The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1894-08-15
His Early Life in Kentucky and His
Political Activity In Missis-
sippi.
Retirement From a Busy Career
When in Full FruitiOn Of His
Wonderful Powers.
A WIZARD OF SPEECH.
tcorrespondenee of the Courier. Journal,

Correspondence of the Courier Journal.l
Washington, Aug. 6-One by one the
great actors ON the tremendous stage OF
third of century ago arrive at the
memorable point where Lime unvails
eternity" The past week Joseph Holt,
the famous Judge Advocate, and Austin
Blair, one of the great "War Governors"
died. Blair dropped out OF public mind
after his support OF Greeley in 1872, and
Holt may be said to have retired from
the stage of action after the execution of
the findings OF that celebrated court mar
tial with which his name is inseparably
linked. Even il he only did his duty as
a public official that trial was an irrepar-
able misfortune to him and an ever
lasting regret to the country.
Joseph was wonderful man, with a
splendid intellect and mighty genius
as an orator. After his education at St.
Joseph's and at Centre, he opened law
office in Elzabethtown, where he met
in forensic combat such men as Rowan,
Wickliffe, Hardin, Hayes and Guthrie.
That was in 1928, the year Old Hickory
first swept the country. He was then
the pride and wonder of the Democratic
party of that vicinity, though scarce a
voter. In that same town and in that
vicinity John Young Brown was to play
similar part thirty years later. -Four
years later Holt moved to Louisville and
became prosecuting attorney, an office
for which he had genius, just as Ma
poleon had genius for war, or Garrick
genius for the stage. Great as Holt
was as an advocate he was infinitely great
err as an accuser. One day old Ben Har-
din came out of the courthouse in Louis
vile and friend asked him what was
going on within The grim old lawyer
replied: "Joe Holt is astride the rainbow,
butting his head against the stars, and
as a consequence, there is going to be
hanging in this town before long"
Perhaps the only man who ever approach
ed him as a prosecutor was the late
Elijah Hise, though it is not at all prob
able tina. either Holt or Hise could have
improved on Hardin's management of the
famous Wilkinson trial at Harrodsburg.
q, go. ;,
In 1885 Holt moved to Mississippi and
settled at Port Gibson. 1t was here that
he came in rivalry, and not infrequently
successful rivalry, with that wonderful
prodigy Sergeant S. Prentiss. And here,
too, he formed an association that doubt
less had a tremendous effect on his flu
ture. He became an active partisan and
coadjutor of Robert j. Walkers and it was
utterly impossible that Robert j. Walker
and Jefferson Davis, because of the ire
pressible antagonisms of their natures
could ever be friends, though acting to-
gether in the same political party. There
is a story, whether true or false, that
when Davis was Secretary of War and
dominated the Administration of Presi-
dent Pierce, Holt asked favors at his
hands. These were refused, and unfor-
tunately Davis could not refuse gracious
ly. There are those who suspect that
the naughty refusal was partly responsible
for the relentless attitude Holt assumed
in 1861,
In 1885 there were Flush Times" in
the then Southwest, and Mississippi was
the flushest of all the Southwest States.
Every village was boom town, Wich-
tia, or Middlesborough, and so con-
tinued until the panic OF 1887. The
courts were crowded with litigants, and
every litigant had money to turn up.
Holt was the one rival OF Prentiss, and
both reaped a rich harvest OF fabulous
fees. Holt was prudent man and hus-
banded his money, so that when he re-
turned to Kentucky in 1912 he was a
rich man for that day.
He engaged actively in politics all his
life, and it was his magnificent conven-
ton eloquence that made Richard NJ,
johnson Vice President in 1886. OF
that Grafton John w. Forney says;
"His coal-black hair, flashing eye,
olive complexion, graceful figure and
thrilling voice electrified the convention
Never was there more dramatic scene"
4 4 ~.