Eaton Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1843-1856, 1854-08-31

the plaintiff, be had rlgbt 10 tue opening
speech as we'll as the close but TO The aston
ishment of every one, he declined the former,
and allowed tlfe defence 10 lead of. Then
shadow might have been observed TO fit across
the features Of Pike, and to darken even the
bright ewes of Prentice. They saw that they
had "caught TaItar;" but who it was, or
no W it happened, was impossible 10 guess.
Colonel Ashley spoke first. He dealt The |
Jury o dish of that close, dry logic, which years
afterwards rendered him famous in the Senate |
of the Union.
The poet, Albert Pike, followed with rich
vein OF wit, and hail torrent Of ridicuIe, in /
which you may be sure neither tie plaintiff
nor the plaintiffs ragged attorney were either
forgotten or spared.
The great Prentice concluded for the de-
fendant, with glow Of gorgeous words, bril- |
liant as a shower of falling stars, and with a 1
final burst of oratory, that brought the house
down in cheers, in which the Swon jury them
selves joined, Notwithstanding the stern cor
DER of The bench. Thus wonderfully suscep-
ticle are the southwestern people TO the charms
Of impaSSoned eloquence.
1t was then the Strangers turn. He hadre-
NAMED apparently distracted during all the
previous speeches. Still, and straight aud
nOionless IN his seat, his p le smooth fore
head shooting up high like a mountain cone
! of snow; hut for that eternal twitch that CAME
and went pcpeuolly in his sallOw cheeks, you
would have taken him for mere man Of mar
bic, or human man carved IN ice. Even his
dim dreamy eyes, were Invisible beneath those
gray shaggy eyebrows.
But now, at last, he rises before the bar
railing, not behind-and 50 near to the won
dering Jury that he might touch the foreman
with his long, bony finger. With his eyeSsill
| half shut aud standing rigid as pillarof iron,
his thin lips curl as if in meaSureIess scorn,
slightly part, and the voice comes forth. At
i first il IS low and sweet, insinnatng itself
khrough the brain as an anleSS tune, winding
! its way into the deepest heart like the melody
of magic incantation; while the speaker pro-
ceeds without gesture or at least a sign Of
excitement to tear IN pieces the argument Of
Ashley, that melS away at his touch as frost
before the sunbeams. Every one looked sur
prised His logic was at once so brief, that
The ndest peasant could comprehend it with
out effort.
Anon he came to the dazzling WIT Of the 20
et lawyer, Pike. Then the the curl Of his lip
grew sharper; his saIlow face kindled up; and
his eyes began to open, dim and dreary no long
er, but vivid MS lightning, red as fire globes,
and glaring like twin meteoTs. The whole
soul was in his eye-the full heart beamed in
his face. In FIVE minutes Pixies wit seemed
the foam Of folly, and his finest satire, horri-
BILE profanity, when contested with the min.
Il liable salies and eXterninating sarcasms Of the
stranger, interspersed with jest and anecdotC
that filled the forum with rohrs Of laughter.
Then, without SO much as bestowing an al
luSion 10 Prentice, he turned short on the per
iured witnesses of Hopkins, tore their testi
, mony into atoms, and hurled in their faces
. such terrible invec,ive that all trembled as
: with an ague, and two Of them actually fec
. diSmayed from the court house.
The excitement of the crowd was becoming
. tremendous. The united life and soul appear.
ed 10 hang on the burning tongue Of The Stran
: ger. He inspired them with The powers Of his
, own nassions lie saturated them with The
, poison of his own malicious reelingS. HI
, seemed to have stolen natures long hi'del
secret attraction. He was The sun tp The SC;
! of all thought and emotion which rose and fell
ana boiled in billows as he chose. But hi
, greatest triumph was 10 come.
/ His eyes began 10 clare furtively at III,
assassin Hopkins, and his lean, taper finger
slowly assumed the same direction. He bCm
med the wretch with DECENTRALIZATION Of SiroE
evidence and impregnable argument, cuttin
/ off all hope Of escape He piled up hug
bastions of inSurmountable facts.
, He dug beneath the murderer and Sanderer'!
feet bitches OF dilemaS; such as no sophiStr.
s could overeap aud no stretch OF ingenuIt
evade; and hafng TINS, as one might say, im
t pounded his victim, and grt him about like
scorpion in circle of fire, he stripped hmsel
e to the work the massacre.
s Oh! then but it was vision both glurlou
g and dreadful 10 behold the orator. Hlis nc
Ii MS before graceful as the wave OF COLDER
4 willow 10 the breeze, grew impetuous as th
v motion of an oak in the hurricane. Ills volc
: became a trumpet filed with wild whirlpooIS
G deafening The ears with crashes Of power, ant
ye! nierminged all the while with swce
v under song OF the softeSt cadence. His fac
: was as red as Grunkard'S his forehead gIoW
i ed like a heated lurnace-hiS Counteuanc
looked haggar1 like that OF a maniac; and eTe
and anon he flung his long, bon, arms on high
as If graSping after thunderbo!ts. lie drew
| picture of murder in such appalling colorS
that in comparison, hell itself might be con
sllereG beautiful. II painted the SANDER S
$ black that the sun seemed dark at noon dn
when shining on snch an accused monster
and then lie so fixcd both por rats on III
shrinking brow Of Hopkins, that he naile
o them there forever. The agitation Of The all
d dience nearly amounted 10 madness.
A at once the speaker descended from h
d petilous height. His voice walled out for th
IS murdered dead and-lyihg the beautiful Mary
d more beautiful every moment1s hertearS lloW
l. ed faster-lil men wept, and lovely wome
oobeG like children.
d lie closed with strong exploration 10 th
# Jury; through them to the bys!anders. lie en-
r. treated the panel, after they should bring !
y the verdict for the plaintiff, Not 10 offer yl'
n lence 10 the defendant, however richly Il
10 might deserve it; in other words, "not 10 lyme
'. 1.-THE william, Hopkins, but 10 leave his pnnlsl
ly ment 10 God" This was te most artf,
d trick OF all, aud best ca cuiateu 10 inSnrs vel
is geance.
A. The jury rendered verdict of fifty thousar
4. dollars, and the night Afterwards Hopkins W
taken of his bed by lyuchers and beaten q
Is most 10 death.
:. have listened 10 Clay, Webster and Ga
houn,-to Dewy, Tying, and Bascomb -b
IN have never heard anything IN the form ol SUI
a, lime words, even remotely appfnXmating u
i eloquence Of John Taylor--IliasSive as mou'
d tain and wildly rushing as cataract Q, nI
se And this is The opinion ot 81! VINO eyer hep
ia this marvellous man.
u nla 2-.-44--5-~ -->~~---'eAss
81 LrThe fellow who event IT strogg,"'' ,llc
81 tfcnfliea II mild - I,a vent io fhe Stale ftr