The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-02-13
BY IKE PHILKIEs.

How He Excelled Himself.
BY IKE PHILKIEs.
The lamented Sargent s. Prentiss, oi
Mississippi, has righfully been considered
the most brilliant orator of this age. he
| is to American oratory what Chatterton
was to English literature. For his years
he was phenomenon which promised to
outblaze the brightest sun in his sphere.
A characteristic anecdote is related OF
one of his brilliant efforts.
He was to defend man accused of
murder, and the evidence appeared to be
plain. No one expected he would be
acquitted, and almost every one was sure
he would hang. Prentiss told some init.
mate friends that be could only hope for
q long sentence, instead Of hanging, even
if be could obtair this much. But on
the day be was to make his speech he
was, as too frequently occurred, helpless
from drink. But he was on hand, in
spite of the proteuts of his colleagues in
the great case. When his name Was
called, he got up in dazed sort Of way
and insisted on speaking. He made q
most powerful speech, but, to the amaze.
meut of his colleagues, and to the horror
of the prisoner, he made terrible speech
on the side of the prosecution. 1t was
said that there had never been heard
such convincing argument to q jury in
New Orleans, where the trial occurred,
against any man. As he closed with one
of his matchless bursts of eloquence. be
started to take his seat, as the other law
yers for the defense exclaimed:
"Great God What have you done?
You have hung your own client! !"
It flashed 90 Prenliss all at once that
he had, in his drunken stupor, made q
speech for the State instead of for his
client. He was thoroughly sober now.
Reaching for pitcher of water standing
near, he said, as if he had only paused
for new strength:
Mr.. Sheriff, give me q glass, please"
He then took drink of water, set the
pitcher down, looked around on the jury,
thejudge, the lawyers and the audience,
amidst profound silence. Every one,
who had been under the spell Of his
argument and amazed at his change, was
breathless with expectation at this
strange conduct. They all knew that
something unusual was about to take
place. What they could not guess. But
that they were to be treated to something
great, even for Prentiss, all felt, and not
one in the vast throng so much as
breathed for few seconds. The fiery
orator did not keep them waiting but
moment. He settled himself on his feet,
slowly wiped bis mouth, raised his hand,
pointed it at the array Of talent and
learning on the side of the prosecution,
and began:
"May it please the court and gentle.
men of the jury, I have given what I be-
lieye 10 be the strongest arguments that
the prosecution could possibly bring
against my client; arguments which, /
admit, seem to involve him in network
of conyictiDg evidence more inextricable
than the meshes Of the silken web woven
about his victim By the cunning and
alluring spider. But, gentlemen of the
jury, I will now address myself to the
arguments in favor of the accused, and I
think I shall be able to sweep away The
enlangling web, even as the hand of man
sweeps away the spiders silvery threads
OF silken fetters and sets free the captive
Hy."
He then proceeded 10 make not only
the most eloquent, most remarkable
speech he had ever made, but the most
remarkable, perhsps, in the English Ian.
guage. The jury, judge, audience, and
even counsel for the prosecution were
dumbfounded, overwhelmed with amaze.
ment, Applause uud tears came at the
bid ding of the crest orator. When he
ceased speaking he ell back exhausted !;
and, when he recovered his strength, he
was told that lue Jury, without leaving
their seats, had brought in verdict Of
"not guilty." "a the prosecution submit.
ted the case ,fter his speech without
making iurthe, argument.
When asked how be came to be in
spired with the idea of making such
speech for the prosecution, and then
knocking it all to pieces, he remarked:
I was never inspired with such an
idea. ] didn't know what I was about
until my colleagues told me what I had
done. Then my brain seemed to take
FIRE; I saw that I must redeem both my
reputation and my honor, and had to do
something quickly. The only thing that
I could do, without acknowledging that
I had played the drunken fool, was to
pretend that 1 did that on purpose, and
then try 10 undo my bluuder. That's all
there is to it,"
But ne have only had one Keats, and
one Chatterton, and one Prentiss. As q
gentleman once remarked to young
man who excused his drinking habits by
saying the brightest men re had drank,
and naming Prentiss especially
eyes, my young friend; we see what
Prentiss is, in spite of drink. But, great
God, just reflect what he would have
been had he not drank intoxicating Iiq-
uors at all."- Chicago Ledger.