Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1866-01-23
The Volunteer Counsel.

poor but well educated, and possessed extraor-
binary genius. He married beauty who after
wards deserted him for another.
On the 9th Of April, $780, the Courthouse
IN Clarksville, Texas, was crowded to over
flowing. An exciting case was about to be tried
Gen. Hopkins, wealthy planter, had offered
gross insult to Mary Ellison, the young and
beautiful wife of his overseer. The husband
threatened to chastise him for the outrage,
when Hopkins went to Ellison's house and shot
him in his door. The murderer was arrested
and balled tosanswer the charge. This occur
renee produced great excitement, and Hop
kins In order to turn the tide of popular indig-
nation, had circulated reports against her char
acter, and she had sued him for SANDER Both
suits were pending murder and for SANDER
The interest became deeper when it was
known that Ashley and Pike, of Arkansas, and
). ). Prentiss, Of New Orleans, by enormous
fees, had been retained to defend Hopkins.
Hopkins was acquitted The Texas lawyers
were overwhelmed by their opponents, it was
light OF dwarfs against giants
The SANDER suit was for the 9th, and the
throng OF spectators grew in numbers as well as
excitement; public opinion was setting in for
Hopkins; his money had procured witnesses
who served his powerful advocates. When the
SANDER case was called, Mary Ellison was left
without an attomey-all had withdrawn
Hare you no counsel?' inquired Judge
/ Millet, looking kindly at the plaintiff.
| mo- sir, they have deserted me, and I am
too poor to employ any MORE" replied the
beautiful Mary, bursting into tears
t In such case, will not some chivalro,is mem
/ Der of the bar volunteer?' said the Judge,
glanclng around the bar.
The thirty lawyers were silent
L will, your honor, F" said voice from the
thiekest part Of the crowd behind the bar
AT the sound Of that voice many started-it
was SO unearthly, sweet and mournful
The hrst sensation was changed into laughter,
when tall, gaunt, spectral 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 proceed
under his management.
Has your names been entered on the rolls
of the State?' demanded the Judge.
1t is immaterial, answered the stranger, his
thin, bloodless lips curling up with fendish
sheer. Here is my license from the highest
tribunal in America p and he handed the Judge
broad parchment.
The trial went on
He suferered the witnesses to tell their own
story, and he allowed the defence to lead off,
Ashley spoke first, followed by Pike and Prem
tiss. The latter brought the house down with
cheers in which the jury joined
1t was now the stranger turn; he rises-be-
fore the bar, not behind it-and so near the
wondering jury, that he might touch the fore
man with his long bony fingers. He proceed
ed to tear to pieces the arguments of Ashley,
which melted away at his touch. like frost be-
fore sunbeam Every one looked surprised.
Anon he came to the dazzling wit of the lawyer,
Pike--the curl of his lip grew sharper, his thin
face began to kindle up, and his eyes to open,
dim and dreary no longer, but vivid as light
ming, red as fire globes, and glazing as meteors,
the whole soul was in the eye; the full heart
| streamed out Of his face. Then, without be-
slowing an allusion to Prentiss, turned short
around on the perjured witnesses Of Hopkins,
tore their testimony into shreds, and hurled in
to their faces such terrible inyectives that all
trembled like aspens, and two Of them fed
from the court house. The excitement of the
crowd was becoming tremendous Their united
life and soul seemed to hang on the burning
tongue of the stranger, he inspired them with
the power Of his malignant passions: he SEEM
ed to have stolen nature long hidden secret of
attraction But his greatest triumph was to
come.
His eyes began to glance at the assassin,
Hopkins, as his lean taper fingers assumed the
same direction He hemmed the wretch with
a wall of strong evidence and impregnable
argument, cutting off all hope Of escape He
dug beneath the murderer feet bitches of di-
lemma, and held the slanderer up to the scorn
and contempt of the populace Having thus
grit about him with circle Of fire, he stripped
Tor the massacre.
Oh, then it was vision both glorious and
dreadful to behold the orator. His actions be-
came as mpetuous as the motions of an oak iii
hurricane His voice became a trumpet filed
with wild whirlpools, deafening the ear with
crashes OF power, and yet lntermingled all the
while with q sweet undersong of the softest
cadence. His forehead glowed like heated
hoo II,
OF a maniac, and ever and anon he flung his
long, bony arms on high as if graspng after
thundcrbolts,
He drew a picture of murder in such appalling
cofors, that in comparison he'll Itself might be
considered beautiful; he painted the slanderer
so black that the sun seemed dark at MONDAY,
when shining on such an accursed monster;
and then fixing both portraits on the shrinking
Hopkins, fastened them forever The agita-
ton OF the audience nearly mounted to mad
ness.
All at once the speaker descended from the
perilous height His voice walled out for the
murdered dead and llving-the beautiful Mary,
more beautiful every moment, sas her tears
flowed faster, till men wept and sobbed like
children
He closed by strange exhortaton to the iu-
ry, and through them to the bystanders he
| advised the PANEL, after they should bring in
verdict Tor the plaintiff not to offer violence to
the defendant however richly he may deserve
it; in other words, mot to lynch the william, but
leave his punishment to God. +" This was the
most artful trick of all, and best calculated to
insure violence.
The jury returned verdict of fifty thousand
dollars and the night afterwards Hopkins was
taken out Of bed by lynchers and beaten almost
to death. As the court adjourned, the stran-
ger said, John Taylor will preach here this
evening, at early candle~light." He did preach
and the house was crowded have listened
to Clay, Webster and Calhoun-to Dwight,
Bascomb and Beecher-but never heard any
thing, in the form Of sublime words, even re-
motey approximating to the eloquence Of John h
Taylor-massive as a mountain, and wildly
rushing as cataract of fire.
| Here is beautiful sentence from the pen Of
Cnleridne Nnthiua can be more elnnuert-