Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1854-08-12

Then without so much as betowing an alusion on
Prentiss he turned short on the perured witnesses
of Hopkins tore their testimony IN atoms ana huri,
ed in their faces such terrible lnVectlyes that All
trembled as with an ague; and two OF them actually
fed dismayed from the court house
The excitement of the crowd was becoming ire
mendous. Their life and soul appeared 70 nang Oh
the burning tongue of the stranger. he inspired
them with the power of his own malicious ieehngs.
He seemed to have stolen natures long hidden Sc
cret of attraction He the sun to the sea OF mo-
ton which and fell as ne cnoSe DuI Ills SLctt'
triumph to come.
His eyes began to glare furtVely at the assassin
Hopkins and his keen taper fingers slowly assumed
the same direction. He hemmed the wretch IN WIN
a decentralization of strong evidence anu llhpreSLI-
BILE argument, cutting off all hopes OF success lie
piled up huge bastions of insurmountable facts.
He dug beneath the murderer and slanderers feet
bitches Of dilemnas, such no sophstry couo over
leap and no stretch of ingenuity evade ana having
thus, as one might say, impounded his VICTIM ana
grt him about like scorpion In circle OF Il e he
stripped himself to the massacre,
on ! then, but it was vision both glorious ana
dreadful to behold the orator. His actions, before
graceful as the waves of golden willow IN the
breeze grew as impetuous as an oHk III the hurrl,
cane. His voice became trumpet filled with via
whirlpoos deafening the ear with crashes OF power
and yet intermingling all the While Wltn sweet
undcr-song of the softest cadence His face was as
red as a drunkards-his countenance looked ha 6
gard like that of a maniac; and ever ana anon ne
flung his long, bony arms On high as II graspng alIer
appalling colors that in comparison hell itself might
be considered beautiful. He painted the sanderer
so black that the seemed dark at MONDAY, when
shining on such an accursed monster and then he
so fixed both portraits on the shrinking brow OF
Hopkins that he nailed him there forever. The agi-
tation of the audience now nearly amounted to mad
ness.
All at once the speaker descended from his peril
GUS height His voice walled out for the murdered
dead, and the living, beautiful Mary, more beautiful
every moment, as her tears flowed faster, till men
wepi and lovely women sobbed like children
lie closed by strong exhortation to the jury,
through them to the bystanders. He entreated the
pannel after they should bring in verdict for the
plaintiff not to offer violence to the defendant,
though he might deserve it; in other words not to
lynch the villain Hopkins, but to leave his punish
ment to God This the most arttul trick OF all,
and best calculated to insure vengeance.
The jury returned verdict of fifty thousand dol
lars and the night afterwards Hopkins was taken OFT
his bed by lynchcrs and beaten nearly to death.
1 have listened to Clay, Webster and Calhoun
to Dewey, Tying and Bascom-but have never heard
anything in the form of sublime words even remote
ly approxmating to the eloquence of John Taylor
massive as a mountain, and wildly, hotly rushing
as a cataract of fire. And this is the unanimous
opinion of all who heard that truly marvellous
man.