Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-09-26

rect mistakes and he made no notes, which,
mighty memories, always tend to cmbauass.-
The examination being ended, as counsel for
the plaintiff he had right to the opening
speech as well as the close; but to the astonish.
meut of them all he declined the former, and
allowed the defence to lead off. Then shad.
ow might have been observed to fit across the
fine features of Pike, and to darken even in the
bright eyes of Prentiss. They saw that they
had caught d Tartar; but who it was, Or how it
happened, it was impossible to guess.
Colonel Ashley spoke first. He dealt the ju.
ry dish of that close, dry logic, which. years
afterwards, rendered him famous in the Senate
of the United States.
The poet, Albert Pike, followed with rich
rain of wit, and hail torrent of caustlc rdcule,
in which you may be sure neither the plaintiff
nor the plaintiffs ragged attorney was either
forgotten or spared.
The great Prentiss concluded for the defend
ant with glow of gorgeous words, brilliant as
showers of falling stars, and with final burst
of oratory that brought the house down in cheers,
in whi hthe sworn jury themselves joined. not
withstanding the stern "orderw of the bench.
So wonderfully suceptible are the Southwest
ern people to the charms of imprisoned elo.
quence.
Ii was then the strangers turn. He had re-
mained apparently abstlacted during all the
previons speeches. Still, and strait, and mo-
tionless in his seat his pale, smooth forehead,
shooting up high like aGlountan-cone Of snow
but for that eternal twitch that came and went
perpetually in his salow cheeks, you would
have taken him for mere man of marble, or a
human form carved in ice. Even his dim, drea-
my eyes were invisible beneath those gay,
shaggy eyebrows.
Blu. now at last he rses-.befro the bar rail-
ing, not behind-ond so near to the wondering
;',- shss 4sa,;=.ah. touch ths fare.ass. VA W.
and standing rigid as pillar OF iron, histhin
lips curl as if in measureless scorn, slightly
part, and the voice comes forth. AT first it is
low and sweet, nsinuating itself through the
brain, as all artess tune, winding its way into
the deepest heart, like the melody Of a magic
incantaton while the speaker proceeds with
out gesture or the least sign of excitement, to
tear in pieces the argument of Ashley, which
melts away at his touch as frost before the sun
beam. Every one looked surprised His logic
was at once so brief, and so luminously clear,
that the rudest peasant could comprehend it
without effort
And, he came to the dazzling wit of the poet
lawyer, Pike. Then the curl Of his lip grew
sharper-hi his saow face kindled up-anl his
eyes began to open, dim and dreamy no longer
but vivid as lightning, red as fire globes, and
glaring like twin motors. The whole soul was
in the eye-the full heart streamed out on the
face. In five minutes Pixies wit seemed the
foam of folly, and his finest satire horrible pro
family when compared with the inimitable elles
and extermnutiDg sarcasm of the strangerinter
spersed with jest and anecdote that filled the
forum with roars of laughter.
Then without so much as bestowing ahallu
sion on Prentiss, he turned short on the p9juret
witnesses of Hopkins, tore their testimony into
atoms, and hurled in their faces such terible
invective that all trembled as with an agae anc
two of them actually fled dsmayed from The
Court-Hou
The excitement of the crowd was becoming
tremendous. Their united life and sops ap.
peared to hang on the burning tongues the
stranger. He inspired them with the powers Ct
his own passion. He saturated them with the
poison of his own malicious feelings. He
seemed to have stolen natures long hidden Sc.
cret ofattraction. He was the sun to thelsea Of
all thought and emotion, which rose Q9d fell
and boiled in pillows as he chose. But his
greatest triumph was TO come.
His eye began to glare furitively at the as
sassn, Hopkins, as his lean, taper fingers slow
ly assumed the same direction He hemmed
the wretch around with circumvalatm o
strong evidence and impregnibe argument cut.
ting off all hope of escape. He piled up huge
bastions of insurmountable facts. He dug be
meath the murderer and slanderer's feet ditcAes o.
dilemmas, such as no sophistry could oVdeap
and no stretch of ingenuity evade; and hwing
thus, as one might say, impounded the Victim
and girt him about like a scorpion in circle O.
fle, he stripped himself to the work of nassa
ere!
Oh then, but it was a vision both glorious
, and dreadful to behold the orator. His action
before graceful as the wave of a golden willow
the breeze, grew inpetuous as the oak in the
} hurricane. His vol ce became trumpet, fllet
with wild whirlwnds, deafning the ear will
crashes of power, and yet interningled IaIl the
while with sweet undersong of the solte't ca
dence, His face was red as drunkards-h hi
forehead glowed like heated furnace-h
counenance looked haggared like that of {
maniac: and ever and anon he flung his ong
bony arms on high, as if grasping after hun
: der.bolts He drew his picture of murder il
such appalling colors, that in comparison hel
, itself would be considered beautiful HI
t painted the slanderer SO black, that Tie sui
seemed dark at MONDAY when shining on sucI
an accursed monster-and then he fixed botl
portraits on the shrinking brow of Hopkins anc
he nailed them there forever. The agitation o
the audience nearly amounted to madness.
f All at once the speaker descended from hi