The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-09-25

judge. : 1N''' = "''''O ''''
:, Let her speak for herself" said the stranger.
40, was her answer, as long drawn sigh
escaped that seemed 10 rehd her very heart-strings
w ri Is ZonE meme, as it must be placed on the
record - interrogated the judge.
'Will Denton said the stranger
The Immediately progressed. We will brief
" epitomise the substance of the evidence. About
twelve months previously the defendant had arrived
in the town and opened an establishment of mil
linery. Residing in small room back of her shop
and all Alone she prepared the various articles of
her ira le with unwearied toll and consummate
taste. Her habits were secluded, modest and re-
firing; and hence she might have hoped TO escape
noOrety, but for the perilOus gift of that extraor
binary beauty, which too often, and to the Door and
friendless always, proves curse. She was soon
sought after by those gay fre-flies of fashion, the
business of whose life, every where, is seduction
and ruin But the beautiful stranger rejected them
all alike with unutterable scOrn and Oathing.
Among these disappointed admirers was one of a
character from which the fair mner had every.
thing to fear. Hiram Shore belonged to a family
at once Opulent, influential, and dissipated. He
was himself licentious, brave, and revenpefuI and
duellist of established and terrible fame 1t was
generally known that he had made advances TO
win the favor of the lovely Emma, and he had
shared the fate of all her other wooers-a disdain
full repulse
AT nine O'Clock on Christmas night, 1888. the
people Of Little Rock were startled by loud
scream, as Of some one in mortal terror; while fol-
lowing that, with hardly interval came success
slve reports of fire-arms-one two three--a dozen
deatening explosions. They flew to the shop Of
the milliner, whence the sounds emanated and
pushed back the uniastened door. A dreadful
scene was presented. There she stood in the CEN
ter Of the room, with revolver in each hand every
barrel discharged, her features pale, her eyes flash
ing wildly, and her lips parted with an awful
smile And there at her feet, wetering in his
warm blood, his bosom literally ridded with shot
lay the all-dreaded duellist, Hiram Shore gasping
bA asst He Cd h,,t
sentence: "rell my mother that | am dead and
gone to h-nn'-and instantly expired
In Gods name, who did this I" exclaimed the
appalled, spectators
q did it," said the beautiful milliner, in her
sweet, slvery accents. 81 did it, to save my
honor 20
Such is brief abstract of the essential circum
stances, as developed in the examination of wit.
nesses. The testimony closed and the pleadings
began.
First Of all, Fowler, Pike, and Ashly, spoke in
succession for the prosecution. They about equally
parntoned their eloquence betwixt the prisoner
and her advocate, covering the latter with such
sarcastic wit, raillsry and ridicule, as made it
matter OF doubt whether he his client was the
party then on trial. AS to Denton however, he
seemed 10 pay not the slightest attention 10 his op
pohehts' out remained motonless, with his fore
head bowed on his hands like one buried in deem
thought or in slumber
When his time came, however he suddenly
plang 70 ms ieet, crossed the bar, and took posi-
then commenced IN whisper, but in a yhisner so
wild, ringing, peculiar, and indescribablv distinct
as to fill the hall from floor to galleries
At the outset he dealt in pure logic a,,I,io,
and combining the proven facts, till the whole ma %
of confused evidence looked transparent as a oIoLa
Of crystal, through which the innocence of bs Iii
ent shone luminous a sunbeam, while the iurors
nodded to each other signs of thorough conviction
That thrilling whisper, and concentrated argu
ment and language simple a childs, had salts
lied the demands oil the intellect aud this too il
only twenty minutes. 1t was like the work of :
Z mathematical demonstration.
He then changed his posture as to sweep tn,
bar with his glance, and, like raging lion, rushet
upon his adversaries, tearing and rending thei
sophislres into atoms. His sallow face glove,
like red hot iron, the forked blue vein sweed an
wrthed on his brow, his eyes resembled live Goals
and his voice was the clangor of a trumpet hav
never, before or since, listened to such appallin.
remuneration. II was like JOve's eagle charging
HOOK OF crows. 1t was like Jove himself hurlins
thunderbolts in the shuddering eyes of inferio
goos' And yet in the highest tempest of his fury
ne seemed wonderfully calm He EMPLOYED No
gesture save one-the fash of a long bony fore
niger directly at the pallid faces of his legal foes
lie painted their venality and humanity baseness in
coaiesclng ioI money to crush a friendless female
.Iii sn1ut OF Suned wrath broke from the multi.
tude, and some OF the sworn panel cried U.Shams
And thus the orator had carried another point-baf
aroused perfect storm OF Indignation against the
prosecutors-and this, also, in twenty minutes
ne CndhBeu MS tneIne once more. His yoct
grew mournful as funeral dirge and his ewes 6let
with tears, as he traced vivid picture Of man,
crueltes and woman's wrongs with special appli
cations in the of his client till half the audi
enee wept like children.
But It was in the peroration that he reached tn,
zenith both OF terror and sublimity. His feature
We're lvid as those of corpse his very hair ap
Peared to stand on end his nerves shook as with
palsy he tossed his hands wildly towards heaven
eacn niger spread apart and quiverng like tn,
name Q, candle, as he closed with the last word,
o. me deceased Hiram Shore" Tell nv mother
mat am dead and gone to h-ll!' His emphasi,
on the word he'll embodied the elements of ali bor.
TOT; Il was wall of unreasonable despair
S %rG howl Of infinite torture No language can
oepet Its effect on all who heard it. Men gro,rod
s ~oneh shfieked, and one poor mother was borne
b NV, IN commissions. The entire speech ocouned
on, ne Jury rendered verdict of mot gutvn with
ILL., Having the box, and three Tremendous obssrs
sDuitnoase from dome to conversions. testifvino
the 10Y o. me ,, people. At the same moment nv
0eauuiu nallhnsr bounded to her feet and clsspst