Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1871-06-28

The thirty lawyers were Silent.
II will your honor" said voice from
the thickest part of the crowd behind
the bar.
At the sound of the voice many start
edit was 20 unearthly. sweet and
mournful.
The first sensation was changed into
laughter when tall. gaunt, spectral 6g.
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.
"Hss your name been entered on the
rolls of the State I" demanded the judge.
"It is immaterial," answered the stran-
ger, his thin bloodless lips curling MP
with a sneer. "Here is my license from
the highest tribunal in America !" and
he handed the Judge broad parchment.
The trial went on.
He suffered the witnesses to tell their
own story. and he allowed the defense 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
rose before the bar, not behind it. and 40
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 on
his lip grew sharper, his smooth face be-
gan to kindle up. and bis 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 Prentiss. he turned short
around on the perjured witnesses Of
Hopkins, and tore their testimony into
threads, and hurled in their faces such
terrible invectives that all trembled like
aspens, and two of them fed from the
court house. 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 pas
sions. He seemed to have stolen natures
long hidden secret of attraction. But his
greatest triumph was to come.
Hiseye began to glance at the assassin
Hopkins, as his lean taper fingers as
sumed the same direction. He hemmed
the wretch within a wall of strong evil
dence and impregnable argument, cutting
of all hope of escape. He dug beneath
the murders feet bitches of dilemmas.
and held up the slanderer to the scorn
and contempt of the populace. Having
thus girt him about with q circle of fire,
be 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 hurricane. His
voice became trumpet filled with wild
whirlpools, deafening the ears with
crashes Of power. and yet interim ngled
all the while with . sweet undersong of
the softest cadence. His forehead glowed
like a heated furnace, his countenance
was haggard, like that Of maniac, and
ever and anon he flung bis long bony
arm 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 go black that the sun
seemed dark at monday. when shining on
euch monster. And then fixing both
portraits on the shrinking Hopkins. fast
ened them there forever The agitation
of the audience amounted almost to mad
ness.
All at once the speaker descended
from the perilous height. His voice
walled out for the murdered dead, and
living-the beautiful Mary. every mo-
ment as her tears flowed faster and faster,
till men sobbed 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, however
richly he might deserved tin other
words, mot to lynch the villain, but
leave his punishment to Cod" This
was the most artful trick Of all, and cal
culated to insure vengeance.
The jury rendered verdict Of fifty
thousand dollars and the night after
wards Hopkins was taken ont Of his bed
by the lynchers. and beaten almost to
death. Az the court adjourned. the stran'
ger said 3:
"John Taylor will preach this evening
at early eandle-light."