The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1868-06-02

Col. Ashley spoke first. lie dealt the jury a
dish OF that close, dry logic. which years after
rendered him famous in the Senate of the Union
The poet, Albert Pike, followed, with rich
vein of wit, and hail-torrent of rdieule, in which
you may be sure neither the plaintiff nor the
plaintiff ragged Attorney, were either forgotten
or spared.
The great Prentiss concluded for the defend
ant with glow Of gorgeous words, brilliant as
shower of falling stars, and with final burst of
oratory that brought the house down with ap
plause, in which the sworn jury themselves
joined, Notwithstanding the stern ''order' of the
Bench. Thus wonderfully susceptible are the
Southwestern people to impassioned eloquence.
It was then the strangers turn. He had re-
maine1 apparently distracted during all the pre-
vious speeches. Still, and straight, and motion
less IN his seat, his pale, smooth forehead shoot
ing up high like mountain cone Of snow; but
for that eternal tvitch that came and went per
petually in his sallow cheeks, you would have
taken him for mere man of marble or human
form carved in ice. Even his dim. dreamy eyes
were invisible beneath those gray shaggy eye
brows.
But now, at last he rises before the bar-railing
not behind-and so near the wondering Jury
that he might have touched the foreman with
his long bony finger. With eyes still half shut
and standing rigid as pillar Of iron, his lips
in measureless scorn, slightly apart and the voice
comes forth. AT first it is low and sweet, in-
sinuating itself through the brain as tune wind
ing its way into the deepest heart like the melody
Of magic incantation; while the speaker pro
ceeds, without gesture the least sign of ex-
citement, to tear In pieces the argument of
Ashley, that dssolves and melts away at his touch
as frost before the sunlight. Every one looked
sod to1~, L. r
luminously true that the rudest peasant could
easily comprehend it.
Anon, he came to the dazzling wit of the poet
lawyer, Pike. The curl of his lips grew sharper,
his sallow face kindled up, and his eyes began to
open, dim and dreamy no longer, but vivid as
lightning, red as fire globes, and glaring like
twin meteors The whole soul was in the eye
the full heart streamed out on the face In five
minutes Pixies wit seemed the foam Of folly and
finest satire, horrible profanity, when contrasted
with the ininitabe sallies and exterminating
sarcasm Of the stranger interspersed with iests
and anecdotes that filled the forum with roars of
laughter.
Then, without so much as bestowing an allu-
sion on Prentiss he turned short on the perjured
witnesses of Hopkins, tore their testimony to
atoms, and hurled in their faces such terrible
invectives that all trembled as with an ague, and
two Of them actually fed d:smayed from the
court house.
The excitement of the crowd was becoming
tremendous. Their life and soul appeared 10
hang on the burning tongue Of the stranger
He inspired them with the power of his own
malicious feelings He seemed to have stolen
natures long hidden secret of attraction He
was the sun to the sea of motion which rose and
fell as he chose. But his great triumph was to
come.
His eyes began to glare furtively at the assas-
sin Hopkins, and his keen taper fingers slowly
assumed the same direction. He hemmed the
wretch in with decentralization Of strong evil
dence and impregnable argument, cutting off all
hope Of success. He piled up huge bastions of
insurmountablc facts
He dug beneath the murderer and slanderers
feet bitches of diemmas, as no sophistry could
overleap, and no stretch of ingenuity evade; and
having thus, as one might say, impounded his
victim and girt him about like corp on in
circle of fire, he stripped himself to the
Oh then, but it was vision both glorious
and dreadful to behold the orator. His actions
before graceful as the waves of golden willow
in the breeze, grew as impetuous as an oak in the
hurricane. His voice became trumpet filled
with wild whirlpools, deafening the ear with
crashes Of power, and yet interminglng all the
while with sweet under-song Of the sOftest
cadence. His face Was as red as drunkard's,
his countenance looked haggard like that Of
maniac, and ever and anon he flung his long,
bony arms high if grasping after thunder
bolts. He drew picture of murder in such ap-
paling colors, that in comparison he'll itself might
be considered beautiful. He painted the SIAN
derer 50 black that the sun seemed dark atnoon-
day, when shining on such an accursed monster;
! hac al h1th hac ipk
ing brow of Hopkins that he nailed them there
forever. The agitation of the audience now
nearly amounted to madness.
All at once the speaker descended from his
perilous height. His voice walled out for the
murdered dead. and the living, beautiful Mary
more beautiful every moment, as her tears flowed
faster, till men wept and lovely women sobbed
like children
He closed by strong cxhortation to the jury
and through them to the bystanders. He en-
treated the pannel. after they should bring in a
verdict for the plaintiff, not to offer violence to
the defendant, though he might deserve it; in
other words, not to lynch the villain Hopkins
but to leave his punishment to God. This was
the most artful trick of ALL and best calculated to
insure vengeance.
The jury returned verdict of fifty thousand
dollars, and the night afterwards Hopkins was
taken of his bed by lynchers, and beaten nearly
to death
l have listened to Clay, Webster and Cal
houn-to Dewy, Tying and Baseom-but have
never heard anything in the form of sublime
words even remotely approximating to the elo-
quence Of John Taylor-nassive as a cateract OF
fire. And this is the unanimous opinion Of all
who ever heard that truly marvellous man.
TR.DE IN DRIED FRUIr-Within the last