The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-04-15

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black stock. he is exceedingly graceful In
manner. with the peculiar dignifel suavity Of
the gentleman Of the old school, and certain
air Of sweet simplicity about him which gives
both point and probability to sory current
in social circles. This is to the eject that
note addressed to his son, regueng 9lm 9a5 Il, 70
some mistake into the hands Of tie elder MIR.
Stanbery. who answered very politely with an
eynression of gratitude for the request and Of
regret that his professional engagements as
Attorney General would prevent hlsattempting
Just now the requirement OF new language.
Mr. sanbsEy can se Gosn and e ees
study of his bearing 10 the SENATE chamber,
one ia led to give more credit than would at
frat glance be accorded to the statement Of
those familiar with his home reputation-that
his strong point is not unlike General Buffers
own, in the faculty Of prompt retprt and the
power of making witnesses miserable. With
any one else than Mr.. Butler to oppose him,
think it quite likely that Mr.. Stalbery would
shine in these respects during the impeacb
ment trial: but ready as MIR. Stan9ry is, Mr..
Butler is SO much more ready, and into the
bargain more audacious and lit exactly the
proper word may be excusedl more brutal, IN
an encounter Of WITS, that little is hft for Mr.
Stanbery but to sit astonished at the fusillade
of his antagonist. An instance occurs to me
| which. though it does not cover all 1have said,
will shed little light in this connection. Mr..
| Butler proposed to introduce Mr.. Johnson's
letter to Mr. McCulloch, written last August,
announcing MIR. stanton's suspension In COM
pliance with the Tenure of-of6ce lav.-"show-
ing said the honorable manager with empha-
sis. 'sthe entire falsehood Of the respondents
| claim that he suspended the secretary under
the constitution and without recognizing the
validity of the law" Mr.. Stahbery took the
letter and examined it.. "We have 20 objec-
tion to the evidence" said he, 'sawe see no
falsehood there, no 1nconslstency" But the
hood" said Mr.. Butler, pointedly, ISIS not in
the letter; it is in the answer putting the
point much more clearly than it would have
rested had Mr.. Stanbery said nothing about it.
It remains to be said only that the Presidents
chief legal adviser is good speaker, though
once clear, flexible and tender; and that his
final argument in this, the greatest case Of his
life, will be well]worth listening to, wlsther the
auditors sympathies lean to his side or to the
other.
HON. B. B. CURTIS.
Judge Curtis sits next at the Presidents ia
Bile, and by his assignment to open the case
may be understood to rank second IN the list
of counsel. BE is so well known to your read
ers that may be pardoned for abstaimng from
any personal description Of him, beyond what
NAV be implied in the remark that he is the
object OF much close inspection from the gal
leries BY newcomers in Washington, because
he is said to bear suggestive resemblance in
general appearance and build to his client, the
invisible centre OF the whole trial.. BE has
taken comparatively small part IN the duties
incident to the production of the case by the
managers; but in what he has said has carried
great weight from certain favor Of honesty
and fairness in his manner OF putting things.
II is as when Mr.. Choate, aware Of the preju-
dices of those whom he addressed, argued
case before jury of exceedingly practical far
mers, and was pronounced by one of them mo
great shakes of q speaker, but mighty honest,
straightforward man." This quality, Isuspect,
caused the selection Of Mr.. Curtis to present
to the Senate on Saturday the request for a
delay for preparation; and this, with the un-
expected moderation Of the petition, secured
the success of the effort, when an argument
for weeks time, uttered with the plausible
smoothness Of his associates, would have re-
suited in o refusal to grant more than sin
gle day.
wM. II. EvARTs.
I come to Mr.. Evarts, whose engagement
must be considered the msster-stroke OF the
Presidents defence thus far. His appearance
must at first glance be a surprise to every one
acquainted. with his fame as a lawyer, not
that one small head could carry all he knew"
but that so slender a frame could have sus-
tanned the tolls and studies which his Life
must have known. A very wisp of humanity,
so frail and slight that it seems as though the
next breeze must blow him away, one thinks Of
him inevitably as the victim Of some wasting
disease, until the voice from his thin lips,
clear and firm and bell-hke, assures the
nearer that there is Vgor behind the
sound contradicting the evidence of the
eye. Alexander q. Stephens is the only
man recently in public life with whom ply
.;aon,, l,o. oop ba cprnpo rad. thnuCh fharn 10
something about him which suggests the tradi-
tions of John Randolph, Of Roanoke. Mr..
Eyarts is the perfection Of q cross-examiner,
having q rare felicity of stating question
tersely and plainly, and at the same time a
subtle persuasiyeness which almost compels
the witness to answer as he wishes. He did not
lead the half dozen reporters whom he cate
untrustworthy and more likely to misinterpret
q speaker than to do him iustice-but it was
only because these gentlemen we're unexcep-
tionally clear-headed, self-possessed, and thor
oughly confident OF their art. With as many
carpenters I am sure he would, if he wished,
have obtained the admission that the houses OF
their construction would be very apt to tumble
over in case of high wind. While every inch
a gentleman, and never forgetting that he is
such, Mr.. Evarts is better fitted toGope with
the minor fencing of the other side Than is his
chief; he encounters General Butler with entire
coUlnesS and slight tlnSe OF Scorn, quite un-
like the amazement with which MIR. Stanbery
meets his guerrilla warfare, and sometimes even
gets the better of him little. The editor Of
the Cleveland Leader, it will be remembered,
testified that he had been aided by subordl-
nate reporter named Johnson in making up his
report. Some time after and when most peo
pie had forgotten that point in the testimony,
lIr. Butler was asking the witness as to the
eolloquy between the excited President and the
crowd below the balcony:
Estate what the crowd said and what john
son said"-said he with habitual bluntness.
1.-The honorable manager should state wheth-
er he means the President or whom else, when
he saws Johnson said Mr.. Evarts.
sThere is no other Johnson in this case,
believe" retorted Mr.. Butler.
sThe witness has just testified that one
Johnson assisted him IN making up his notes."
said Mr.. Evarts.
"Ah"-returned Mr.. Butler, evidently recog-
nizing the hit-"Very well, I mean -indreD
Johnson. last aforesaid"
he recovered himself quickly, of course. but
think he appreciated the wit if not the force
Of the rebuke as it was administered; and l
noticed that he adhered to "Mr." or some
other title in referring to the President during
the rest of the day.
GRoEsBECK AND NELSON.
The other two members OF the Presidents
counsel have attended regularly through the
trial. but have said not word thus far and
cannot be considered as entitled to special de-
scription. Mr.. Groesbetk is O tall man, who
would be called slender but that he sits beside
Mr.. Eyarts, and appears stout in contrast. He
ia dominated as to his personal presence by a
rodigious nose Of the acquiline type, and there