Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-08-08
The Volunteer Counsel.
A THRILLING STORY,

John Taylor was licensed, when youth of
| twenty-five, 60 practice at the bar. He was
poor but well educated, and possessed extra
| ordinary genius He married beauty, who
afterw ards deserted him for another.
On the 9th of April, 184O the courthouse
IN Clarksville, Texas, was crowded to over
flowing. An exciting was to be tried.
George Hopkins. wealthy planter, had Of
tered a gross insult to Mary Ellison, the young
and beautiful " ife of his overseer. The hus-
band threatened to chastse him fot the out
rage, when Hopkins went to Ellison's house
| and shot him at his own door. The murder
| er was balled to answer the charge. This oc
currence produced great excitement, and Hop
kIns, in order to turn the tide of popular in
dignatIon, had circulated reports against her
character, and she had sued him for slander.
Both suits were pendI- g-for murder and
| SANDER.
| The interest became deeper when it became
known that Pike and Ashley of Arkansas,
and ). 5. Prentiss, OF new Orleans, by enor-
nous fees, had been retained to defend Hop
kins.
Hopkins acquitted. The Texas lawyers
| were overwhelmed by their opponents. 1t
| was the fight OF dwarf against giant.
| The slander case was for the 9Th, and the
| throng of spectators grew IN number well
| as excitement public opinion was setting in
| nesses who served his powerful advocates
When the slander case was called Mary Eli
son was left without attorney-all had
Withdrawn.
g Have you no counsel ?" inquired Judge
Mills, looking kindly at the plaintiff.
'' No, sir, they have all deserted me, and l
am too poor to employ any more" replied the
beautiful Mary, bursting into tears.
q In such case, will not some ohivalrous
| >E.or Il
| the judge, glancing around the bar.
Tne thirty lawyers were silent.
g will, your HONOR said q voice from
the thIckest part of the crowd, behind the bar.
AT the sound of that many started-it was
unearthly, sweet and mournful.
The first sensation was changed into laugh
ter, when "a tall, gaunt, figure elbowed his
way through the crowd, and placed himself
within the bar. His clothes looked so shabby
that the court hesitated to let the case pro-
ceed through his management. q
Z" Has your name been entered on the rolls
of the State?' demanded the judge.
" 1t is lmmaterial, =" answered the stranger,
his thin bioodless lips curling with a sneer.
s. Here Is my hcence from the highest tri-
bunai OF America " and he handed the Judge
a broad parchment. The trial went on.
He allowed the witnesses to tell their story,
and the defense to lead off. Ashley spoke first,
then followed by Pike and Pren,iss. The lat
ter brought the house down in cheers, 10
which the jury joined.
1t was now the strangers turn he rises
before the bar, not behind it-and 80 near the
wondering jury that he might touch the fore
man with his long bony fingers. lie proceed
ed to tear to pieces the arguments OF Ashley,
which melted away at his touch like frost
before a sunbeam every one looked surprised.
Anon he came to the dazzling wit of the poet
lawyer, Pike. Then the curl of his lip grew
sharper, his smooth face began to klndle, and
MS eyes to open, dim and dreary no longer,
but vivid lightning; red as fire globes, and
glarIng as twin meteors. Tue whole soul In
the eye, the full heart streamed out of his
face. Then, without bestOwlng an aliuslon
to Prentiss, he turned short around on the
perjured witnesses of Hopkins, tore their tes-
Ilinony into shreds, and hurled into their ia
cee such terrible invectlves that all trembled
like aspens, and two of them fled from the
courthouse. The excitement OF the crowd
was becoming tremendous Their united
souls seemed to hang upon the burning tongue
of the stranger he inspired them with the
power OF his malignant passion he seemed
to have stolen natures long hidden secret OF
attraction. But his greatest triumph was to
come.
His eye began to glance at the assassin,
Hopkins, and his lean taper finger assumed
the same direction. lie nemmeu the WIeCcu
with a wall of strong evidence and impregna-
bic argument, cutting off all hope OF escape.
lie dug beneath the murderer's feet bitches
of dilemma, and held the slanderer up 70 the
scorn and contempt of the populaoe. Hsv-
ing thus girt him about with circle of IRE,
| ne stripped himself to the work Of massacre.
| U then it was q vision both glorious and
dredful to behold the orator. His actions be-
came impetioos as the motion OF an oak In
hurricane. HIS voice became trumpet
filled with wild wirlpoOls, deafeDing the ear
with crashes of power, and yet intermingled
all the while with sweet undersong OF the
softest cadence. His forehead giowed like a
nea ted furnace. his countenance was haggard
IKE that OF maniac, and ever and anon he
flung bis long and bony arms on high a. IT
grasping alter thunderbolts.
lie drew a picture of murder in such col
ors that in comparison hell itself might be
considered beautiful he painted the SANDER
| er so black that the sun seemed dark at noon
day, when shining on such an accursed mon
ster, and then, liking both portraits on the
sinking Hopkins, fastened them there forever
The az ltatlOn of the audience nearly amount
cd to madness. l44h l.e- E.agt lr 9a---l
4 All 1t onoe the speaker descended from tht
lperilous height. His voice walled out for th'