The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-07-28

OF southern Ideas-sBut HE AhWay'
Remained Whig--Taught School
for Two Years and then Obtained
License to Practice Law.
Written for Sunday News and Observer.
WASHINGTON, D. O., July 90.
The career of Seargent S. Prentiss, Of
Mississippi, was phenomenal. Born,
reared and educated in New England,
descended from the Puritans of the most
ancient stock, he went to Mississippi, the
very focus of Southern ideas, and, after
two years spent in teaching and reading
law, this scion Of Puritanism, and OF
Yankee land, at bound, leaped to the
front as lawyer, orator and politician.
And this, without paudering to the pc
culiar, dominant sentiment in that part
of the Union. For Mr.. Prentiss was a
Wing, of the Henry Clay and Daniel
Webster school, and he adhered to these
views to the last.
He was born at Portland, in Maine,
September 80, 1903, and was educated at
Bowdoin College. In his infancy he was
afflicted with a disease which had the
effect of whitening one of his legs and
tanning him for life. Otherwise his con-
stitution was robust and his health per-
feet to near the close of life. His lame
ness disqualified him for participating in
childish and youthful sports and proba-
bly, tended to make him thoughtful and
studious. At any rate, so thorough was
his preparation for college that after
rigid examination he was allowed, at
sixteen years of age, to enter the junior
class. In this way he was graduated at
eighteen. Early the. next year be was
furnished with an amount of money
sufficient to take him to Cincinnati. He
spent a couple of months or more at that
thriving young town of some twelve
thousand inhabitants, where the neces-
saries of life were wonderfully cheap and
abundant Corn sold for ten cents per
bushel, wheat for twenty, watermelons
as large as water pail at one to two
cents apiece; peaches and apples in pro-
portion. But unfortunately the wages
of the school teacher were as small as
the prices of corn and other necessaries
of life.
Prentiss was employed for some time
in the office of lawyer to whom he had
letter of introduction. This gentleman
advised him to 60 down the river to Mis-
sissippi, AID generously offered to lend
him the necessary money to pay his way,
and to sustain him while after getting
there. He stopped at Matches, and in a
short time found employment as teacher
in wealthy and excellent family, few
miles out of town. The family consisted
of widow lady and three or four chill
dren. His salary was three hundred dol
lars per annum, with board-and board
embraced everything necessary to his
comfort, including horse to ride, a
good law library to use, and gun to
hunt with. This excellent lady's name
was Shields, the widow of an able and
successful lawyer, which fact accounts
for the fine law library. Her son, who
had been a pupil, became one of Mr..
Prentiss' biographers.
But notwithstanding the advantages
of the situation, which were highly ap
preciated, Prentiss reserved the right
of giving it up, if he should see
better opportunity opening; and
this happened after he had been with
Mrs. Shields seven months. He was in
yited to take charge of an academy,
which he held about year, when he OBJ
tanned license to practice law. This was
in 1929. He was not without apprehen-
sion that he might find difficulty in
bringing himself into notice; but he was
so fortunate as to form partnership
with prominent lawyer, who paid him
part of the fees of the office. Soon his
proportion was third, and by that time
his brilliant abilities we're hecomir G
known TO the public. He was unusually
well prepared for entering the profession.
He had been a student all his life, and
his well grounded collegiate course had
been built upon by days and nights spent
in reading the English classics. He was
fond of poetry, and his mind was
stored with the great and beautiful
imagery of Shakespeare, Milton,
Campbell, Scott, Byron ard the
profound dissertations upon religion
and philosophy; with history and
romance. And to these were added
thorough reading of the legal text
books.
The wonderful bTilliancy of Prentiss
may suggest to some the idea that he
was deficient in the more solid qualities
of the mind. But this would be great
mistake. His published speeches attest
what his friends said of him, that bis
analytical power was remarkable /; and
his great success at the bar, not, merely
as an advocate, IN addressing the jury,
but his arguments upon the legal ques-
tons involved, which must be addressed
to the court, show him to have been the
peer Of the greatest lawyers of the day.
He came here to Washington in 1888
when he was under twenty FIVE years Of
age, and appeared before the Supreme
Court in an important case. He ad
dressed that body in a two or thret
hours speech when John Marshal
was Chief Justice, and Story was an AS
sociate on the bench, with an ability,
learning and ingenuity which astonishec
and delighted the court and the bar
Judge Marshall paid him high compli
ment.
A Practical Proof of Pyentiss' Ability.
as lawyer is furnished by single cast
that he won, involving a large body o
real estate in the city of Vicksburg. Fol
some reason his client scld him an in
terest in the case half interest | be
lieye. The matter was litigated FOL
some considerable time, and after pass
ing through the lower courts, was finally
decided by the Supreme Court Of thu
State, in his favor. His share in i
made him z rich man. la letter to hi
mother, he estimated his share at on,
hundred thousand dollars; but his bi