The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-06-11
md he handed the judge broad parch-

The trial went on. H
He suffered the witnesses to tell their
own story, and he allowed the defense
to lead off. Ashley spoke first, followed
by Pike and Prentiss. The latter
brought the house down in cheers, in
which the Jury joined. al.1a
1t was now the strangers turn. He
rose before the bar, not behind il, 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 on his lip grew sharper,
his smooth fhce 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 his eye; the full
heart streamed out of his face. Then,
without bestowing an allusion to Prem
tio9, hO uihCu oilOl diOulu Oil tIlS pei
jured witnesses of Hopkins, tore their
testimony into threads, and hurled in
their faces such terrible invectives that
all trembled like aspens, and two of
them fled from the courthouse. The
excitement of the crowd was becoming
tremendous. Their united life and soul
seemed to hang Upon the burning
tongue Of a 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.
His eyes began to glance at the assas-
sin Hopkins, as his lean, taper fingers
assumed the same direction. He hem
med the wretch within wall of strong
evidence and impregnable argument,
cutting off all hope 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 cir
Gle of fire, he stripped himself to the
work of massacre. ..-
Oh! then it was vision both glori.
Gus and dreadful to behold the orator.
His actions became as impetuous as the
motion of an oak in n hurricane. His
voice became trumpet filled with
wild whir!pools, deafening the ears
with crashes Of power, and yet inter.
mingled all the while with II sweet
undersOng Of the softest cadence. His
forehead gIowed like a heated furnace,
his countenance was haggard, like that
of maniac, and ever and anon he flung
his long bony arm on high, AS if grasp
ing after thunderbolts. ..
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 seemed dark at MONDAY, when
shining on such a monster. And then,
fixing both portraits on the shrinking
Hopkins, fastened them there forever.
The agitation of the audience amount
ed almost to madness. -r-..H ..
All at once the speaker descended
from the perilous height. His voice
walled out for the murdered dead, and
living-the beautiful Mary, more beau
tiful every moment as her tears flowed
faster and faster, till men wept and sob
bed like children. .
He closed by a strong exhortation to
the jury, and through them to the by
ISLANDERS; the panel, after they should
bring in verdict for the plaintiff, not
to offer violence to the defendant, how
ever richly he might deserve it-in
other words, "not to lynch the villain,
but leave his punishment to God.o
This was the most artful trick of all
and calculated to insure vengeance.
The jury rendered a verdict of fifty
thousand dollars; and the night after
ward, Hopkins was taken out Of his
bed by the lynchers, and beaten almost
to death. AS the court adjourned, the
stranger said:
"John Taylor will preach here this
evening at early candle-lIght."
He did preach and the house was
crowded. have listened to Clay, Web
ster, and Calhoun to Dwight, Bascom,
and Beecher-but never heard any
thing in the form of sublime words
even apprOximating to the eloquence of
John Taylor-massive as a mountain,
and wildly rushing as a cataract of fire.