Maryland free press., 1866-05-10
- II :
The volunteer Counsel.

/. ty, who Afterwards desef'ou n'iii ''' "A
other.
On the 9th of April, 1910, the Court
uouse in Clarksville, Texas, was crowded
to overAowing. An exciting case was to
he tried. Gov. Hopkins, wealthy plan
ter. had offered gross insult to Mary Ell
lison, the young and beautiful wife of his
,oyerseer. The husband threatened to
.chastise him for the outrage when Hopkins
went to his house and shot him in his doer.
The murderer was arrested and bailed to
answer the charge. This occurrenc pro
duoed great excitement and Hopkins in
order to turn the tide Of popular indigna-
tion. had circulated reports against her
character, and she had sued him for SLAM
der. .... ..t -..... .... 81. ...-..., ...
The interest became deeper when it was
known that Ashley and Pike, of Arkansas,
and 8. 8. Prentiss, of New Orleans, by
enormous fees, had been retained to de-
fend Hopkins. IT,. .., ......... --. .
Hopkins was acquitted. The Texas
nawyers were overwhelmed by their oppo-
,nents. it was fight Of dwarfs against gl-
ANTS. .. ..-y b.. .... .ua,'.
The slander suit was on the 9th, and the
sthrong of spectators grew in numbers as
weIl as excitement; public opinion was
setting for Hopkins; his money had pro-
cured witnesses who served his powerful
advocates. When the SANDER case was
called, Mary Ellison was without an attor-
ney-all had withdrawn. .... .........
.'.iHave you no counsel?" inquired Judge
Millet, looking kindly at the plaintiff. .
mo, sir, they have all deserted me,
and am too poor to employ any more" )"
replied the beautiful Mary, bursting into
tears. s,.i. .. uI' .-... r.s. ,.u..': .-9..
"In such a case, will not some chival-
rous member of the bar, volunteer?" said
the Judge. glancing around the bar.
The thirty lawyers were silent. .o
II will, your honor" said voice frem
the thickest part of the crowd behind the
bar.
AT the sound of that voice many started
it was so uncarthly, sweet and mourn
full. The first sensation was changed into
laughter, when tall, gaunt, spectral fig
ure elbowed his way through the crowd
and placed himself within the bar. His
clothes looked SO shabby that the Court
hesitated tn let tqe case proceed under his
management. -" .'.
"Hassour name been entered on the
rolls of the State?" enquired the Judge.
ut is immaterial," answered the stran-
ger, hi thin, bloodless lips curling up with
a fiendish sneer. "Here is my license
from the highest tribunal in America
and he handed the Judge broad parch-
ment. .. . .....
The trial went on.
He suffered the witnesses to tell their
own story, and he allowed the defence to
lead off. Ashley spoke first, followed by
Pike and Prentiss. The latter brought
the house down with cheers, ip which the
jury joined. '..'
1t was now the strangers turn; he rises
before the bar, not behind it--and so neal
the wondering jury that he might touch
the foreman with his long, bony fingers
He proceeded to tear to pieces the argu'
ments of Ashley, which melted away like
frost before a sunbeam, every one looking
surprised. Anon he came to the dazzling
wit of the lawyer-poet Pike-the curl o.
his lip grew sharper, hiss thin face begar
to kindle up, and his eyes to open, din
and dreary no longer, but vivid as light
ming, red as fire globes, and glaring as me-
teors, the whole SO was in the eye; the
full heart strained ont of his face. TheI
without bestowing an allusion upon Prem
tiss, he turned short around upon the pur
jured witnesses of Hopkins, tors their tes
timony into shreds, and hurled into theil
faces such terrible iuvectives that all trem
bled like aspens, and two of them fled from
the Court house. The excitement of the
crowd was becoming tremendous. Thei
united life and soul seemed to hang on thu
burning tongue of the stranger; he in
sspired them with the power of his malig
snant passions; he seemed to have stolen ma
kyres long hidden secret Of attraction.
But his greatest triumph was yet to come
His eyes began to glance at the assassin
Hopkins, as his lean, taper fingers assumed
the same direction. He bemmed tn
wretch with wall of strong evidence APT
.and impregnable argument, cutting off al
hope escape. He dug beneath the mur
~derer's feet bitches of dilemmas, and he'll
the slanderer mp to the scorn and contemp
of the populace. Having thus girt hin
about with circle of fire, he stripped 70