The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-02-09
THE VOLUNTEER COUNSEL,
!, THRILLING sTORY

DdT. lie was poor, DuG Well euucaCeu,
and possessed extraordinary genius. He
married beauty who afterwards deserted
him for another.
On the 9th of April, 1860, the Court
House in Clarksville, Texas, was crowd
ed to overlooking. An exciting case was
to be tried. George Hopkins, wealthy
planter had offered a gross insult to Mary
Ellison, the young and beautiful wife of
his oyerscer. 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 arrest 81 and baiied to answer
the charge. This occurrence produced
great excitement. aud Hopkins, in order
to turn the tide Of popular indignation,
had circulated reports against her char
acter, and she had sued him for SANDER
Both suits were pending, for murder and
slander. s.. ..... .-...,.. ......
The interest became deeper, when it
was known that Ashley and Pike, Of Ar
kansas, and S. S. Prentiss,, of New Or
leans, by enormous fees, had been re-
tanned to defend Hopkins "a.
Hopkins was acquitted The Texas
lawyers were overwhelmed by their op-
ponents. 1t was fight of a dwarf
against giants. .. ........
The SANDER suit was for the 9th, and
the throng of spectators grew in num-
bers 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without an attorney-all had withdrawn.
"Have you no .counsel?' inquired
Judge Mills, looking kindly at the plain
tiff.
"No, sir; they have all deserted me,
and am too poor to employ any more ,
replied the beautiful Mary, bursting into
tears. --- ,.-..--f. -.,z .t-.
"In such a case will not some chival-
rous member of the profession voluu-
teer? p said the Judge, glancing around
| the bar. -.....
| The thirty lawyers were silent.
II will, your honor" said avoice from
the thickest part of the crowd behind
the bar. --...-......--'. '..... q.
AT the sound of the voice many start
ed, it was SO unearthly, sweet and mourn
| full. - .! rs ....rr s..
The first sensation was changed into
laughter when tall, gaunt, spectral fig
ure 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 management.
"Has your name been entered on the
rolls of the State?" demanded the Judge
''It is immaterial," answered the stran-
ger, his thin, bloodless lips curling up
with sheer. ''IIere is my license from
the highest tribunal in America p and he
handed the Judge q broad parchment.
The trial went ON.
He suffered the witnesses to tell their
own story, and he allowed the defense
to lead oil Ashley spoke h's', followed
by Pike and Prcntiss. The latter brought
the house down in cheers, i'll which the
jury joined.
1t was now the strangers turn. lie
rose before the bar, not behind it, so
near the wondering jury that he might
touch the foreman with his long, bony
fpgcr. lie proceeded to tear to pieces
the arguments of Ashley, which melted
away at his touch likefrost before sun
beam; 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
meteors. The whole soul was in the eye;
the full heart streamed out of his face
Then, without bestowing an illusion to
Prentiss, he turned short around on the
perjured witnesses of Hopkins, tore their
testimony into shreds,a aud hurled in their
faces such terrible inveetives that all
trembled like aspens, and two of them
fed from the Court House. The excite
ment of the crowd was becoming tremen-
dous. 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 stolen natures long hidden secret
Of attraction. But his greatest triumph
was to come. -.e5.
His eyes began to glance at the assas-
sin, Hopkins, as his lean, taper fingers
assumed the same direction. He hemmed
the wretch within q wall of strong evil
dence and impregnable argument, cut
ting off all hopes of escape. 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 circle
of fire, he stripped himself to the work
of massacre. az ,Hf ..sssf
Oh! then it was vision both glorious
and dreadful to behold the orator. His
actions became as impetuous as the mo-
tions of an oak in hurricane. His
voice became trumpet filled with wild
whirlpools, deafening the ears with the
crashes of power, and yet intermingled
all the while with sweet undersong of
the softest cadence His forehead glow
ed like a heated furnace, his countenance
was haggard like that of a maniac, and
ever and anon he flung his long and bony
arms on high as if grasping after thun-
derbolts.
He drew picture of murder in such
appalling colors that in comparison, hell
itself might seem beautiful; he painted
the slanderer so black that the sun seem
ed dark at MONDAY, when shining on
such monster. And then fixing both
portraits on the shrinking Hopkins, fas-
tened them there forever. The agitation
of the audience amounted almost to
madness. e8. rs E5G .ts,
All. at once the speaker descended
from the perilous height. His voice
walled out for the murdered dead and
living-the beautiful Mary, more beauti-
full every moment. as her tears flowed
faster-until men wept and sobbed like
children. ~.i5,.... ~.
He closed by strange exhortation to
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