The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1841-10-07

nfe and waier Tor her. | arrived NJ he
leounly town on cool October evening
The inn was crowded, for the eourt wss
70 commence on the following day.
Il KNEW no one, and wondered how 4. 4
stranger and . mere youngsler. was q
make my way IN such q crowd and ge,
business. The public room was ihronr-
ed with all The idlers in lhe county, who
gathered together on such occasions.
There was some drinking going forward,
with great noise and lillle alteration.
Just as ] entered The room. I saw a rough
bully OF fellow, who was parlly intoxi-
Gated, strike an old man. He came swae.
gering BY me, and elhowed me as he pass
ed. ] Immediately knocked him down,
and kicked him into The street. | need
ed no better introduction. In a moment
] had half a dozen rough shakes Of The
hand AMI invitations 10 drink, and found
myself quite parsonage in this rough as
semhlage.
The next morning court opened-I
took my seat among the lawyers, but
ieit as mere spectator. not having any
idea where business was 10 come from.
In the course Of the morning a man was
put 10 the bar, charged with passing coun-
terfeit money, and was asked if he was
ready for trial. He answered in the ne
gatiye. lie had been confined in place
where there were no lawyers, and had not
had an opportunity Of consulting any.
He was told to choose counsel from The
lawyers present, and be ready for trial on
the following day. He looked around the
court and selected me. was thunder
struck. ! could no, tell why he should
make such choice. |, a beardless young
ster, unpraciiced al the bar; perfectly nm
known. | felt diffident, yet delighted,
and could have Rugged the rascal.
Before leaving the court, he gave me
one hundred dollars in bag, as a retain
ing fee. | could scarcely believe my
senses, il seemed like dream. The hea-
yincss of the fee spoke but lightly of the
mans innocence-5ut that was no affair
Of minc. | was to be advocate, not Judge
or jury. I followed him to the jail. and
learned Of him all the particulars in the
case; from thence | went 10 the clerks
Office, and took minutes Of the indictment.
| then examined the law on the subject,
and prepared my brief in my room. ALI
this occupied me until midnight, when |
went TO bed and tried to sleep. II was oil
in vain. Never in my life was I more
wide awake. A host Of thoughts and fan.
cies kept rushing into my mind; the show
er Of gold that had so Unexpectedly fallen
into my lap, the idea Of my poor little
wife at home, that | was to astonish
with my good fortune. But the awful re-
sponsibility | had undertaken, to speak
for the first time in a strange. court, the
expectations the culpri, had formed of my
talents; all these, and a crowd of similar
notions, kept whirling through my mind.
tossed about all night, fearing morning
would find me exhausted and Incompetent
in word, the day dawned on inc,
miserable fellow.
| got up feverish and nervous. Iwalk-
ed out to breakfast striving to collect my
thoughts, and tranquiIize my feelings. 1t
was bright morning-the air was pure
and frosty-I baihed my forehead and my
hands in beautiful running stream, but
| could not allay the fever heat that ragged
within. Ireturncd to breakfast, but could
not eat. A single cup of coffee formed
my repast. II was time to go to court,
and | went there with throbbing heart.
| believe lift had not been for the thoughts
Of my dear little wife in her lonely house,
| should have given back TO the man his
dollars, and relinquished the cause. |
took my seat, looking, l am convinced,
moro like a culPrit than the rogue | was
to defend.
When the time came for me to speak,
my heart died within me. rose emhar-
raised and dismayed, and stammered i'll
opening my cause. Invent on from bad
to worse, and felt as if | was going down.
Just then, the public prosecutor, man of
talents, bit somewhat rough in his prac-
tice, made a sarcastic remark on some
thing had said. II was like an electric
spark, and ran tingling through every vein
in INV body. In an instant my ditfidence
was gone. My whole spirit was in arms.
answered with promptncss, for felt the
cruelty of such an attack upon novice in
my situation. The public prosecutor
made kind Of apology. This, for man
of his redoubted powers, was vast con-
cession. | renewed my argument with
fearful growl, carried the cause triumph
an,ly, and tho man was acquitted.
This was the making of me. Every
body was curious to know who this new
lawyer was that had suddenly risen among
them, and bearded the Attorney General
in the very onset. The story of my de-
but at the inn on the preceding evening,
when had knocked down bully and
kicked him out Of doors, for striking an
old man, was circulated with favorable cx-
aggeration. Even my beardlcss chin and
juvenile countenance was in my favor, for
the people gave me far more credit than