Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1869-04-15
The Volunteer Counsel

John Taylor was licensed, when
a youth of twenty-one, to practice
at the bar. He was poor but we'll
educated and possessed of extra
ordinary genius. He married a
beauty who afterward deserted
him for another.
On the 9th Of April, l849, the
courthouse in Clarksville, Texas,
was crowded to overfowing. An
exciting case was to be tried
George Hopkins, q wealthy plant
er, had offered a gross insult to
Mary Ellison, the young and beau
tiful wife of his overseer. The
husband threatened to chastise
him for the outrage, when Hopkins
went to Ellison's house and shot
him in his own door. The MUIR
derer was arrested and bailed to
answer the charge. This occur
renee produced great excitement,
and Hopkins, in order to turn the
tide of popular Indignation, had
circulated reports against her char
acter and she had sued him for
slander. 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.
tPfentiss, Of New Orleans, by enor-
nous fees, had been retained to de-
fend Hopkins.
Hopkins was acquitted. The
Texas lawyers were overwhelmed
by their opponents. 1t was fight
of dwarf against giants.
The SANDER suit was 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
witnesses who served his powerful
advocates. When the SANDER case
was called, Mary Ellison was left
without an attorney-all had with
drawn.
"Have you no counsel p in
quired Judge Mills, looking kindly
on the plaintiff.
"No, sir; they have all deserted
me, and | 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 profess
sion volunteer ?" said the judge
glancing around at the bar.
The thirty lawyers were silent.
~ will, your honor" said a voice
from the thickest part of the
crowd, behind the bar.
At the sound of the voice many
started-it was SO unearthly, sweet
and mournful. The sensation was
changed into laughter when a tall,
gaunt, spectral figure elbowed his
way through the crowd, and placed
himself within the bar. His
clothes looked so shabby that the
court hesitated to let the case pro-
ceed under his management.
"Has your name been entered
on the rolls of the State? ?" de-
manded the Judge.
at is immaterial," answered
the stranger, his thin bloodless
lips curling up with a sneer.
"Here is my license from the
highest tribunal in America!" and
he handed the Judge q broad
parchment.
The trial went on,
He suffered the witnesses tc tell
their own story, and be allowed
the defence to lead off. Ashley
spoke first, followed by Pike and
Prentiss. 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 foreman
with his long bony finger. He
proceeded to tear to pieces the ar.
guments of Ashley, which melted
at his touch like frost before sun
beams. Every one looked sur
prised. Anon he came to the daz-
zling wit of the poet lawyer Pike.
Then the curl of his lip grew sharp
er, his smooth face began to kim
die up and his eyes to open, dim
and dreary no longer, but Wv
id as lightning, red as fire globes
and as glaring as twin meteors.-