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Judah P. Benjamin.
[from the Charleston news and courier, January, 1898.]
[See
Ante, pp. 297-302.]
We are indebted to
the Hon. James Sprunt, of
Wilmington, N. C., for another interesting contribution in regard to the early life of
Judah P. Benjamin.
He is confirmed in his opinion that
Mr. Benjamin lived in
Fayetteville, N. C., and attended the ‘Fayetteville Academy,’ where he attained distinction in his studies, and was prepared for college.
His conviction is based upon ‘the competent testimony of the venerable
R. C. Belden,
Esq., of this State’ (
North Carolina), ‘who was an intimate friend and schoolmate of young
Benjamin.’
We publish both
Mr. Sprunt's letter, and
Mr. Belden's statement to-day.
In the absence of other testimony, we would say that
Mr. Sprunt had made out his case; the most that we can concede, however, in view of abundant testimony upon the subject, is that
Mr. Benjamin may have been a pupil at the
Fayetteville Academy for perhaps a year.
Indeed, this is all that
Mr. Belden claims.
It is admitted generally, that the Benjamins came to the
United States when
Judah was only four or five years of age, and
Mr. Ezekiel says that the time of their immigration was 1815.
Mr. Belden says that
Judah and his brother Solomon, and his sister Hannah, ‘came to
Fayetteville in 1825, lived with their uncle and aunt, and became pupils in the
Fayetteville Academy,’ and that ‘
Judah was a classmate of mine during his stay in
Fayetteville.’
Continuing,
Mr. Belden says: ‘
Mr. Levy’ (
Judah's uncle), ‘desiring to enlarge his business, removed with his sister’ (
Mrs. Wright), ‘and the Benjamins to New Orleans, in 1826.’
If they prove anything, these statements prove that
Judah could not have been in
Fayetteville much more than one year; if, indeed, he were ever there at all, except with the
Confederate Cabinet on its flight from
Richmond at the close of the war in 1865.
If he arrived in
Fayetteville on January 1, 1825, and departed thence on December 31, 1826, he could not have been in
Fayetteville more than two years. It is admitted by
Mr. Belden that the Benjamins came to
Charleston from the
West Indies, and the time of their arrival here,