Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-07-18


No, sir; they have all deserted mo,
and am too poor to employ any more,'
replied the beautiful Mary, bursting into
tears.
In such case, will not some chival-
roas member of the profession volunteer2'
sand the Judge, glancing around the bar.
'Ihe thirty lawyers were silent.
Il will, your honor said voice from
the thlckest part of the crowd, behind the
bar.
AT the sound Of the voice many started
1T was so unearthly, sweet and mourn
| full.
The first sensation was changed into
laughter when a tall, gauut, spectral 6g-
ure elbowed his way through the crowd,
and placed himself within the bar. His
clothes looked so shabby that the court
hesltated to let the case proceed under his
management.
| Has your name been entered on the
rolls OF the State 2 demanded the Judge.
! 1t is immaterial,' answered the stran-
ger, his thin, bloodless lips curling up
with sheer. Here is my license from
the highest tribunal in America p and he
handed the Judge broad parchment.
The trial went on.
lie suffered the witnesses to tell their
own story, and he allowed the defence to
lead of. Ashley spoke first, followed by
Pike and Prentss. The latter brought
the house down in cheers, in which the
jury joined.
! 1t was now the strangers turn. He
rose before the bar, not behind it, and 80
near the wondering jury that he might
touch the foreman with his long boay
finger. He proceeded to tear to pieces the
arguments OF Ashley, which melted away
at his touch like frost before un-beam
every one looked surprised. Anon he
came to the dazzling wit of the poet law
yer Pike, Then the curl of his lip grew
sharper, his smooth face began 70 kindle
up and his eyes to open, dim and dreary
no longer, but vivid as lightning, red as
fire globes, and glazing as twin meteors.
The whole soul was in the eye; the full
heart streamed out of his face. Then,
without bestowing an illusion to Prentiss.
he turned short around on the periured
witnesses of Hopkins, tore their testimony
into threads, and hurled in their faces such
terrible invectives that all trembled like
aspens, and two of them fled from the
court house. The excitement of the crowd
was becoming tremendous. Their united
lie and soul seemed to hang upon the burn
ing tongue of the stranger, and he inspired
them with the power of his passions. He
seemed to have stolen natures, long hid
den secret of attraction. But his greatest
triumph was to come.
His eyes began to glance at the assas-
SIN Hopkins, as if his lean, taper fingers
assumed the same direction. He hemmed
the wretch with a wall of strong evidence
and lmpregnasle argument, cutting off all
nope OF escape. He dug beneath the muir
derer's feet bitches of dilemmas, and held
up the slanderer to the scorn and contempt
OF the populace. Having thus girt him
about with a circle of fire, he stripped him.
self to the work of massacre.
Oh! then it was vision both glorious
and dreadful to behold the orator. His
actions became as impetuous as the mo-
ton OF an oak in hurricane. His voice
became trumpet filed with wide whirl-
pools, deatenlng the ears with the crashes
OF power, and yet intermingled all the
while with sweet undersong of the soft
est cadence. His forehead glowed hike a
heated furnace, his countenapce was bag
gard like that of a maniac, aud ever and
anon he flung his long and bony arms ON
high as IT grasping after thunderbolts.
lie drew picture of murder in such
appalling colors that in comparison, hell
Itself might seem beautiful ; he painted
the slanderer so black that the sun SEEM
ed dark at MONDAY, when shining on
such monster. And then fixing both
portraits on the shrinking Hopkins, fast
ened them there forever. The agitation
OF the audience amounted almost to mad
ness.
All at once the speaker descended from
the perilous height. His voice walled
out for the murdered dead and living-the
beautiful Mary, more beautiful every mo-
ment as her tears flowed faster, till men
wept and sobbed like children.
He closed by strange exhorbitation to
the jury, and through them to the by
ISLANDERS; he advised the panel, after they
should bring in verdict for the plaintiff,
not to offer violence to the defendant,
however richly he might deserve it in
other words "not to lynch the villain,
but leave his punishment with God.n-
This was the most artfu trick of all, and
best calculated to insure vengeance.
The jury rendered verdict of fifty
thou'and dollars and the night after
wards, Hopkins was taken out of his bed
by lynchers and beaten almost to death.
As the court adjourned the stranger said:
John Taylor will preach here this
evening at early candle light"
He did preach, and the house was
crowded. have listened to Clay, Web
'ter and Calhoun-to Dwight, Bascom
and Beecher-but never heard anything
n the form of sublime words, even, APP
oroximatng, to the eloquence of John