Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-10-27
THE VOLUNTEERS COUNSEL.
A ThriIIing Story.

/
John TAYLOR was licensed when you'll
of twenty-one to practice at the bar. Ill
was poor, but well educated, and pnsSesse,
an extraordinary genius. lie married 1
beauty, who afterwards deserted him IO
another.
On tue 9th of August, 1S41, the court
house at -ClarksVillr, Texas, WAS crowded t,
overfiOwing. An exciting case was to b,
tried. George Hopkins, wealthy PLATTER
had offered gross Insult 10 Mary Ellison
the Young and beautiful wife of his over.
seer Inc husband threatened to chastist
| him for the outrage, when Hopkins went
10 Ellison house and shot him IN his own
door. The murderer was arrested, and
baiied to answer the charge. The occur
ence produced great excitement, and Hop
kIns, in order TO turn the tide OF popular
indignation, had circulated reports about
her character, and she sued him for SLAM
! der. Both suirs were pending murder
and for slander.
The interest became deeper when it was
known that Ashton and Pike, of Arkansas,
and 5. 5. Prentiss, of New Orleans. 10y
enormous fees, had been retained to defend
Hopkins.
hopkins was acquitted. The Texas law
yers were overwhelmed 10y their opponents.
1t was a fight OF dwarfs against giants.
The slander suit was rsady for trial, and
thrOngs of spectators grew IN numbers, as
in excitement. Public opinion was setting
in for Hopkins; his money had procured
witnesses who served his powerful advo-
Gates. The SANDER case was left without an
attorney-all had withdrawn.
Have you no counsel?' inquired Judge
Mills lcnkinrr Eipdlx- IN ha f,i.,fptIF
No, sir; they have all deserted me, and
piled the beautiful Mary, bursting into
tears.
In such a case, will not some chivalrous
member of the profession volunteer?" said
the Judge, glaneing around the bar.
The thirty old lawyers we're silent.
Il will, your honor said voice from
the thickest part of the crowd behind the
bar.
At the sound of the voice many started
1t was so unearthly sweet and mournful.
The first sensation was changed into laugh
ter, when tall, gaunt, spectral figure ell
bowed 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 manage
ment. - - - ~
''Has your name been entered on the
rolls Of the StateY' demanded the Judge.
''It is immaterial, :" answered the stran-
ger, his thin, bloodless lips curling upswith
a sneer. Here is, my license from the
highest tribunal IN America" and he hand
ed the Judge broad parchment.
The trial went on. He suffered the wit
ness to tell their own story and allowed the
defense to lead off. Ashley spoke first,
by Pike and Prentiss. The latter
brought down the house in cheers, in which
the jury joined. j
1t was now the stranger turn. He rose
before the bar, not behind it, and 50 near
the wondering jury that, he might touch
the foreman with his long, bony finger. He |
proceeded to tear to pieces the argument 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 Of his lip grew sharper, his |
smooth face began to klndle up, his eyes to |
open, dim and dreary no longer, but vivid |
as Lightning, red as fire globes and glaring |
IS twin meteoFS. The whole was in his !
eye; the full heat steamed out of his face. |
Then, without bestowing an allasiOn to |
Prentiss, he turned short round on the PER |
iured witnesses of Hopkins, tore their tes-
hmony into shreds, and hurled into their
faces such terrible invecliyes that all trem- |
Dled like aspens, and two of them fled from |
the courtroom. The excitement of the |
crowd was becoming tremendous. Their |
united life and soul seemed to hang upon |
the burning tongue of the stranger, and in
spiTed the power of his passion. He seem
I'd to have stolen natures long hidded Sc Y
,ret of attraction. But his greatest tri- /
lmph was to come.
His eyes began to glance at the assassin
Hopkins, as his lean, taper finger assumed
he same direction. He hemmed the
wretch within wall of strong evidence /
md impregnable argument, cutting off all
hopes of escape. He dug beneath the muir
lerer's feet bitches of dilemmas. and held
Up the slanderer to the scorn and contempt
If the populace. Having thus girt him
IbOut WithIa circle of fire, he stripped him
elf to the work of massacre.
Oil then it WIS a vision both glorious
md dreadful to behold, the orator. His
.ction, too, became as. impetuous as the
notions of an oak in hurricane. His voice
,ecame trumpet filled with whirlpools-
leafening the ear with crashes of power,
md yet intermingled all the while with a
weet undersohg Of the sweetest cadence.
His forehead glowed like heated furnace,
lis countenanee was haggard like that of
maniac, and ever and anon he flung his
ong, bony arms on high, as if grasping af-
er thunderbolt. ti = -H-I''
He drew picture of murder in such ap-
'alling colors that in comparison, hell it.
elf might seem beautiful; he painted the
lander so black that the sun seemed dark
t monday when shining on such a mon
ter. And then; fixing both portraits on
he shrinking Hopkins fastened them there
orever. The agitation of the audience
mounted almost to madness.
All at once the speaker descended from
is lofty height. His voice walled out for
he murdered dead and living-the beauti-
ul Mary, more beautiful every moment as
er tears flowed faster and faster, till men
Tept and sobbed like children.
He closed by a strong exhortation to the
ury, and through them to the bystanders,
he panel, after they should bring in YER
let for the plaintiff MOTTO offer violence to
be defendent, however richly he might
eserve it-in other words, mot lynch the
illain, but leave his punishment to God"
his was the most artfnl trick of all, and
alculated to insure vengeance.
The Jury rendered a verdict Of fifty
lousahd dollars, and the night afterwards
Iopkins was taken out Of his bed y the
1nchers and beaten almost to death AS !
be court adjourned, the stranger said:
'John Taylor will preach here this even
lg at early candle light"
He did preach-the house was crowded.
have listened to Clay, Webster and Beech
:, but never heard anything In the form Of
abhme words even appr0ximating to the
loquenee of John Taylor-massive as a
FOUNTAIN and wildly rushing as a cata-
-ILOEN,s OPPOsITTON To THE