The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1850-06-14
From the Great West.
JOHN TAYLOR:
: TIMoN OF THE BAcKwoops BAR AND PULPIT
BIZ CHARLES suMMERrIELD.

First of all, three advocates spoke in sue
cession lor the prosecution; but neither !hei'
names nor their arguments are worth pre-
serving. Orators OF the blood and thunder
GEMS, they about equally partigioned their
bowling eioquence belwixt the prisoner and
her leath-robed counsel, as if in doubt who /
OF the twain was then Oh trial. As tor the /
stranger he seemed noi to pay the slightest
attention 10 his opponents, bat remained mo-
tionless with his forehead bowed like one bu-
ried in deep though t, or in slumber.
When the proper time came, however, he /
suddenly sprang to his feet, crossed the ba' |
and took his position almost touching the jury |
He then commenced in whisper, but it was
a whisper so wild, SO clear, SO unutteTahly
ringing and distinct, as TO fill the hall from
floor TO galleries.
At the outset he dealt in pure logic sepa-
rating and combining the proven facts, till
the whole mass oil confused evidence looked
transparent as a globe of glass, through
which the innocence of his client shone, bril-
liant as sunbeam; and the jurors nodded to
each other signs Of thorough convict on: that
thrilling whisper, and fixed concentration, and
language simple as child's, had convinced
everybody satisfied the demands of the intel
Iect; had accomplished the work too in TWEEN
ty minutes.
He then changed his posture, so as to sweep
the bar with his glance; and began to tear
and rend his legal adv, rsarIes. Ills saliow
face glowed as "a heated furnace; his eyes
resembled living Goals; and his voice became
the clangor Of trumpet. | have never be-
fore or since listened TO such murderous de-
nuncations. 1t was like Jove's eagle churg-
ing flock of crows; it was like Jove himself
hurting red-hot thuAderboits among the quak-
/ ing ranks of a conspiracy of inferior gods!-
Aud yet in the highest tempest of his fury,
he seemed calm; he employed no gesture
save one--the flash Of long, bony icle-tin-
ger direct in the eyes 0. his foes. He paint
ed their venality and unInanly mcanuess, III
coalescing tor money, TO hunt down poor
and triendless woman, Till shout of stlfled
rage arose from the multitude, and even some
Of the jury cried shame"
And thus the orator had carried another
point; had aroused perfect storm OF indig-
nation; and this too in twenty minutes.
He changed his theme once more His
voice grew mourniuI as funeral song, and
lis eyes filled with tears, as he traced vivid
picture of mans crueues and woman's
wrongs, with particular illustrations in the
case of his client; till one half the audience
wept like children.
But it was IN the peroration that he reach
ed his zenith at once of terror and subj nifty.
His features were iivid as those of a corpse;
his very hair appeared to stand OH end his
nerves shook as with palsy; he tossed his
hands wildly toward heaven, each finger
stretched apart and quivcriDg like the flame
Of candle. As he closed with the last
words of the deceased Hiram Shore: =" Tell
my mother that am dead and gone TO hell"
his emphasis on the word hell embodied the
acme and ideal of all horror II was wall
Of unreasonable despair. No language can
depict the effect on US who heard. Men
groaned; females screamed. and one poor
mother tainted, and was borne away in coll
yulsions.
The whole speech occupied but an hour.
The Jury rendered Il verdict oil s. Not Gull
lty," without leaving the box and three
cheers, like successive roars of an earthquake,
shook the old court house from dome TO cor
ner-stone, testilyng the JOY of the people.
Alter the adjournment which occurred
near sun-set the triumphant advocate arose
and gave out All appointment: = | will preach
in this hall Tonight at eight o'clock " He
| then gided through the crowd, speaking to
no one, though many attempted 10 draw him
into conversation.
At eight O'Clock the court house was again
thronged, and the stranger according 10
promise, delivered his sermon. 1t evinced
the same attributes us his previous eloquence
OF the bar; The same compact logic, the same
| burning VrntIneiice, anu Increased bitterness
Of denuncation. Indeed, niisanthropy reveal
ed itself as the prominent emotion. The dis
course was IL TRADE against infidels, in which
!. class the preacher seemed TO include every
body but himself; it was I picture OF he'll,
) such as Lucifer might have drawn with Il
{ world in flames for his pencil. hut ne par
: agraph pointed TO beaver, and that only de
monstrated the utter impossibility that any
human being should ever get there.
: As to effect, the lecture WAS failure the
people were not much pleased to hear them
: selves foredoomed, in advance of the day OF
Judgment lie ended, and left the village
Immediately without even SO much us his
, name being known.
i Such was the strange eccentricity OF John
d Taylor. met afterwards IA Texas, and
: there learned the skeleton Of his renarhable
history. At twenty-five years OF age, he was
one OF the most promising Juniors of the Phil
! adelphia bar and such was the confidence in
e spired by the integrity Of his character, that
= q distinguished wholesale merchant Of the
j, Quaker city, engaged him at high salary
10 travel in the Western States as collec.
{ ting agent. Taylor babe tender adieu Il
T. his young and beautiful wife, and his infan
/. boy, and set out on his lahorious tour Blu
e from that hour he heard no more from hi
% tickle consort till the end of year; and theI
the intelligence came in the letter of FRIEND
: with newspaper enueloped. Shortly aftel
II his departure, the false lady had changed be-
p domiciI to Mississippi; obtained divorce by