it is mastery. presume, and shall
be glad to know, that the orator is one of
that old North Carolina family, so numer-
Gus and influential in Pike, Claiborne, and
other counties, since Territorial times. l
| never saw Judge Hurst but once, though
knew him thoroughly through yourself
and other members of the bar whom you
have so accurately delineated in your own
address | knew his father, the Hon. David
Hurst, of Amite, in my boyhood. He was
the intimate friend of my father, and fire.
quent guest at our house, in this vicinity.
lie was an lrishman by birth. well educa
ted and full of humor, a cotemporary with
Latimer, Poindexter, Mead, Shields and
Rankin, and able to shiver lance with
either of them. A Jetfersonian in Terrific
rial times, Re became an active partisan of
John Quincy Adams, and prominent in the
Wing party until his death. | found him
in the Legislature, old but vigorous, when l
first took my seat, and as he was returning
to Amite via Natchez, we travelled together.
We stopped one night with an old friend
who had made fortune by keeping enter
tainment on the cold Natchez trace" He
insisted on showing us next morning the
new house he had just built, prided him
self particularly on handsome circular
stairway, and invited orr opinions. ! adj
mired it very much, and thought it de-
sirable change in his old age from the
struggling and weather-beaten log house he
had occupied so long. Mr.. Hurst said
nothing, but being challenged for his opin-
ion, said "Old man, stand by your old
house. Old men are the first to die in new
houses. You have pointed out your new
bedroom. You will die there! You boast
Of your winding staircase. Why, they
can't get your coffin down it. You are
very tall man, and they will have to open
a window and let you down with a rope :"
The old fellow turned very pale, bid us good
bye in silence, reluctantly moved into the
new dwelling, died from pleurisy in six
weeks, and his coffin was lowered down as
Mr.. Hurst predicted.
From this venerable friend of my boy
hood the deceased jurist inherited the char
acteristics which Mr.. Bridges and yourself
have so artistically delineated. They were
both prompt at repartee, caustic, critical
and loved the luxury of sneer
The portraits you have drawn of Vanner-
son, Peyton, Elicit, Cassidy, Goode, Sim
rail-, Swift, McNair, Stafford, King, Lamkin
and others, are really life-like. l first saw
Vannerson In Lynchburg, Va, when | was
school boy. He lived at Amhurst c. H.,
and had there married niece of VIM. H.
Crawford of Georgia, the widow Allen,
whose son, Col. Allen, became conspicuous
citizen OF Raymond and Clinton, and her
brother, Van Tromp Crawford, leading
member of the bar. "Old Van," as he was
universally called, had abundant learning
and talent, and more wit and drollerv than
any man at our bar.
presume you hear from our old friend
Gen John D. Freeman, formerly our At
torney General and Representative in Con-
SiSoos AiS INV III SdliOl Wy Wi
orado, is prominent at the bar, and extern
sively engaged in mining agencies, rail-
roads and other matters OF public concern.
Freeman was favorite pupil in the offices
of those great lawyers and statesmen of New
York, Silas Wright and John A. Dix, and
came to Mississippi bearing credentials
from them, and from Martin Van Buren,
and c. c. Cambreling, so long Representa-
tive of the great metropolis. His whole
career, private, public and official in this
State, was unexceptionable and distinguish
ed, and no man has left Mississippi with
more devoted friends. He has taken very
high stand in the FL Dorado of the West,
and with his characteristic energy has al
ready succeeded in establishing a free IL
brary for the use Of the people. wish you
would send him a number of your very able
county paper, THE BRooKHAvEN LEDGER,
occasionally. have transmitted the issue
of the 18th, containing bar proceedings.
Ever sincerely yours,
J. F. II. CLAIBORNE.