Washington telegraph., 1850-05-15
From the Great West.
OH N IA LOR:
THE TIMON OF THE BACKwOODs BAR
AND PULPIT.
BY CHARLES sUMMERfIELD.

| can never forget my first vision oi
John Taylor 1t was in the courthouse
at Lewishurg, Conway county, Arkansas
in the summer Of 1888.
The occasion itself possessed terrible
| interest A vast concourse of spectators
had assembled to witness the trial of a
young and very beautiful girl, on an in.
dictment for murder. The judge waited
at the moment for the sheriff to bring in
his prisoner, and the eyes of the impatient
multitude all centered on the door; when
suddenly stranger entered, whose ap-
pearance rivited universal attention.
Here is his portrait: figure, tall, lean,
sinewy and strait as an arrow; face, sal
low. bilious and twitchiag necessarily
with nervous irritability; brow, broad.
soaring massive, scanned with wrinkles,
but not from age-for he was scarcely
forty; eyes, reddish yellow, like the wrath
ful eagle, as bright and piercing; and
finally, MOUTH with lips of cast iron, thin.
curled, cold, sneering. the intense express
sion of which looked the living emb,'di-
ment of an unbreathed curse. He was
habited in a suit of new buckskin, orna-
InGulCu dItcI tuc IdSulOu VI COS-
tune, with beads of every color in the
rainbow.
Elbowing his way slowly through the
crowd, and apparently unconscious that
he was regarded as Themomenon. need
ing explanation, this singular being ad-
vanced, and with the naughty air of a
king ascending the throne, seated himself
thin the bar, thronged as it was with
the disciples of Coke aud Blackstone, sew
eral of whom it was known, esteemed
themselves far superior TO those old and
famous masters
The contrast between the ontlandish
garb and disdainful countenance OF the
stranger, excited, especially, the risibll'ty
of the lawyers; and the junior niembers
began suppressed litter. which grew
louder, and soon swept around the circle.
They doubtless supposed the intrnder TO
be some wild hunter of the mountains.
who had never before seen .he interior OF
a hal! of justice.
Instantly, the cause and object Of the
laughter perceived it; turned his head
gradually, SO as to give each laughter a
look; his lips cured with killing smile
of infinite scorn; his yellow eyes shot ar
rows Of lightning; his tongue protrudlng
through his teeth literally writhed like
serpent, and CALCULATED its asr-like poison
in single word: "Savages.
No pen can describe the defiant force
which he threw into that term, no pencil
might paint the Internal fatr0r of his ut-
terance, although it hardly exceeded
whisper.
Bu, he accented every letter as If 1t
were separate emission of fire that
scorched his quivering lips; laying horrl'
bic emphasis on the 5, both at the begin
ming and end of the word: "SavageS:
It was the groaol of red tiger IN the
hiss of rattle-snake.
"SaUages.
It cured everybody of the disposition to
laugh.
The general gaze, however, was imme-
diately diverted by the advent OF the
| fair prisoner who then came IN, surround.
ed by her guard.
The apparition was enough to drive
saint mad For hers was style OF beau
| ty to bewilder the ta,nest imag gination, and
melt the coolest heart leaving in both
| Imagination and heart cleaning picture
enameled in fire aud fixed i'll frame Of
gold from the stars. 1t was the spell OF
an enchantment to be felt as we'll as seen
You might feel it in the flashes OF her
counteuance, clear as sunbeam, brilliant
as the iris; i'll the contour Of her features
symmetrical as if cur by the chisel OF all
artist: in her hair of rich auburn rinSlets
flowing without braid, softer than silk
finer than gossamer; in tie eyes blue as
the heaven of southern summer, large
| liquid, beamy; in her motions, graceful
| swimming. like the gentle waftures OF a
birds wing in the sunny air; in the figure,
slight, etherial-a sylphs or seraph's;
and more than all, in the everlasting smile
OF the rosy lips, so arched, so serene. SO
like starlight, and yet possessing the pow
er of magic or of magnetism to thrill the
beholLer's heart.
As the unfortunate girl so tastefully
dressed, so incompatible as to persona
charms, calm and smiling, took her place
before the bar of the Judge. murmur o
admiration arose from the multitude
which the prompt interposition OF the
court, by stern order of "Silence, could
scarcely repress from swelling into deaf
ening cheer
The judge turned to the prisoner: "Em
ma Miner, the court has been informed
that your counsel, Col Linton, is sick
have you employed any other!
| She answered in voice sweet as TIT
warble of the nightingale, and clear a
the song of the sky-lark: "My enemle
have bribed all the lawyers-even IN.
oayn to be sick; 5ut God will defend tn
innocent"
At this response so touching in its sim
pie parhos, portion of the auditors buz