The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-04-18

The opening speech fer the defense was quiet
and grave reminder of . sort of legal eloquence
that was trite forty years ago. II brought to
mind. in its stately periods, dispassionsteiy.
nationally, concisely uttered, the days Of Mar
shall, Kent and Story.
Mr. Curtis IL a man without smile or a trjfIe.
Somber In his vestufe, purple IL his color. He 10
very like Daniel Webster In stature, face and
manner. He seldom walks in anybody's compa-
ny-but with slow, deliberate stride, leaning on
a cane, he comes along to the Capitol, ponder
ously mounts the steps, wipes his forehead In the
anfe-room, and, entering the Senate sits 10 con-
dition Of vieilant retirement, like turkey COB
bier bottling his rage and working his craw. He
exchanges no words with his legal brethren. II
he Is introduced TO anybody Ia any pause or re-
cess. he shakes hands with that gravity that Web
sfer used TO revel In. He weighs about hundred
and ninety pounds perhaps more. Nature gave
il fine old liver color. He perspiTes with great
freedom, but never through excitement. His
paunch is stately; his cloth CATERS are eminently
legal; no gold seal disturbs the occurrences Of his
vest his blue eyes retreat into his brows and his
head into his standing color, and he listens like
pbosphorescent bulldog Ia dark celler. Such
Is Judge Curtis, with the additions of straight,
brown hair. and face smoothly shaven.
Rising to speak, there were about twenty books
Of reference before him. He put his hands on
the baize table. looked bis gloomy grandest, and
began with the manner Of q funeral GRAFTON. His
voice Is not strong, but naturally trained BY the
temperament OF the ran, aud pitched upon the
SINE easy key, 1t reaches the ear very pleasantly
and strives to do no more. Al IL carried 90 It's
calm burden Of argument at an equal pace, the
minds OF ali Of us left the domain Of politics. and
rose with its csdences into the atmosphere Of
law. Insensibly we all began to feel that Gen.
Buffers speech, which we all had supposed q
great performance, had been no more than q
fmart audacity. This old time man, never In
hurry, never 10 zeal. addressed hmcen to the
supposition that his suditors were all learned and
sef.respecting gentlemen. Every time he said
"senstorsi !" he made cold chill 60 through the
Senate; for during the past two weeks one half
the senators have forgotten their rank. l venture
the superstition that this speech got more respect
ia every senator's silent mind than any utterance
Of his own has had for year past. did not fol-
low II clearly enough to tell you the effect Of Il as
an argument. But 1t did this-which Butler. Stan
berry, Wilson and Bingham had failed TO dot re-
minded the Senate Of itseIf and OF the occasion.
Everything that had been said before grew little
and mean after Curtis had talked an hour. In all
that time be never changed his place, never fall
tered for word, nor used any undignifed ex-
preston whatsoever. Judge Chase heard the
argument with the gravest care. II was study
TO look at the chief justice and the solid old
pleader, taking his time SO tremendously.
lWasbngfon POM enee Cincinnati Commercial