The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-01-22

this outrage. Packed bystanders III uio pao
sage enjoying the luxury OF gIaeu,oT31H0 So l.o31a
Turkish bath, unclean humanity III sIo Sins, JnO
ries, all enter indignant protest, ana % inChress 81
White Whisker IS swept away Ii storm OF
bsses and groans, aud utter execrahon. a
dennfatiou from unclean humanity would
ike TO come down and take White Whisker
into their hands once for all. Rha damanthus-
in-Chief is indignant, and throws the corner aer
of his robe over Madame Innocence to protect
her. Finally, confounded, routed, horse halr
rumpled, claws broken, White Whisker sinks
down into his legal well, while the golden
haired Cenci retires, crowned with one partlng
salyo Of applause.
few days interval-for this dramatic per.
forrnance has spread itself over span OF
nearly a dozen days-and Major Mepms-
topheles has appeared in the witness pox TO
tell his story. A naughty, supe:cinous nghs,
ing man, boarding the hostile population, VINO
hem him in on all sides, with defiant scowl;
Unclean humanity in the galleries hunger and
| thirst to have him away. Already they have
fallen on some luckless wight outside, whom
they have mistaken for Mephistopheles, ana
| are hurrying him to muddy path III tne
river, when he is rescued. MepnlsG9pneles H ID
everything with o strange GOODNESS, unrolds
his schemes in hard, icy voice, and proclalms
| candidly that Madame Innocence was poor
common creature, of the earth, earthly, and,
on the whole, no better than she should be: Our
ears tingle as we hear him. We are mchnsu
still the junior barristerial element, by th!S
time infatuated-to cast lots who shall walt
for him outside. But there is retribution at
hand, for Little Sergeant, cracking, deton,
ating all over, is now at his throat. What
| strange feats he performs with that hapless
| officer. How he shrieks at hir1; what contra
| dictions he invoices him in; how ne wrlngs from
| him-though miserable Major strives to renee M
70
based morality; then let's him go. Unwashed
humanity hiss and groan eaca questlona9ie
senliment. and hoot him loudly as as he fades
out into Erebus.
II comes round at last to the final scenes
! voen II being known that brilliant Brlghtslde
is about to thunder, all the world rushes down
| to hear. His feats Parliamentary are wen
| known, and may be taken as earnest OF this
coming effort; and it has teen whispered
abroad that Brightside means to put his whole
soul into the speech, and nuke it. his best
work. Unhappy Deputy Rhadamanthus has
no peace, being pressed ferociously for slttlng
accommodation. Court has become endowed
| with o strange expanSlveness, ana, tCn! "
| bursting before, is now made to stretch ana
| hold about twice as many. a dozen or 30 OF
peers hem In Rhadamanthu s-ln- -Chet, ana
choke mn his little green pavilion. Barr1sterlai
element was heretofore thought to be packed
close with all economy OF space, but now Oy
means of hydraulic pressure, space Is maoe ouE
| for many riore I see undignlted exposure OIL
LEGAL legs. escaping from gowns, and swinging
in the air, while the legal bodies to wnlcn tney
belong are perched indecorously aloft on beams,
adherine heaven only knows how. am struoh
by faces, military beyond disL 1te, with beards
and moustaches clearly OF the dragoon pstter9,
clumsily disguised In the proiosslonal Mies -. ~
is darkly whispered that complete suit OF the
trsppings is to be had on hire for the sum u
half n crown. Witness box, Low disused, pre-
sents almost comic spectacle, being filled to
bursting with persons who have not come TO
give their testimony, and who stand togetner
sheepishly, pilloried as it were, exposed 10 the
gaze Of all, with bearing ludIcrously purpose
less and unmeaning. And here, now, hush
again. and let not pin fall fer some five hours
to- come: for Brightside has risen slowly, and
is going to begin. 500
At first, low, measured stream, artfuuy
snbdued. while he quietly ilsinuates himself
into our hearts. Gradually he begins to
warm, the color mounts to his cheeks, and his
long arms swing like the even beats OF pen
dulIim, and mark time melodiously. Pres
entiy. emily his yoic 'egins to roll in full, sonorous
billows. his ,ntences rise aad fall with
touching and melancholy mlsic, and the long
arms toss and beat the air with greater wild,
ness: he is fast warming End taking US all
with him. Gentlemen Of the jury, indeed! A
phrase iterated, perhaps, III compliment to
those twelve intelligent burghers suspended
in their gallery; but he is really speaking to
washed and unwashed, to The men with the
fluttering scraps Of paper, who arc now racing
after HIM for bare life. Withering denuncia-
tion. terrible iibbeting of hapless Major Me-
phistopheles. he scourges him with words,
as with fail; and his RS roll fearfully as ne
brands ''this wr-r-r-etched lnan;" he seems to
have been worrying him between his teeth
--.--.1., ood o{t Tn have f1rnP him
from him. Away with all the conven-
tlonal restraints and that pure sham
of respect for the established decencies! We
know that good-natured Rhadamanthus-in-
Chief is with us in his heart, and will not take
such disrespect unkindly. 80, as matter OF
course, when Brightside has wound up witn
some splendid climax, and has paused for one
second, our whole thoatre-,boxes, pit and gal
leries-bursts in stupendous crash Of encour-
sgement. Feeble gesture Of deprecation from
Deputy Rhadananthus-aa appeal more dd
rntse7acordidm, than menace OF the awful
terrors OF the court. Wovnryt the shape OF this
testimony Of our sympathies; now it is low
murmur, now q groan, now movement and
rustic OF bodies, popularly known as "sensa-
tom" periodically, the usual artillery crash OF
applause. Brightslde, now fully. launched,
rides upon the storm-is borne along trium-
phantly-his voice swings, too, in time with
those tossing arms of his. What tender music
What QrClul caQenC6S uuQ uJluS louS' pPAoA
did tragedianl Weep on, gentle ladies, es he
paints the sorrows Of his clientl His own tones
are not altogether unbroken. See his figure
now bent down crouchiny low, as II he were
about to 'd-r-rag" the body of his miserable
enemy from beneath the table. Hearken yet
again to his voice, now running in low sus-
tanned monotone, now piping shrilly in high
and curious treble. There, he is done--has
sunk down into his well, oxhausted--and we fly
TO our feet and cheer.
Yet one day more, and Rhadam manthus-in-
Chief proceeds to charge--clearly, earnestly
and considering how dreamy thing is view
ed, oratorically- certain power OK elo-
uuence. At times we are tempted to burs5 into
appreciation, but check ourselves in time, see
ing the indecorum Of the thing. Finally, it is
done, and the twelve intelligent men have with
drawn. Their gallery is. the only vacant place
now. Crafty White whisker, vifgilont to the
last is digging pitfall- is to say, III ton,
dering exceptions. We wait and wait on, until
the darkness has well set in, and the lamps are
lighted. they flare uritlly on the swart faces
of the grave unwashed, piled upon each other
in perfect wall of hum In countenance. Bar
risterial element chafes ind fumes, and by way
of relaxation, discusses the law Of the case. 1t
is .1mored that all access or egress is hopeless,
humanity outside having; been gathering and
gathering, filed up the halls and passages to
The broad streets outside-and the quays and
the bridges beyond that observation-disclosures
impassable for vehicles. But all wait patient
ly. Presently, after one hours expectancy, the