The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1869-03-20
THE VOLUNTEER COUNSEL.

IJoutu ol tWenty'Oue LO pThcLlce ut tnc
bar. He was poor, but we'll educated,
and possessed of extraordinary genius.
He married beauty who aftcrward de-
serted him for another.
On tho 9th of April, 1910, the court
house in ClarkVille, Texas, was crowded
to overHowing. An exciting case was to
be tried. George Hopkins, 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 murder.
or was arrested and bailcd to answer the
charge. This occurrence produced great
excitement, and Hopkins, in order to
turn the tide Of popular Indignation, had
circulated reports against her character,
aud she had sued him for SANDER. Both
suits were pending, for murder and SIAN
der.
The interest became deeper when it
became known that Ashley and Pike, Of
Arkansas, aud s. S. Prcntiss of New Or.
leans, by enormous fees, had been retain
cd 10 defend hopkins.
Hopkins was acquitted. The Texas
lawyers were overwhelmed by their oppo.
ncnts. 1t was fight Of dwarf against
giants.
The slandcr suit was for the 9th, and
the throng Of spectators grew in mum
bcrs 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without an attorney-ali had withdrawn.
Have you no counsel 7" inquired
Judge Mills, looking kindly on the plain,
tif
No, sir; they have all deserted me,
and am too poor to employ any more, -
replied the beautiful Mary, bursting into
tears.
"Iu such a case, will not some chiyal.
rous member Of the profession voluu.
teer!' said the judge, glaucing around
the bar.
The thirty lawyers were silent
II VIII. yOut honor, H4ij a vei~e flUu
the thickcst part of the crowd, behind
the bar.
At the sound Of the voice many start.
cd--it was SO earthly sweet and mourn.
ful.
The first sensation was changed into
laughter when tall, gaunt, spectral fix.
urc clbowcd his way through the crowd
and placed himself within the bar His
clothes looked 80 shabby that the court
hcsiia;ed to let the case proceed under
his management.
"Has your name been entered on
the rolls Of the State?" demanded the
Judge.
at is immatorial," answered the stran.
ger, his thin, bloodlcss lips curling up
with n sneer.
:" Here is Iny license from the highest
tribunal in America !" aud he handed
the Judge broad parchment.
The trial went on.
lie suffered the witnesses TO tell their
own story, aud he allowed the defense tc
lead Of Ashley spoke first, followed By
Pike and PrentiSs. The latter brought
the house down in cheers, in which the
Jury joined.
Il II was now the strangers turn. He
rose before the bar, not behind it, aud sc
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 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 begar
to kindle up, and his eyes to open, din
and dreamy no longer. brt vivid as light
ming, red as fire globes, aud glaring a!
twin mcteors. The whole soul was il
the eye the full heart streamed out o
his face. Then without bcstowing an al
lusion to Prentiss, he turned short arount
on the perjured witnesses of Hopkins
tore their testimony into threads, ant
hurled in their faces such terrible invec
tiyes that all trembled like aspens, anC
two Of them fed from the court house
The excitement Of the crowd was becom
ing trcm ,ndous. Their united life ant
soul seemed to hang upon the burning
{ tongue of the stranger. and he inspired
them with the power of his passions. HC
seemed to have stolen natures long hid
den secret Of attraction. But his great
, est triumph was to come.
j, His eyes began to glance at the assas
, sin Hopkins, as his lean, taper fingers as
sumed the same direction. He hemmed
the wretch within wall of strong evi
dence and impregnable argument, cut
ting off all hope of escape. He Ding be
meath the murderer's feet bitches of di
f lemmas, aud 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 worI
Of massacre.
Oh /! then it was a vision both glorious
, and dreadful to behold the orator. Hi
action became as impetuous as the motion
! of an oak in a hurricane. His voice be
came a whirlpool, deafening the ear
with crashes of power, and yet intermin
4 gled all the while with sweet undersonI
t of the softest cadence. His forehea'
e glowcd like heated furnace, his coun
e tenance was haggard, like that Of ma
MAC, and ever and anon he flung his long
d bony arm on high as if grasping afte
thunderbolts.
' Hc drew picture of murder in sucl
n appalling colors, that, in comparison, hel
!. Itself might seem beautiful; he painte'
the slanderer so black that the sun seeme'
dark at MONDAY, when shining on such
t monster. And then fixing both portrait
t on the shrinking Hopkins, fastened ther