The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-05-08
GlleGtteLli ij9RnFer
EVA-RTS.
His Person---His Appearance
His Manner. ~

Lilo = % APPOa4 oASS'
His Manner. ~ =
His Oratory---The Grandeur of
his Intellect and Learning.
tFronl Geo. Il. Te,p1l.end ia The clerssand
Leadsy.)
Mr.. Evarts, on the contrary,is aIittIe
being, the puniest son. perhaps-slen-
der as aaconsumptive, with flesh enough
upon him to keep his shoulders. firm,
with slopiug chest, and limbs to which
the muscles are mere chords. He does
not weigh, probably, more than hun
dred and ten pounds, wearing a pecu-
liar kindof crumpled and overturned
collar and stock, a black frock coat,
black figured SILK vest, and black
breeches, and boots. He seems to be a
careless legal gentleman, with old
fashioned ideas of plain clothes. Be
low the neck he Is all preacher, above
it, all thinker and lawyer. His head is
square, long and narrow. His FORE
head wears faint line or two of care
in it. He has nose which implies re-
sistance rather than vigilance, being
straight, almost square at the nostril,
and showing the pulse in it when
he is moved. He keeps his mouth
pinched; his eye Is full of distractions,
and dark and handsome. To look at
ulu dhuhe WOulu lehu you 10 say ne
is natural gentleman, but not of a
happy disposition. He takes too little
exercise and too much work. He is
not social enough, but he Is a precocious
little man, of enterprise becoming the
superb metropolis OF which he is chief
ornament. HIS mind is not cramped
by the law, but, by the law is led into
craftsmanship, science and the moral
government of the world. He is Re-
publican by enthusiasm, and far above
the party sense OF office-holding-aR Re-
publican OF the people and for the peo-
pie, with grave and far designs to see
them self-respecting, obedient TO the
restraints imposed uponthem by them
selves, and Influential by their love of
progress, their social graces, their love
OF country and liberty. With these
elements of character, Mr.. Evarts
found in New York city the proper
field for their display.
Before n brilliant audience, perhaps
more representative of the best of
America in intellect, social place, ply
steal beauty and attire than any ever
collected, this little manikin presented
himself. BE was nervous, as could be
seen by the shifting of his feet, the FREE
walking to-and-fro. just as the Court
was stilled, and all sympathy and ex-
pectation stood on tip: toe, Gen. Butler
arose with his Ruano grievance, though
what he proved, or how he proved it,
or what effect was made. except to an
nOy everybody is still a cOngndrum.
at last these twins of discourtesy
were silenced, and over their clouds of
miserable resentment, like a bright
soul released, the voice of Evart5 sped,
not loud, but clear, like the song OF the
E111 ffln1rs, n
dispute as If st. Paul had called in the
darkness to the jailor and the Jail. Mr..
Evarts kept his left hand thrust in his
skirt pocket, reaching straight down
behind his shoulder; his face was
brightness and thought together. The
imperspicuous. It was not plain what
he was seeking for. While we listen
ed, doubtfully, afraid that perhaps he
had prepared some fearful speech and
committed it, he struck the solid
ground of his argument and began to
lead us along.
Now the lamp oil, burnt for thirty
years, produced its treasures. Back,
like Aladdin, the pale, thin student
walked, rubbing the precious vessel so
long untrimmed and untitled, and
every vigil spent beneath its wick had
something to bestow. Down through
the nights of Youth came a little IA BILE,
learned and stored away, saying: 81
was not kept for nothing; use me nOwp
Out OF sick twilight, when TO read
was to suffer, and not to read WAS to
repine, crept solemn passage from
Pliuy, saying: sit was for this trial
that 1 was unconsciously written hum
dreds of years ago" Stalking out of a
library alcove, unseen these twenty
years, came Oliver Cromwell from the
siege of Ross, with q cruel Judgment,
never perhaps, till this day, used in
mercy's interests. And thus the desul-
tory. reading and the harder study of a
brave and earnest life returned, line
by line, precept by precept, to illus
trate, tighten, or strengthen an argu-
ment which struck through human
nature to the reason, the scruples, the
fears, and the patriotism of all the
jurors. The perfect method of it was
concealed by its exquisite art. Where
the reason had followed too closely or
too long, brilliant bit of repartee,
strain OF stinging satire, gave the eye
and the attention relief. Then the ma
gician dropped his bits of colored glass
again, and turned his telescope through
all the political systems, reading the
bright stars, reading darkness.
Law, human and immutable, and
history and destiny, the cry of public
opinion and the shadows of coming
events, the moral dynasties of rash
deeds, the searching eye of posterity,
all these were instanced with versatili-
ty, ease, and resources almost like
Shakespeare. Carried along before the
argument, the mind of the listener was
like a fugitive driven ahead of whole
army, with closed ranks, and TANKS
that Tapped with the horizons. Weary
and spent, he sees no, interstice for es-
cape. The cold steel marches like a
wall, but down its merciless perspec-
tiVes the standards wave most beauti-
fully. To the stately pulses of its
drums, with here and there u sharp
shooter, the great line swings along.
Beholdi here is ambush, where one
may hide. In Yainl the line OF battle
tramples 1t down. Lol here is raYine
evaded by the argument. Not sol
shell falls there and drives the fugitive
forth again. And SO, with admirable
tactics and exhaustive vigilance, arm
ed at all points, this argument OF
EvRrts kept its pace.
The next day, and the next, and the
fourth day he continued, like a sleep
less prodigy to whom thousand years
were but as day. In his simple ana
slender boyishness. sustained by notn-
in but a note or two-not even q glass
of understanding among the DOCTORS
| in the Temple, master and teacher OF
them all, it grew more beautiful 10 near
him every day. 1t was study ana an
inspiration, cheering our pride OF IN
tellect with this miracle of Its sym
metry and power. Each of ourselves
abashed, and proud of this exception
that made our kind more lustrous, we
listened as to a nightingale that sings
out of ito iIlmitable resource. Whence