indeed
almost a haughty, mien; in whose cheek a rich glow, telling the
influence of more northern climes; in whose eye a keen but meditative
expression; and in whose voice and conversation a vivacity and
originality that attracted every one, and drew around him, wherever he
appeared, a knot of listeners, whose curiosity invariably yielded in a
few moments to admiration and delight. There was then a buzz of inquiry,
succeeded by a pleased look of friendly recognition, and a closer
approach, and in most instances an introduction, to the object of this
general attraction, so soon as it was told that the stranger was S. S.
Prentiss, of Natchez. His fame had preceded him, and men were surprised
to see only beardless youth in one whose speeches, and learning, and
wit, and fine social qualities, had already rendered him at Natchez "the
observed of all observers."

Society in the Southwest at that day was full of perils to young men,
especially to young men of talent and generous, impressionable natures.
Drinking, duelling, and gambling widely prevailed. It was a period of
"flush times," and wild, reckless habits. Mr. Prentiss did not wholly
escape the contagion; but his faults and errors were very much
exaggerated in many of the stories that found currency concerning him.
One of his friends wrote after his death: "I have heard many anecdotes
of him, which I considered of doubtful authority; for he is a
traditional character all over Mississippi--their Cid, their Wallace,
their Coeur de Lion, and all the old stories are wrought over again,
and annexed to his name." Another of his friends, who knew him long and
intimately, the late Balie Peyton, of Tennessee, testified: "No man ever
left a purer fame than Seargent S. Prentiss, in all that constitutes
high honor and spotless integrity of character. His principles remained
as pure, and his heart continued as warm and fresh, as at the instant he
bade farewell to his mother."

From his settlement at Vicksburg his career as a lawyer was one of
remarkable success; and it were hard to say in what department of his
profession he most excelled, whether in the varied contests of the
_Nisi Prius_ courts, in an argument on a difficult question of legal
construction, or in discussing a fundamental principle of jurisprudence.
In 1833, at the age of 24, he appeared before the Supreme Court at
Washington, where, in spite of his youth, he at once attracted the
notice of Chief Justice Marshall.