The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1869-05-13
THE VOLUNTEER COUNSEL.
A THRILLING STORY

OF twenty-one, to practice at the bar. III
was poor, but well educated, and possessed
extraordinary genus. He married beauty
who afterward deserted him for another.
On the 9th Of April, 1910, the courthouse
in GAINESVILLE, Texas, was crowded to over
flowing. An exciting case was to be tried
George Hopkins, . wealthy planter, had Of
fered gross insult to Mary Ellison, the
young and beautiful wife Of his overseer.-
The husband threatened to chastise him fol-
the outrage, when Hopkins went to Ellison's
house and shot him in his own door. The
murderer was arrested, and bailed to answer
the charge. This occurrence produced great
excitement, and Hopkins, in order to trun
the tide Of popular indignation, had circula-
ted reports against her character, and she
had sued him for SANDER Both suits were
pending-for murder and SANDER.
The interest became deeper, when it was
known that Ashley and Pike, of Arkansas,
and S. s. Prentiss, of New Orleans, by enor-
nous fees, had been retained to defend Hop
kins
Hopkins was acquitted. The Texas law
yers were overwhelmed by their opponents
It was fight Of a dwarf against giants.
The SANDER suits were for the 9th, and
the throng of spectators grew in numbers, as
in excitement. Public opinion was setting
in for Hopkins; his money had procured wit
nesses who served his powerful advocates
When the SANDER case was called, Mary Ell
lison was left without an attorney-all had
withdrawn.
"Have you no counsel 7" inquired Judge
Mills, looking kindly on the plaintiff.
/ "No, sir; they have all deserted me, and
l am too poor to employ any MORE" replied
the beautiful Mary, bursting into tears.
Gin such a case, will not some chivalrous
member of the profession volunteer ~ said
the Judge, glancing around the bar.
The thirty lawyers were silent.
81 will, your honor" said voice from the
thickcst part of the crowd behind the bar.
AT the sound of the voice many started
it was SO unearthly, sweet and mournful.
The first sensation was changed into laugh
ter when tall, gaunt, spectral figure elbowed
his way through the crowd, and placed him
self within the bar His clothes looked so
shabby that the court hesitated to let the case
proceed under his management.
elias your name been entered on the rolls
of the State 2" demanded the Judge
at is immaterial," answered the stranger,
his thin, bloodless lips curling up with
sneer. "Here is my license from the highest
tribunal in America" and he handed the
judge broad parchment.
The trial went on.
He suffered the witnesses to tell their own
story, and he allowed the defense to lead off,
Ashley spoke first, followed by Pike and
Prcntiss. The latter brought the house down
in cheers: in which the jury joined.
1t was now the strangers turn. He rose
before the bar, not behind it, and SO near the
wondering jury that he might touch the FORE
man with his long, bony finger. He proceed
ed to tear to pieces the arguments of Ashley,
which melted away at his touch like frost
before sunbeam. Every one looked sur
prised. Anon he came to the daszling wit Of
the poet-lawyer, Pike. Then the curl on his
lip grew sharper, his smooth face began to
kindle up, and his eye to open dim, and drea-
ry no longer, but vivid as tightening, red as
fire-globes, and glazing as twin meteors. The
whole soul Was in his eye; the full heat stream
ed out Of his face. Then, without bestow-
ing an illusion to Prentiss, he turned short
around on the perjured witnesses Of Hopkins,
tore their testimony into threads, and hurled
10 their faces such terrible iavectives that
all trembled like aspens, and two OF them
fed from the courthouse. The excitement
Of the crowd was becoming tremendous
Their united life and soul seemed to hang
upon the burning tongne Of stranger, and
he inspired them with the power Of his pas
sions. He seemed to have stolen natures
long hidden secret of attraction. But his
greatest Triumph was to 90 me.
His eyes began to glance at the assassin
Hopkins, as his lean, taper fingers assumed
the same direction. He bemmed the wretch
within wall of strong evidence and impreg-
nable argument, cutting off all hope Of es
cape. He dug beneath the murderers' feet
bitches of dilemmas, and held up the SANDER
er to the scorn and contempt of the populaee.
Having thus girt him about with circle Of
fire, he stripped himself to the work Of mas
sacre. .c fs is.l.s
Oh! then it was vision both glorious
and dreadful to behold the orator. His ac-
tons became as impetuous as the motion of
an oak in a hurricane His voice became a
trumpet filed With wild whirlpools, deafening
the ears with crashes Of power, and yet in
termingled all the while with sweet under
song Of the saftest cadence. His forehead
gloWed like heated furnace, his countenance
was haggard, like that of maniac, and ever
and anon he flung his long bony arm on high,
as if grasping after thunderbolts.
He drew picture of murder in such ap-
pal]ing colors chat, in canparisan, hell itself
might seem beautiful; he painted the SLAM
derer SO black that the sun seemed dark al
monday, when shining on such a monster
And then, fixing both portraits on the shrink
ing Hopkins, fastened them there forever
The agitation Of the audience amounted al
most to madness.
All at once the speaker descended from
Fthe perilous height. His voice walled ou
| for the murdered dead, and living beau
tiful Mary, more beautiful every moment al
her tears flowed faster and faster till men wep
and sobhed like children.
He closed by a strong exhortatlan to thu
jury, and through them to the hystandcrs
the panel, after they should bring in a yer
dict for the plaintiff, not to offer violence t
the. defendant, however richly he nigh
deserve tin other words, mot to lyncl
the villain, but leave his punishment to God.
This was the most artful trick Of all, and cal
culated to insure vengeance.
The jury rendered verdict Of fifty thou
sand dollars and the night aiterward, Hop