Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1859-11-19


of Sermons, so cents each. nov1l-'50
PEN PORTRAITS
cfthe Prosecuting Counsel In the
EInrper's Ferry Trial.
[From the New York Tribune, Of yc,terlay7
HON. ANDREW HrSTER.
This gentleman take to be sort of mod
ern Caesar, who would rather be the first
man in village than the second in an en-
pirc. In no other way can account for
his hiding his talents in so ,dreary aud des-
olnte aplacc this. In intellect, as in
stature, he stands lofty above those by
whom he is surrounded. he leads the
town. The course of public affairs in the.
late disturbances has been wholly directed
by him. Engaged by the. Government to
conduct the prosecution Of the prisoners.
and to supply the admitted deficiencies of
the regular prosecuting, attorney, he has
all along controlled events, and shaped
circumstances rs he chose. lie has held
within his grasp the populacc, the officers
of justice; the Court itself have many
times seen the judge awaiting Mr. Hun
ter's gesture of assent or dissent before
determining Il disputed point. Public
opinion, too, has been guided by him, al
though, US is common enough, it has often
ran far beyond the limits of his precepts,
end tumbled into all sorts of: wild extrav-
ngance. Perhaps his well-known relations
with Gov. Wise ,EaTe., contributed to his
Superiority of position at this time. He
has been i'll constant Communication with
the Cow, and bctwcen.t bem they have man
aged matters pretty much as they pleased,
with very little regar1to to the voice of the
people, or the clamors of legal routine, the
latter sometimes yociierously uttered by his
ostcnsiblec coadjutor, ,thercgu ularP Prosecuting
Attorney. Mr.. uunteB in fact, has been the
1nnn of this occasion. lie has condemned
to death all the prisoners that come before
him, except one, whom lie las reserved for
the purpose of aiding in the capture Of
"higher and richer gane "--as, he himself
expressed it. He hes. suspended trials Mt
his pleasure in spite -nf Gcl4 opp oSitiop. He,
has even been so confident in his strength
that he has used, comparatively, little cx-
crtion in tho disposition OF Cuurtail;lirs. Ills
indictments were most hunglingIy drawn
up, showing a carelcsSnesS that in any but
Virginia Court, would have been fatal to
his cases. His arguments, except when
reused to unwonted energy, were careless
andincHcctiYe, though usually to the point.
AS for discussing the questions of law,
which were raised in profnsion by Mr.. Sen,
mott, he never thought of it. Sure Of his
Object, he would simply say that lie was
obliged to nurse his voice, which threaten
cd to fail him; or that he had often before
made such and such q subject clear to the
Court; or that the time pressed to that de-
gree that he absolutely. must be excused
from entering upon irrelevant details
knowing that he was arguing upon fore
gone conclusion, he naturally shrunk from
over exercise of brain and body, which,
after all, could in reality nowisc effect
the result, that being already settled But
when urged togreat efforts, as Ecsometimcs
was, Mr.. Hunter gave abundance evidence of
his real power. More impressive forensic Or
ators are rnse. His manner of speaking is
mostly quiet and grave His tone of voice is
deep and full ,singulorly like Rufus Choatc's.
His gestures are few bntaIways rcplcte with
expression. Generally, his style is that of
subdued conversations and very persuasive
it is; hut Mt times lie rises to an clopucncc
that rings through the courtroom, and
moves listeners to approving outbursts
that call for subjugation by sheriff and,
constable. In the case of the negro Green,
allusiOn was made by. the counsel for the
defense to an attempt to introduce impcr-
tlnent evidence respecting the advances of
the prisoner toward mu11ttO girl at the
time of the midnight entrance into the
plantations Mr.. Hunter pursued his an
this point, and then, lifting himself to his
full height, n nd COMPRISING his fine fca-
lures to unwGnted stCrness (foT he wears
SMILEY, he turned upon the negro, and
with rapidity that certainly exhibited a
wonderful acquaintance with tic v0cabu-
larry of invcctive, hurled for while incts-
SAINT denunciation upon the guilty passion
which he assumed to. have inspired Shields
Green to join the expedition. How the
negro ever sat so solid. under it, I cannot
understand; buttfe crowd that filled the
hall bln2td with fury, and clcnchcd fists in
agonles ofgYirtuous indignation. L sup
pose that the consciousness of having Of
teFed endless similar impure examples
never entered their minds at all. AIR.
f1unter, however, gained new honors. 1t
was his best display of the season, and
tar surpassed anything offered by other
ora tors -gs 1
Mr.. Hunter, although the first man in
Charlestown, is not free from narrow pre-
ludlcc, and does not hesitate to exercise
ms power in Yeryunwortlly ways He has
countenanced all the incivilitics which
have been So freely extended to ladies from
the Northi and has tacitly acknowledged
the propriety ofexpelling all suspected
strangers. He, too, first intcrfcred with
Air. Sennott in his intercourse with John
brown, giving orders that ssthc Boston.
lawyer" should be permitted to hold no.
conversation with the prisoner, except in
the presence of the jnilor. The mere fact
of the prosecuting counsel holding the,
power to prevent COUNSEL for the defense
from eommHgicating with his client, shows
,Wn@t supremacy Mr.. Hunter enjoys. 1t is
well; to know, however, that this fat was
reeln!Ied On Mr.. Sennett'sl representation
that 1T would hardly be an ble suI,-
ject TO bring to light in. open ,Gouat, which.