Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-01-11
The Volunteer Counsel.

On the 9th of April, 1910, the Court
House, in Clarksville, Texas, was crowd
ed to OVERLOOKING. 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 out
rage, when Hopkins went to Ellison's
house, and shot him at his own door,
The murderer was bailed 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 char
acter, and she had sued him for SANDER.
Both suits were pending-for murder
and SANDER.
The interest became deeper when it
was known that Asher and Pike, of Ar
kansas, and S. S. Prentiss, of New Or
leans, by enormous fees had been re-
tanned to defend Hopkins. Hopkins was
acquitted. The Texas lawyers were over
whelmed by their opponents. 1t was a
fight Of dwarf against giants. The
SANDER suit was for the 9th, and the
throng of spectators grew in numbers
as well as in excitement. Public opinion
was settling in for Hopkins his money
had procured witnesses who served us
powerful advocates. When the SANDER
case was called Mary Ellison was left
without an attoruey-all had withdrawn.
" Have you no counsel ?" enquired
Judge Mills, looking kindly on the
plaintiff.
"No, sir, they have all deserted me,
and am too poor to employ any more, y
said the beautiful Mary, bursting into
tears.
"In such case, will not some chiyal-
rous member of the profession volun-
teer ?" said the Judge, glancing round
the bar.
The thirty lawyers were silent
81 will, your HOMER" said voice
from the thickeat Of the crowd from be
hind the bar
At the sound of the voice many start
edit was so unearthly sweet and mourn
full.
The first sensation was changed into
laughter when a 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.
at is immaterial," answered the
stranger, his thin, bloodless lips curling
up with sheer. :" Here is my license
from the highest tribunal in America "
And he handed the Judge broad parch-
ment.
The trial went on.
He suffered the witnesses to tell their
own story, and allowed the defence to
lead off. 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 tHrn. He
rose before Che 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 the
arguments of Ashley to pieces, and they
melted away at his touch like frost be-
fore a sunbeam. Every one looked sur
prised. Anon he came to the dazzling
wit of the poet lawyer Pike. Then the
curl on his lip grew sharper, his smooth
face began to kindle up, and his eyes to
open, dim and dreamy no longer, but
vivid as lightning, red as fire globes,
and glazing us twin meteors. The whole
soul was in his eyes the whole soul
streamed out of his face. Then, with
out bestowing an a.lusion to Prentiss,
he turned short around on the periur-
ed 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
fled from the Courthouse. The excite
ment of the crowd was becoming ire
mendous. 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 evil
dence and impregnable argument, cut
ting off all hope of escape. He dug be-
meath the murderer's feet bitches of de-
lemmas, 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.
Oh then it was vision both glorious
and dreadful to behold the orator His
actions became as impetuous as the mo-
tons of an oak in hurricane. His
voice became n trumpet filed with wild
whirlpools, deafening the ear with crash
es Of power, and yet intermingled all
the while with sweet undersong of the
softest cadence. His forehead glowed
like heated furnace, his countenance
was haggered, like that of maniac, and
ever and anon he swung his long, bony
arm on high, as if grasping after thunder
bolts.
He drew picture of murder in such
appalling colors, that in comparison,
hell itself might seem beautiful he
painted the slandcrer so black that the
sun seemed dark at MONDAY, when
shining on such monster. And then,
fixing both portraits on the shrinking
Hopkins, fastened them there forever.
The agitation of the audience amounted
almost to madness.
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 n strong exhortation 10