Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1850-08-17

r1n frnoS Oh rHh sAcH Hwoops san Afp tuISir
bY chAs. SUM nAERYfkEb.

1
John Taylor. 1t was in the court holse at
Lewisburgh, Cohway county, Arkansas,
in the SIMMER of 1888. The occasion il.
self possessed terrible interest A vast
concourse Of spectators had assembled to
witness the trial Of young and beautiful
girl, on an Indictment for murder. The
Judge waited at the moment for the Sheriff
to bring in the prisoner, and the eyes OF
the impatient multitude all centred OH tbs
door; when suddenly stranger entered,
whose appearance riveted universal Htteh-
tom
Here Ia his portrait figure, tall, lean,
sinewy, and straight as an arrow . face,
sallow, bilious, and twitching ihcessattly,
with nervous irritabiity; brow, broad,
massive, seemed filled with wrinkles, but
not from age=for he was scarcely forty ;
eyes, reddish yellow, like the wrathful
eagle, as bright and piercing: and finally,
a mouth with lips of cast iron, thin, curled
cold and sneering, the intense expression
Of which looked the living embodiment Of
an unbreathed curse He was habited in
a suit Of new bucks1sin, ornamented after
She fasliioli Of Indian costume, with hues
of every color of the rainbow.
Elbowing his way slowly through the
crowd, and apparently unconscious that he
was regarded as phenomenon, needing
explanation this singular being advanced,
and, with the naughty air ofa king a.een-
ding the throne, seated himself within the
bar, thronged as it was with the disciples
of Coke and Blackstone, several of whom
it was known esteemed themselves as far
superior to those old and famous masters.
The contrast between the outlandsh
garb and disdainful countenance of the
strtinger, excited, especially, the visibility
Of the lawyers and the junior members
began a suppressed litter, which grew
louder, and soon swept around the circle.
They doubtless supposed the intruder to be
some wild hunter of the mountains, who
had never before seen the interior of a
hall Of justice Instantly the cause and
object of the laughter perceived it, turned
his head gradually, 80 as to give each
laugher look-his lips curled with =
killing smile of infinite scorn-his yellow
Eeyes shot arrows of lightnihg~-.his tongue,
protrudng through his teeth, LITERALLY
writhed like serpent, and calculated its
asp.ikc poison in a single word: "Sava.
ges!' Nc pen can describe the defiant
force which he threw into that term, no
pencil can paint the internal furor Of his
utterance, although it hardly exceeded .
whisper. But he accented every letter as
it were a saperate emission Of fire that
scorched his q,iivering lip.; laying horrible
emphasis on the s. both At the beginning
and end of the word" Savages"
1t was the growl Of the red tiger in the
hiss of rattle-snake.
The general gaze, however, was divert
ed by the advent of the fair prisoner, who
then came in, surrounded by her guard.
The apparition was enough to drive a
saint mad; for here was style of beauty
to bewider the tamest imagination, and
melt the coolest heart, leaving In both
imagination and heart cleaning picture,
enabled in fire, and fixed in frame of gold
from the STATS. 1t was spell Of an en-.
chantment to be felt as well as seen. YOU
might feel it in the fushes Of her counten-
ance, clear as a sunbeam, brilliant as the
iris; in the contour of her features. sym.
metrical as if cut by the chisel of the artist,
in her hair of rich auburn ringlets, flowing
without a braid, softer than silk finer than
gossamer in the eye, blue rs the heaven oi
southern summer, large, liquid, beauty in
her motions, graceful, swimming, like the
gentle waftures Of a birds wing In the SUN.
ny air; in the the figure, slight, ETHEREAL
a sylph's or a seraph's; and more than all,
in the everlasting smile of the rosy lips
40 arched, so serene, so Hike starlight, and
yet possessing the power of magic or Of
magnetism to the thrill the beholder's
heart.
| As the unfortunate girl, so tastefully
dressed, 50 Incompatible as to personal
charms, calm and smiling, took her place
before the bar of her Judge, a nurmur Of
admiration arose from the multitude, which
the prompt interposition Of the court, by
1 stern order of" silence" could scarcely
repress for swelling to a deafening cheer
4 The Judge turned to the prisoner
/" Emma Miner, the court has been inform.
ed that your counsel. Col. Linton, is sick
have you employed any other?''
i She answered, in voice as sweet ae
| the whrbling Of the nightingale, and al
clear as the song ofthe sky-lark--
/ my enemies have bribed all the law
yers-even my osOu--to be sick; but
God will defend the innocent.
4 At this response, so touching in It's
Fsinple pathos, portion Of the auditors
buzzed applause, and the rest wept..
i Onathe instant, however, the stranger
whose appearance had previously excited
such merriment, started to his feet, ap.
preached the prisoner, and whispered
something in her ear. She bounded six
inches from the floor, uttered piercing
shrek, and then stood trembling as if in
the presence Of ghost from Eternity
while the singular being who had catised
her unaccountable emotion addressed the
court in his sharp ringing voice, soi1oroua
as the sound Of bell-metal--
i aMay it please yourhonor, / will assume
the task Of defending the lady,
i What exclaimed the astonished
4 Judge, are you licensed attorney"
The question il irrelevant and ini'
material, " replied the stranger, with a
venon1ous sneef, 'sas the recent statute
entities any person 10 act as counsel Al
| the request OF party. .
4 But does this prisoner request it,
/ ip4nired the Judge.