Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-01-27
THE VOLUNTEER COUNSEL,
A ThrlIling story.

/
another,
On the 9th OF April, 1910, the court house
\ in Clarkville, Texas, was crowded to over
flowing. An exciting case was to be tried
George Hopkins, wealthy planter, had
offered a grossinsult to Mary Ellison, the
Young and beautiful wife of his overseer
| The husband threatened to chastise him for
the outrage when Hopkins went to Elison's
house and shot him in his own door. The
murderer was arrested and bailed to an
swer the charge. This occurrence pro-
duced great excitement, and Hopkins in or
der to turn the tide o. popular indignation,
had circulated reports against her charac-
ter, and she had sued him for slander. Both
suits were pending-for murder and SLAM
der.
The interest became deeper when it was
known that Ashleo and Pike, Of Arkansas,
and S. S. Prentiss, ofNew Orleans, by enor-
nous fees, had been retained to defend
Hopkins.
Hopkins was acquitted The Texas
LAWYERS were overwhelmed by their oppo-
nents, 1t was fight of dwarf against
giants. .
throng OF spectators grew in numbers as
in excitement Public opinion was setting
in for Hopkins, his money had procured
witnesses who served his powerful alvo-
Gates. When the SANDER case was called,
Mary Ellison was LETT without an attorney
ALI had withdrawn.
"Have YOU no counselP" inquired Judge
Mills, looking kindly on the plaintiff.
mo sir; they have all deserted me, and l
am too poor to employ any more" replied
the beautiful Mary, bursting into tears
"In 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 thickest part OF the crowd behind the
bar.
At the sound of the voice many start
edit was so unearthly, sweet and mourn
full.
The first sensation was changed into laugh
ter, when n tall, gaunt spectral figure
elbowed his was through the crowd, and
placed himself within the bar. His clothes
looked so shabby that the court hesitated
to let the case proceed under his manage
ment.
Has your name been entered on the rolls
of the State ?" demanded the Judge.
'It is immnterial," answered the stran-
ger, his thin, bloodless lips curling up with
q sneer.
'Hero is my license from the highest tri-
bunal in Americaw andhs handed the Judge
n broad parchment
The trial went on.
He suffered the witnesses tell their own
story, and heallowed the defense to lead Oft
Ashley spoke first followed by Pike and
Prentiss. The latter brought the house
down in cheers in which the jury joined.
It was now the strangers turn. He rose
before the bar, not behind it, and 80 near
the wondering jury that he might touch
the foreman with his long bony finger. He
proceeded to tear to pieces the arguments
of Ashley which melted way at his touch
like frost before sunbeam, Every one
looked surprised Anon he came to ihe daz-
cling wit of the poet lawyer Pike. Then
the curl on his lip grew sharper, hissmooth
face began to kindleup and his eyes to open,
dim and dreary no longer but vivid as light
ming, red as fire globes, and glaring as twin
meteors The whole soul was in his eye;
the full heart streamad out of his face.
Then without bCstowing an allusion to
Prentiss, he turned short around on the
periured witnesses of Hopkins tore their
testimony into threads, and hurled in their
faces such terrible invectives that all trem-
bled like aspens, and two Of them fled from
the court house. The excitement Of the
crowd was becoming tremendous. Their
united life and soul seemed to hang upon
the burning tongue 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 come.
His eyes began to glance at tie assassin
Hopkins, as his lean taper fingers assumed
the same direction, He hemmed the wretch
within wall of strong evidence and i'm
pregnable Argument cutting off all hope of
escape He dug beneath the murderer's
feet bitches Of dilemmns, and held up the
slander to the scoTn and contempt of the
populace Having thus girt him about with
a circle of fire, he stripped hinself to the
work ofmassacre.
Oh then it was vision both glorious and
dreadful to behold the orator. His actions
became as impetuous as the motion OF an
oak in hurricane. His voice became q
trumpet filled with wild whiTlpools, deafen-
ing the cars with crashes of power, and yet
intermingled all the while with sweet I'M
dersong of the softest cadence. His fore
head glowed like heated furnace, his
countenauce 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-
palling colors that, in comparison hell it
self might seem beautiful, lie painted the
slanderer so black that the sun seemed dark
at MONDAY. when shining on such mon
ster. And then fixing both portraits on the
shrinking Hopkins fastened them there for
ever. The agitation of the audience
amounted almost TO madness,
All at once the speaker descended from
the penlous height. His voice walled out
for the murdered dead and living-the beau
tifu. Mary more beautiful every moment
as her tears flowed faster and faster, till men
wept and sobbed like children.
He closed by strange exhortation to the
jury, and through them to tho bystanders;
the panel, after they should bring in ver-
dict for the plaintiff not to offer violence to
the defendant, however richly he might de-
serve it, in other words mot to lynch the
villain, but leave his punishment to God"
This was the most artful trick of all, and
best calculated 10 insure vengeance.
The jury rendered q verdict of fifty thou
sand dollars; and the night afterward Hop
kins was taken out of his bed by the lynch
ers, and beaten almost 10 DEATH AS the
court adjourned the stranger said:
'John Taylor will preach here this even
ing Mt early candle light.
He did preach and the Louise was crowd
ed. have listened to Clay, Webster and
Calhoun-to Dwight, Bascom and Beecher
but never heard anything in the form Of
sublime words even approximating to the
eloquence of John Taylor-massive as a
mountain, and wildly rushing as q cataract
of fire.
A Wedding Jaunt.
From Hawtberne's Note Book
Left Pittsield at o'clock in the Ben
nington stage, intending togo to Williams