The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-01-04
Memoriec of
 Men 0no Women
JUDAH P. BENJAMIN.
BY HENRY D. CATERS. 4 ssss=s. <sss @ tSSs ss S~s@9

-, have never met a. man whose intel aeotual endowments were, in my estima- N HIon, superior to those which mace the %dsrael!te ooy of Charleston, $. c. m ma kurer years the brilliant lawyer, eloquent advocate and most distinguished senator of LotIisiana,-and finally among the most . eminent of the Queens Counseilors in England.
 7 first met MT. Benjamin when he came Alto Montgomery to accept the portIono sn the Cabinet of Jefferson Davis in rep suarv. 1Ss1. Being in advance of the ap- { ,ointment of these Cabinet officers and having had the duty of providing omces N sor them assigned to me. l WAS brought | contact with Mir. Benjamin often ana J sjeouently met him socially during the aarm of my service in the civil depart uent of the Confederate Government. At 4he time of our first meeting he had but lately delivered his memorable address | tO the Senate of the United States, upon resigning his seat as RepresentatiVe of Louisiana in that august body
 Rather beloW the medium height of his sax. with well knit, compact body, easy of manner in the grace of an elastic movement, his physical manhood was crowned with a head that phrenologists would have accepted as a model Tor ln- tellectual strength. I have never looked into a brighter eyes than sparkled with the brilliant flash of genius, when some theme of interest brought into play his remarkable mentality. It was the eye of ge-ius-jet black. rather small ana deeply set beneath shapely brow, that Eormed the base of a high and broad fore head.
 Such is my recollection of the physical appearance of this remarkable man when I first met him.
 As there have been various conjectures, published from time to time, as to the Dlace of his birth nd some very er- roneoups statements made conceEning hls early life, I have made a special inquiry through gentlemen of high character, re- siding In Charleston, 8. C.. and ascertain that his father came to Charleston from 4he Bermuda Islands, bringing his family with him, among whom was a small boy, Judah by name. The father was an Is- raelite, and in very reduced financial cir cumstances. For many years he kept small shop on Kings Street, below Queen, fin that city, where the brightness of his Ieon Judah attracted the attention of ben evolent gentlemen who were among the prominent Jews of the good old city by the sea.
 By these he was sent to the private school of a teacher, whose school-room in saint Michaers Alley. was a landmark fin that city during the early years of the past century. Here he made such rapid progress in his studies that he was entered at the Charleston College and graduated with distinction before he had reached the age of majority. Since "the hoy is father to the man." It is not sur . prising that at the early period of his life he evidenced that high order of mind that enabled him in subsequent years, { by well directed labor, to take rank among the worlds eminent men. After a thorough course of instruction in the law office of Judge Hunt, and his ad- mission to practice in the Courts of South Carolina, he moved to New Orleans at the suggestion of his generous benefac- tors and there commenced his remark able career.
 [ When Louisiana seeded from the Fed | eral Union, he was a Senator from that State and among the most brilliant repre-