Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1851-01-21

,b; bJoJIe.I;nsc curling Tip into tiendish sneer
rna,, he aIloved 10 appeal once, by the courtesy
nay my " "a T,y Here, ia nv slicsbse frnn
~ 'G t;SoI in America - and he handed
Ille I nIs a. i a. ~ :. I-'ad nsIcEroent
ny. 80 .;a1 ;1oliatelv vent on
II ,ho oxaminato Of witness es, the stranger
o,;,,.od hnt E1,is ingenuity as was comnenly
sit.I FRA earh one to Tell his own
tis ,,Ss',a,ionS thouoh he contrived
., ME escb one of them tell il over two or three
,;oas TTa mt 70 y ff6ss.uuestions, which with
fa ,,;,nosFos onlv serve 10 correct mistakes:
"oJ he made no notes which, In mighty memo
ROC alWsvs tend to etnharrass. The examina-
; t;,c onJoJ os .onnseI for the plaintiff he
hed riqi, to tie opening speech, as well as the
close; but 10 the establishment of every one he
JocIned lbe former. and allowed the defence TO
lead off Then 4 shadow might have been OBJ
served TO fiit aertiss iie atures of Pike and
to darken even III lie ssntiss.-'
sI,Hlsy sa W thar stitfy IIartsF but
3sS d I've gess ,sit MAJ
BE 10 etfess
Col Ashley smoke first. lie dealt the jury a
dish of that close, dry logic, which, years after
wards rendered him famous in the Senate ofthe
United States,
'rbe Doet Albert Pike. followed, with rich
vein Of vii and hail.torrent of caustic ridcule.
in which YOU NAV be sure neither the plaintiff
nor the plainti's ragged attorney was either for
gotten or spared
The great Prentiss concluded for the defendan',
C;ith glow of pOrUPOuS words, brilliant as snow"
ers of CsIlinp stars and with final burst of ora.
torv that brought the house down in cheers, in
which the sworn Jury themselves joined, notwilh
standing the stern order ''order' . of the bench.
Tins wonderfully susceptible are the southwest
orr peonIe the charmsofimpassioned eloqnence.
II voc then the strangers turn He had re.
,o;,oJ onnoronIIv ahstr9rted dnrino all the pre.
go o,otppJo. sin aud straigbt and motion.
ioos ~ is soot bis male smooth forehead, shoot
;non nn ~ hioL lilo ponntain.conc of snow; but
for that eternal twitch that came and went per-
lot .lTt sh.IIon, cbooIs Won yvolJ have
~ e. r9 r,aro man If marble or human
go 90 ryoJ in ice Evnn his dim. DREAMY ewes
,,oo ;n,,;cihio horcoth those orav sha 0Gy eve.
49,, ia ''''D'0
Rnt now at last he r;ses-before the bar railing,
MT bohird it-and so near tn the wondering iurv
.. .,'' ,bo fororoon with his ong
In ~ t-ns 80 VIII o1,as st;iIhoIfsbnt and stand
rini5 90 nar II iron his thin lins curl as If
;6,,ss 6 raIoss sorn slinbtIv mart and the voice
80 frtb A. frst II is low and sweet insinu
;,oir ,bro,,or, nc broin osan ar,less time
;7;cr it ,uo, s;nto Tho dopDes, heart like the
nnio1e oF rooricE incaniaIion while the
TS ro,aoJH ,,5i,bo,, rosture or the least
oC oprceonent ~ tear in 6ieces 1be argument
IA sI,lo, which melts awav ar lis touchss frost
o. hsGy' 'E smbnom %''bn Eye%y one Looked snrnFs
od III, Io,ric ,sss At onco 20 bref and so lnmi.
~ ~" ,,,ot ,i1 r,,I.st roasani could com
oIay ioTo1y ! :, n'i,Lo,,, ofTort
- .arroa ~ ,Lo IszvIino ,vit or rho noet
1o"' nj nj T,t - o,,.t F his In T,o,,,
t nc L;ndIod rn-and his eve
Sn,P Jin, ND Jroarov po Ionqcr 6nt
';s;J =; 80 I;nhtn;,o ,eJ 40 fre.gI1bps and Ularino
Iil.a twin STnctaoFs Tbe whole soul was in the
e.,,," f,Ii heart s,rea,ned out or, the lace
n five minutes pixies wit seemed. the foam OF
foIIy and his finest satirehorrlbe profanity when
comma rod with the inimilable sallies and eXier-
minatiup sarcasms of the stranger, interspersed
with lest and anecdote, that filled the forum with
roars of laurhter
Then, without go much as bestowing an allu:
sion on Prentiss he turned short on The perjured
witnesses oc Hopkins, tore their testimony into
atoms and hurled in their faces such terrible in
veCtive that all trembIed as with an ague, and
Two of them actually fled dismayed from the
Court. House,
The excitement of the crowd was becoming
tremendous, Their united lie and soul appear
ed To hang on the burning tongue of the stran.
ger. He inspired them with the powers of his
own passiors He saturated them with the poi
son Of his own malicious feelings. He seemed
to have stolen natures long hidden secret of at.
ira action. He was the sunto the sea ofallthought
and emotion, which rose and fell and boiled in
bfIlows as he choose. But his greatest triumph
was to come.
His eve began to glare GurtiveIy at the assas-
sin ,Honkins. as his lean. tauer fingers slowly
assumed the same direction He hemmed the
wretch around with circumyallation Of strong
evidence and inprernahle argument, cutting-off,
ali hope OF escape He piled up hinge bastions
of insurmountabe facts He dug beneath the
murderer and slanderer'a feet tliIctes of dem-
mas, such as no sophistry could overleap, and
no strength of ingenuity evade and having thus,
as one might say, impounded The victim, and
girt him about like scorpion in a circle Of FIRE,
Re stripued himself to the work Of massacre!
Oh then, but it was vision both glorious and
dreadful to behold the orator. His action before
n,acelul as the waves Of a golden willow in the
breeze, grew impetuous as The motion of an oak
in the hurricane His voice became trumpet,
filed with wild whrlwnds, dealening the ear
with crashes of power, and yet iutermingled all
the while with sweet undeTsonr Of tie sortest
cadence. His face was red as adrunkards-his
forehead qlowed like heated rurnace-his coun-
tenance looked haggard like that OF maniac !;
and ever and anon he flung his long, bony arms
on high, as if grasping after 1hundeTboits! He
drew DctuTe of murder in such ppslltng colors,