The Van Buren press., 1859-10-28
Ms9istella,lp.
Volunteer Counsel.

John Taylor was licensed. when a youth
OF twenty one, to practice at the bar Of
He was poor, but we'll educated, and pos
sessed extraordinary genius. The graces
Of his person combined with the superiority
of his intellect, enabled him to win the
hand Of a fashionable beauty.
| Twelve months afterwards, the husband
was employed by a wealthy firm of the city
to go on mission, as land agent to the
West. As a heavy salary was offered. he
bade farewell to his wife and infant son
tie wrote back every week, but received no,
line in answer. Six months elapsed
when the husband received letter from his
employers that explained all.
Shortly after his departure for the West,
his wife and her father removed to Missis-
sippi. There she Immediately obtained q
divorce, by an act of the Legislature, mar.
ried again forthwith, and to complete the
climax of her cruelty and wrong, had the
name of Taylor's son changed to that o1
Marks, her second matrimonial partner.
This perfdy nearly drove Taylor insane
His career, from that moment, became &c.
centric in the first degree. Sometimes he
preached, sometimes he plead at the bar: at
last fever carried him off at comparative.
ly early age.
AT an early hour, on the 9th of April
1S4O, the court house in Clarksville, Texas
was crowded to overhowing. Save in the
war times, there had never been witnessed
so large a gathering in the Red River coun.
try, while the strong feeling apparent in
every flushed face, will be sufficiently ex-
planned by the matter following:
About the close of 1889, George Hop
kins, one of the wealthiest planters. and
most influential men of Northern Texas,
offered gross insult to Mary Ellison, the
young and beautiful wife of his chief over
seer. The husband threatened to chastise
him for the outrage, whereupon Hopkins
loaded his gun, went to Ellison's house,
and shot him in his own door.
The murderer was arrested and held to
answer the charge. This occurrence pro-
duccd intense excitement, and Hopkins, in
order to turn the tide of popular opinion,
or at least to mitigate the general wrath
which was violently against him, circulated
reports UNANIMOUSLY prejudicial to the char
acter and standing of the woman who had
suffered such cruel wrongs at his hands.
She brought her suit for slander. And
two cases, one criminal and the other civil,
and both out of the same tragedy, were
pending at the April Circuit Court for 40.
The interest naturally felt By the COM
munity as to the issue, became far deeper
when it was known that Ashley and Pike,
of Arkansas, and the celebrated g. S. Prem
tiss, of New Orleans. each by enormous
fees, had been retained by Hopkins for de-
fense.
The trial of the Indictment for murder
ended ON the Sth of April, with the acquit-
tai of Hopkins. Such { result might well
have been foreseen. comparing the talents
of the counsel engaged on either side. The
Texas lawyers were utterly overwhelmed by
the arguments and eloquence of their oppo-
nents. 1t was fight of dwarfs against gi-
ants.
The slander suit was for the 9th, and the
throng of spectators grew in number as well
as excitement And what seemed strange,
the current Of public opinion now ran fer
Hopkins. His money had procured wit
nesses who served his powerful advocates;
indeed. SO triumphant had been the success
on the previous day, that when the slander
case was called, Mary Ellison was left with
out an attorney; all had withdrawn. The