Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-01-06

the all-dresded duelist, Hiram Shore, gasping
in the last agony. He srticulated but asingle
sentence Tell my mother that / am dead
and gone to hell" and instantly expired;
"in the name of God, who did this ex-
claimed the appalled, spectators
al did il, said the beautiful milliner, "l
did il to save my honor
As NAV readily be imagined, the deed
caused az intense sensation. Public opinion,
however. was divided. The poorer classes,
crediting the girls version Of the facts, lauded
her in terms of measureles. eulogy But the
friends Of the deceased, and OF ms Neathy
family gave different and darker coiorlng 70
the affair, and denounced the lovely, nomloioe
as an atrocious criminal. Unfortunately ior
her, the officers of the law, especially the
judge and sheriff. were devoted comrades OF
the slain, and displayed their feelings in re-
voting psrtiality. The Judge committed her
without the privilege Of bail, and the sherin
chained her in the felon's dungeon!
Such is a brief abstract Of the circum-
stances developed in the examination Of wit
nesses The testimony closed and the plead
ing began.
First of all, three advocates spoke in suc-
cessiOn for the prosecution but neither their
names nor their arguments are worth preserv-
ing. Orators of the blood and thunder genus,
they about equally partitioned their bowling
eloquence betwixt the prisoner and her leath-
cred robed counsel, as if in doubt who OF the
twain was then on trial.
As for the stranger, he seemed to pay not
the slight attention to the opponents, but re-
maned motionIess, with his forehead bowed
IN his hands, like one buried in deep thought
erslumber.
At the proper time, however, he suddenly
sprang to his feet crossed the bar, aud took
his place almost touching the jury. He then
commenced in a whisper, but II was whisper
so mild, so clear, so unuttersbly ringing and
distinct as to hfl the hall from door TO galle-
ries. At the outse. he dealt in pure logic,
separating and combining the proven facts,
till the whole mass of composed evidence
looked transparent as globe Of glass. through
which the innocence of the client shone, bril-
liant as a sunbeam and the Jurors nodded to
each other signs of thorough conviction that
thrilling whisper, and fixed condemnation,
and the language, simple as child s, had con-
weed all.
He then changed his posture, go as to sweep
the bar with his glance, and began to tear and
rend his legal adversaries. His ssllow face
glOwed as a heated furnace his eyes resem-
bled living Goals, and his voice became the
clangor Of a trumpet L have never, before
or since, listened to such murderous denun-
Citations. 1t was like JOve's eagle charging
flock Of crows it was like JOye himself hurl-
ing red hot thunder bolts among the quaking
IduhS Vi a conspiracy VI
yet in the highest temper of his fury, he
seemed calm he employed no gesture SaTe
One-the fash of long, bony forehnger dlr~t
in the eyes of his foes. He painted their We
nality and unmanly meanness, In coalesclug
for money to hunt down a poor, friendless
woman, till shout of stihed rage arose from
the multitude, and even some Of the Jury
cried Shame
He changed his theme once more His voice
or Tpr rnonrnful loa fuparal and his ewes
filed with tears, as he traced n vivid picture
Of mans cruelties and woman - wrongs, with
particular illustration in the case OF his client,
till one half the audience wept like children.
But il was in the peroratiOn that he reached
his zenith, at once, of terror and subitmlty.
His features were livid as those Of a corpse;
his very hair seemed TO stand On end; his
nerves shook as with palsy; he tossed has
hands wildly toward heaven, each finger
stretched apart and quivering like the flame
Of a candle, as be closed with the last words
of the DECEASED Hiram Shore" Tell my mo-
ther that L am dead and gone TO hell 10 His
emphasis on the word hell embodied the acme
and ideal of all horror; it was that wall Of
immeasursble despair. No language can de-
pict the effect US who heard 1t. Men
groaned, females screamed, and one poor
mother tainted and was borne away in con-
vulsons.
The whole speech occupied but an hour.
The jury returned a verdict of " Not Gull
ty," without leaving the box, and three
cheers, like successive rosrs Of an earthquake,
shook the old court house from dome TO cor
ner-stone, testifying the joy of the people.
After the adjournment which occurred near
sunset, the triumphant advocate arose and
gave an appointment: =" will preach in this
hall tonight at S o'clock" He then glided
off through the crowd, speaking TO no one,
though many attempted to draw him into
conversation
At eight o'clock the court house was again
thronged, and the stranger, according TO prom
iSe, delivered his sermon. 1t evinced the
same attributes as his previous eloquence Of
the bar; the same burning vehemence, and
increased bitterness Of denunciation. Indeed,
mIsanthrOpy revealed itself as the prominent
emotion The discourse was a TRADE against
Infdels, in which class the preacher seemed
tn include everybody but himself It was a
picture of hell, such as Lucifer might have
drawn, with a world in flames for his pencil.
But one paragraph pointed TO heaven, and
that only demonstrated the utter impossibility
that any human being should ever get there.