Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-08-24

tons, whichSviih keen Witnesses, only seItRI9.
to correct mistakes, and he made no notes, -
which, in mighty. melnories. always tend to
embarrass. The examination being ended,
as counsel for the plaintiff, he had a right to
the opening speech, as we'll as the close but
ito the astonishment Of every one he declined
the former, and allowed the defence to lead
off. Then sssshadow might have been OBJ
served to flit across the fine features Of Pike,
land TO darkenseyen the bright eyes of Prem
tiss. They saw that they had caught
/ Tartaz 6utWho itWas, or how ithsQp Qpened. !.
was impossible to guess.
Col Ashley spoke first. He dealt the
Jury dish of that close, dry logic, which
years afterwards rendered him famous IN the
Senate of the Union.
The poet, Albert Pike, followed with a
rich vein of wit, and hail torrent ofridicnle,
in which you may be sure neither the plain
tiff nor the plaintiffs ragged attorney were
either forgotten or spared.
The great Prentiss concluded for the de-
fendant, with glow Of gorgeous words. bril-
liant as a shower Of falling stars, and with
a final burst of oratory that brought the
house down in cheers, in which the sworn
| jury themselves joined, notwithstanding the
stern order of the bench. Thus wonder
fully susceptible are the southwestern people
to the charms of ofimpassioned eloquerce.
1t was then the strangers turn. He had
remained apparently distracted during all
the previous speeches Still, and straight.
and motionIess in his seat, his pale, smooth
forehead shooting up high like mountain
cone.of snow but for that eternal twilch
that came and went perpetnaiiy in his salsow
cheeks, you would have taken him for a mere
man of marble, or human form carved in
ice Fen his dim, dreamy eyes We're invis.
ible beneath those gray, shaggy eyebrows.
Bnt now, at last he rises-before the bar
railing, not behind it--and so near to the
wondering jury that he might touch the fore
man with his long. boEy finger. With eyes
still half shut, aud standing rigid as pillar
Of iron, his thin lips curl as if in measureless
scorn, slightly part, and the voice comes forth.
At 6rst it is low and sweet, insinuating itself
through the brain as an artless tune winding
; its way into the deepest heart, like the mel
; ody ola magic incantation while the Spea-
ker proceeds without a gesture or the least
sign of excitement to tear in pieces the argu-
ment of Ashley, which melts away at his
touch AS frost before the sunbeam Every
one looked surprised. His logic was at once
SO brief and so luminously clear, that the
rudest peasant could comprehend it without
/, effort.
Anon, he came to the dazzling wit Of the
poet-Iawyer, Pike. Then the curl Of his lip
grew sharper his sallow face kindled up
and his eyes began to open, dim and dreamy
; no longer, but vivid as lightning. red as fire.
: globes, and glaring like twin meteors. The
whole soul was in the eye-the full heart
? : streamed out on the face In five minutes
Pixies wit seemed the foam of folly, and his
. finest satire horrible profanity, when contras-
ted with the inimitabIe salIies and extermi.
= mating sarcasms Of the stranger, interspersed
= = with Jest and anecdote that filled the forum
! : with roars of laughter.
= Then, without so much as bestowing an
. allusion on Prentiss, he turned short on the
J :. perured witnesses of Hopkins, tore their tes-
. timony into atoms and hurled in their faces
such terrible invective that all trembled as
. with an ague. and two of them actually fed
;" dismayed from the court house.
The excitement of the crowd was becom.
> ing tremendous. Their united life and soul
- appeared to hang on the burning tongue OF
:. the stranger. lie inspired them with the
y powers of his own passions. He saturated
- - them with the poison Of his own malicious
C feelings. lie seemed to have stolen Nature.
-. " long-hidden secret Of attraction. He was tho
:, sun to the sea Of all thought and emotion,
: which rose and fell, and boiled in pillows as
;; ne chose. But his greatest triumph was tc
: come.
= His eye began to glare furtively at tn,
- - assassin, Hopkins, as his lean, taper finger.
: : slowly assumed the same direction. H,
- hemmed The wretch with circumvalIa,iol
y OF evidence and impregaable argument, cut
- - ting OFT all hope of escape. He piled up hug,
81 bastions of inslrn,4A...4i.. IL = .
- He dug beneath the murderer and Sian
nc derer's feet bitches of dilemmas. such as M
:" Sophistry could overleap. and no stretch O
: ingenuity eyade and having thus, as on,
: might say, impounded his victim. and cir
~ ~ linn about like scorpion in circle of fire
= he stripped himself to the work of masscre
Oh! then. but it was vision both gloriou
&c and dreadful to behold the orato Hisaction
OCiOtO SIdSCluI do tue wave QI dDOlQen WIilON
nd in the breeze, grcwimpetuous as the motion {
ed an oak in the hurricane. His voice became
trumpet filled with Wild whirlpools, deafenin
me the ear with crashes of power, and vet inte
- mingled all the while with sweet under son
eu of the softest cadence. His face was as red ;
drunk ard's-his forehead glowed like het
TN. ted furnace-his countenancc looked hagrar
like that Of a maniac; and ever and amor /
ON flung MS long, bony arms on high. as il gras
be- ing after thunderbOlts He drew picture
murder in such appalling colOrs, that, in cor
parison, hell itself might oe considered beau
;ed tul. He painted the sllnderer so black tn
vas the sun seemed dark at noon-day when shi
did ing on such an rsed monster and then
IN liked both portraits on the shrinking brow
fnI Hopkins, aud he nfiied them there fore,e
,oJ The agitation of the audience nearlyamouni
- to madness
'"'' All at once the speaker descended from
'ln peri!ous height. His voice walled ont for d
his murdered dead, and liring-the beautiful Mar
self more beautiful every mnment, az her tea
rob flowed fl sstcr-till men wept, and lovely won
S0Lhed like childran