The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-04-14

. haFO> Qc>crtcQ lifO lot anolncr-
On the 9Th OF April, lS40, the Court house
in Clsrksyille, Texas, was crowded 10 over
flowing. An exciting case was 10 be tried.
/. George Hopkins, = wealthy planter, had
/ offered gross insult 10 Mary Ellison. the
Young aud beautiful wife Of his overseer
The husband threatened TO ehastise him for
the outrage, when Hopkins went TO Ellison's
house and shot him at his own door. The
murderer was arrested and hailed 10 answer
the charge. This occurrence produced great
( excitement, and Hopkins in order TO turn
I the tide Of popular indignation, had circula-
I ted reports against Mrs ElliSon's character,
Z and she had sued him for SANDER. Both
I suits were peIding-for murder and SANDER
/ The interest became deeper, when II was
known that Ashley and Pike, Of Arkansas,
l and ;. 5 PrentiSS, of New Orleans, BY enor-
nous fees, had been retained TO defend Hop
. kins, On the trial for murder, Hopkins was
I acquitted The Texas lawyers were over
wbelmed by their opponents. 1t was fight
I of dwarf against giants.
( The slander suit was for the 9th, and the
throng OF spectators grew in number as In
excitement Public excitement was setting
in Tor Hopkins; his money had procured
witnesses who served his powerful advocates
When the slander case was called Mary Eli
son was LETT without an attorney; all had
withdrawn.
"Haye you no eounsel!n inquired Judge
Mills. looking kindly at the plaintiff
No sir; they have all deserted me, and
am too poor to employ any more" replied
the beautiful Mary, bursting into tears
:" 10 such 4 case, will not some chivalrous
member volunteeryi said the Judge, glan-
cling around the bar
The thirty lawyers were silent
- will your HONOR said q voice from the
thickest part of the crowd, behind the bar
AT the sound oS the voice many started-it
HI -
first sensation was changed into laughter,
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
" Has your name been entered on the rolls
Of the State?' demanded the Judge.
1t is immateriaI," answered the stranger,
his lips curling with q sueer
" Here is my license from the highest trib-
unsl in American and be handed the Judge
broad parchment
The trial went on He suffered the wit
nesses TO tell their own story and he allowed
the defense TO lead of. Ashley spoke first,
followed by Pike and Prentiss. The latter
brought the house down in cheers, in which
the jury joined. II was now the strangers
turn. Hs rose before the bar not behind it,
and so 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 away
al his touch like frost before sunbeam; every
one looked surprised Anon be came to the
dazzling wit Of the poet-lawyer Pike. Then
the curl Of his lip grew sharper, his smooth
face began to kindle up aud his eyes to open,
dim and dreary no longer, but vivid as light
ming, red as fire globes, and glaring as twin
meteors. Tue whole soul was in the eye;
the full heart streamed out Of his face. Then,
without bestowing an allusiOn TO Prentiss,
be turned short around on the perjured wit
nesses Of Hopkins, tore their testimony into
threads, and hurled into their faces such ter
ri0le inyectives that all trembled like aspens,
and two of them fed 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
the stranger, and he inspired them with the
power Of his passions He seemed to have
spoken natures long hidden secret of aitrae-
ton. But his greatest triumph was TO come.
Bis eyes began to glance at the assassin
Hopkins, as his lean, taber fingers assumed
the same direction. He hemmed the wretch
within a wall of strong evidence and impreg-
nable argument, cutting of all hope Of es-
cape. He dug beneath the murderer's feet
bitches Of dilemmas, and held up the slanderer
to the scorn and contempt of the populace.
Having thus girt him about with a circle Of
fire, he stripped himself TO the work Of
massacre.
Oh then II was a vision both glorious and
dreadful to behold the orator. His actions
became as impetuOus as the motion of an
oak in a hurricane. His voice became q
trumpet filed with wild whirlpools deafen-
ing the ears with crashes of power, and yet
intermingled all the while with asweet under
tone of the sOftest cadence. His forehead
glOwed like heated fUrnance, his counten-
ance was haggard. like that OF maniac, and
ever and anon lie flung his long bony arm on
high, as il grasping after thundeTbolts.
He drew a picture Of murder in such apal-
ling color that In comparison, hell Itself
might seem beautiful. He painted the slam
derer so black that the sun seemed black at
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 almost
to madness.
All az once the speaker descended from the
perilous height. His voice walled ont for
the murdered dead and living, the beautiful
MARY, more beautiful every moment as her
tears flowed faster, till men wept and sobbed
Ike children. He closed BY a strange exhor-
tafion to the Jury and through them to the
bystanders; be advised the panel. after they
should bring In q verdict for the plaintiff not
to offer violence to the defendant, however
richly be might deserve IL; in other words
q not to lynch the villain, but leave his pun
ishmeni with God" This was the most art
ful trick Of all, ana best calculated to insure
vengeance. The jury rendered verdict Of
$4,000; and the night sfterward, Hopkins
was taken out Of bis bed by lyncheTs and beaT
ten almost {, death As the court adjourn
ed, the stranger said
"JOhn Taylor will preach here this even
ing at early candle light
He did preach and the house was crowded.
have listened 10 Clay, Webster and Cal
Dwight, Bsscom and Beecher-but
never heard anything In the form Of sublime
words, even spproximatiHg to the eloeuenee
Of John TayIOr-massive as a mountain, and
wildly rushing as cataract Of fire.
TVu.rpa Gorne verv fn4era.ff.,s fnf,rrna