Vicksburg weekly herald., 1877-10-05
vICKsBURG WEEKLY HERALD. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5. 187Z

and hiS eyes 10 open, dim and dreamy
no longer, but vivid 90 lightning, red
as fire'glObes, and glAFiBg as twin
meteors. The whole soul was IN bic
eyes; the full soul streamed out Of hls
face. Then, without besloWing an al
lusion to Prentiss, be turned short
around on the perjured witnesses Of
Hopklns, and tore their testimony into
threadP, and hurled IN their faces such
terrible invectives that ell trembled
Ike aspens, and two of them fed from
the Courthouse.
The excitement of the crowd was
becoming tremendous. Their united
life and soul seemed to hang upon the
burning tongue Of q stranger, and be
inspired them with the power Of his
passions; no seemed TO have stolen Ma
lures long hidden secret of attraction.
But his greatest triumph was to come.
His eyes began TO glance at the as.
sassin Hopkins, as his lean, taper fin.
gers assumed the same direction. He
hemmed the wretch within a wall of
strong evidence and impregnable argu-
ment, cutting of all hope OF escape |; he
dug beneath the murderer's feet bitches
Of diIemmas, and held up the slanderer
to the scorn and contempt of the popu-
lace. And having thus girt him about
with circle Of fire, he stripped him
self TO the work OF massacre.
Oil then 1t was vision both glori.
ous and dreadful to behold the orator ;
his actions became as impetuous as the
motion OF an oak in q hurricane; his
voice became q trumpet filed with
wild whirlwinds, deafening the ear
with crashes Of power, and yet inter.
mingled all the while with a sweet un.
dersong Of the softest cadence; his
forehead glowed like o heated furnace,
his Countenance was haggard, like that
Of maniac, and ever and anon he
flung his long, bony arm on high, as II
grasping after thunderbolts.
In such appalling coloTs did he draw
picture Of murder, that, in compari.
son, hell itself might seem beautiful /;
he painted the slanderer 80 black, that
the sun seemed dark at moor. day when
shining on such monster. And then,
fixing both portraits on the shrinking
Hopkins, fastened them there forever.
The agitation Of the audience amount.
ed almost to madness.
All at once the speaker descended
from the perilous height; his voice
walled out for the murdered dead, and
living-lbe beautiful Mary, moro beau
tiful every moment as her tears flowed
faster and faster, till men wept and
sobbed like children.
He closed by o 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 deserve it.
In other words, "not to lynch the vii.
lain, but leave his punishment 10
God" This was the most artful trick
Of all, and calculated to insure ven.
geance.
The Jury rendered q verdict of fifty
thousand dollars, and the night after.
ward Hopkins was taken out Of HE
bed by the lynchers aud beaten almost
To death. As the Court adjourned the
stranger said:
"John Taylor will preach here this
evening at early candle.light,"
AS announced, be did preach and the
house was crowded. l have listened
10 Clay, Webster aud Calhouu-to
Dwight, Bascom and Beecher, but
never heard anything In the form of
sublime words even approximating to
the eloquence of John Taylor-massive
as q mountain, and wildly rushing as
a cataract Of FIRE.