The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-09-27
TYPICAL STUMPER
"Reminiscences Of 8. s. Prentiss, the Flo.
quent Mssissippian.

"Reminiscences of s. s. Prextiss, the Flo
quent Mississippian.
Chicago Saturday Herald.
Sargent S. Prentiss, of Mississippi
was undoubtedly the most eloqent mai
who ever addressed the house of rep
sentatives. A carpet-bagger from
Maine, he went to Mississippi poor ant
friendless, and not only became fore
most among her sons, but acquired ;
national reputation. Edward Everett
after having listened to one of his i'm
FASHIONED bursts of eloquence in Fan
nell hall, turned to Daniel Webster
who sat near him, and said: 'Did you
ever hear anything like itp" Never >
said Webster, except from Mr., Prem.
tiss himself" He was indeed re.
markable orator, his intellectual en-.
dowments presenting a remarkable
example in which great logical power
and the most vivid imagination were
most happily blended AS Dryden
said of Halifax, he was man
OF piercing wit and frequent thought,
Endowed by nature and by learning taught
To move assemblies.
The great secret of his oratorical
success was his readiness-he seemed
IL
tort, and his impromptu speec es were
the best.
Prentiss used to tell a good story
about his second canvass of the state of
Mississippi. He had arranged a route,
and one of his friends had gone ahead
to make arrangements for hall in
each successive town and to advertise
the meetings there. The proprietor of
a travelling menagerie took advantage
of these congregations, and followed,
exhibiting at each place on the day
Prentiss spoke. The first intimation
the orator had of this rivalry was at a
small town in the northern part of the
state near the Alabama line. After
Prentiss had been speaking for about
an hour, holding the attention of the
audience, he observed some of the out
siders looking over their shoulders,
and this movement was gradually fol-
lowed by more of his audience. He
began to think he was growing dull
and tried to rouse himself up to more
animation; but it was all in vain. He
at length looked in the popular direc-
ton, and there, to his horror, just COM
ing over the hill was the elephant
uICoStl Ill Ills oCdllCb WIdDDluSo anu
oriental splendor. A foolish feeling of
vanity, not to be outdone by the ele-
plant, came over him, and he contin-
ued to talk. He found it was no use,
so he said: "Well, ladies and gentle
men, am beaten. But 1 have the
consolation of knowing it was not by
my competitor. 1 will not knock I'M
der to any two-legged beast, but /
yield to the elephant"
Prentiss afterward made an ar
rangement with the proprietor to di-
vide time with the monkey and the
clown, the first hour being given to
politics. One of the cages was used as
a rostrum: Soon he heard a low sound
which resembled growl, and he
learned that the hyena was his nearest
listener. There were large auger
holes in the top of the box for the adj
mission of air. Prentiss commenced
speaking, and when he reached the
blood and thunder portion of his
speech, he ran his cane into the cage, |
and called forth most horrible yell |
from the enraged animals, at the same
time gestulating wildly with the other
hand. "Why, fellow citizens" he
would exclaim, 'the very wild beasts
are shocked at the political baseness
and corruption of the times. Hear
his yell of political shame and indigna-
ton" The effect was electric; he
called down the house in a perfect tenn
pest of enthusiasm. He hurled his
anathemas at his foes, and enforced
them by the yel1s of his neighbors. The
people of Mississippi worshipped Mr..
Prentiss, his habits, which would have
him in any other section of
the country, only endearing him the
more to them. Generous to his foes,
faithful to his friends, he won the conf
ience and affection of all who knew
him. Bailey Peyton used to illustrate
lis readiness at an impromptu speech
)y narrating an incident which oc-
cured in 1874, when Prentiss joined
hunting party, with which he spent a
week or two under tent in the forests
If the Sunfower, a small river tribu-
AIRY to the Mississippi in the vicinity of
Vicksburg. Towering above the tent
ions, evidently the work of art, which {
abound in the Mississippi valley and are S
commonly called Indian mounds. One
lay Mr.. Prentiss, with the aid of the
ines and the overhanging boughs, {
made his way to the top of the mound, t
When his friends, who were collected [
round the tent, united in call for c
peech-a speech from Prentiss. up b
n what subjectP" upon the subject r
n which you now stand" He at once 4
ct off in playful sally for the amuse- C
lent of himself and friends, but, warm v
lg to the subject as he proceeded, his '
reative imagination now peopled the l
)rest with the lost tribe, that mysteri- p
lis race who ages past inhabited the s.
ountry before the birth of the aborigi- Il
al trees that abound upon these huge n
lies. He introduced every variety of o.
princes, courtiers, Il
arriors, marshaled armies and fought
attles, going on thus for more than an
our, in vein on philosophical refec- =,
on and pOetica1 invention which inn u