The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-02-10
THE FIRESIDE.
The Volunteer COunsel-A Thrilling
Story.

u AA0 Il A&OASA~As
The Volunteer COunsel-A Thrilling
John Taylor was licensed, when a youth
of twenty one, to practice at the bar. He
was poor, but well educated, and possessed
extraordinary genius. He married II beauty
who afterward deserted him for another.
On the 9th OF April, 1870, the court house
in GAINESVILLE, Texas, was crowded to over
flowing. An exciting case was to he tried.
George Hopkins, a wealthy planter. had
offered gross insult to Mary Ellison, the
young and beautiful 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
murderer was arrested and bailed to answer
the charge. This occurrence produced great
excitement, and Hopkins, in order to turn
the tide of popular Indignation, had circu-
lated 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.
1t was fight of dwarfs 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 wit
nesses who served his powerful advocates.
When the SANDER case was called Mary
Ellison was left without an attorney-all
had withdrawn.
"Havc you no counsel ?" inquired Judge
Mills, looking kindly on the plaintiff.
"No, sir; they have all deserted me, and
I am too poor to employ any MORE" replied
the beautiful Mary, bursting into tears.
In such case, will not some chivalrnus
member of the profession volunteer e said
the judge, glancing around the bar.
The thirty lawyers were silent.
81 viii, your honor" said voice from
the thlcket part of the crowd, behind the
bar
= At sound of the voice many started
it was so unearthly, sweet and mournful.
The first sensation was changed into
WHICH, tdIi, Sduht. opCCtldl
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 proceed under his manage
ment.
Has your name been entered on the
rolls of the StaIe 2" demanded the Judge
1t is immaterial," answered the stranger,
his thin, bloodless lips curling up with
sneer.
'9 Here is my license from the highest tri-
bunal in America !" and he handed the
Judge broad parchment.
The trial went on.
He suffered the Witness to tell their own
story, and he allowed the defence to lead
of. 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 reese
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 at his touch,
like frost before sunbeam. Every one
looked surprised. Anon he 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 and his eyes to
open, dim and dreary no longer, but vivid
as lightning, red as fire globes, and glaring
as twin tneteors. The whole soul was in
the eye; the full heart strealned out of his
face. Then without bestowing an allusion
to PFentiss, he turned short around on the
pegured 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 lie and soul seemed to hang upon
the burning tongue of the stranger, and he
inspired them with the power of his pas
elons. He seemed to have stolen natures
long hidden secret of attraction. But his
greatest triumph was to come.
His eyes began to glance at the assassin
Hopkins, as his lean, taper fingers assumed
me same direction. He hemmed the wretch
p within wall of strong evidence and i'm.
} pregnahle argument, cutting off all hope of
escape. He dug beneath the murderer,s
sfeet bitches of dilemmas, and held ND the
SANDER to the scorn and contempt of the
! Populace Having thus grit him about
win q circle OF fire, he stripped himself to
the work of massacre.
I'll On then 1t was a vision both glorious
and dreadful to behold the orator. His ac.
lions became as impetuous as the motion of
an oak in hurricane. His voice became a
trumpet filled with wild whirlpools deafen.
ing the cars with crashes of power. and vet
'ntermingled all the while with sweet I'm.
dersong of the softest cadence. His fore
mead glowed like a heated furnace. his
countenance was haggard, like that of a
maniac, and ever and anon he flung his long.
sony arm on high, as if grasping after tllun-
derbolts.
de drew picture of murder in such APP
palilng colors, that, in comparison, hell it.
self might seem beautiful he painted the
SANDER SO black that the sun seemed dark at
MONDAY, when shining on such monster.
And thcn fixing both portraits on the
shrinking Hopkins, fastened them there for
ever. The agitation of the audience amount
ed almost to madness.
~. All at once the speaker descended from
the perilous height. His voice walled out
4 for the murdered dead and liying-the beau
J hful, Mary more beautiful every moment
as her tears flowed fas.==FT and faster, till men
4 Tept and sobbsd like children. I.