Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1878-10-31

tlre DEUhc lOftu iHtv U fdptuTOus I'LL
provisation in which the exquisite
beauty of bis language was only
equaied by the gorgeous brillian
cy of the scene before Us. When
he had finished, supposiDg be had
been quoting from some author,
1.-THE writer asked where the sup
posed quotation was FRONT Tap
ping his forehead with his fingers,
he said. "From here, l never
heard it before"
! In 1874 Mr.. Prantiss moved to
| New Orleans (where the writer
had preceded him) and formed q
partnership with bis old confrere,
General Huston. In January,
lS48, be was employed in a suit
against James Irwin, the son in.
Jaw, OF Henry Clay, TO set aside
certain deeds of trust made BY
James Irwin to his brother An.
! drew, who lived in Tennessee, on
! the ground of fraud Randall Hunt,
one of the abIest advocates at the
bar, WAS retained to defend Mr.
Irwin. The case occupied three
days in toking testimony, and
created general interest. On the
testimony being closed the Court
adjourned until the next day for
the argument ofthe case. There
was great deal of feeling on.
both sides, and no little clashing
and sparring between'the counsel
As they were going down the
court house steps, the writer be
ing behind them, Hunt observed.
with a pompous, confident air,
"Well, Prentiss, | rather think
you have an alligator case to han
de" "Yes," replied Prentiss,
with his Kissing lisp, cit is an al
ligator case, Hunt, and / am 60
ing TO skin him to morrow. And
be kept his word. The next day
the courtroom was crowded to
its utmost capacity. Mr.. Prem
tiss, in summing up and comment |
ing on the evidence before the jn- |
ry, dealt in bursts of scathing,
withering reflections on the con-
duct of the defendant. "Why, !
gentlemen, said, he sthe evidence
before you shows that this man
James Irwin, in robbipg his cred |
ilors, has not shown even the com |
mon honesty Of the highwayman,
much less his courage, for the
Ihighwayman in taking spoil does
it at the risk of bis life, while he |
was never known to stoop SO low
as TO rob the poor" Here Mr.
Prentiss made deep pause, and,
as if ref citing on the severity of
the language he had used, he
turned from the jury and thus ad-
dressed the Court: "May it please
the Court, on reflection ! deem it
my duty in the presence of this
vast assemblage, to tender an a.
pology for the language / have just
permitted to escape from my lips
[proiound sensation]; for in the
olden days of chiyalry, when
knight errantry prevailed, there
was a nobility, generosity and
a magnanimity in the soul of the
chivalrous highwayman never pos
sessed by the defendant in this
case" The Court and counsel for
the defendant looked confounded,
while burst of irrerressible ap.
plause broke forth from the audi
ence. MIR. Prentiss continued: 81,
therefore, feel compelled to do
Justice to the memory Of the
knightly honor of the highway
man for having connected his
name with that OF a man SO de.
graded and disaraced, and make
my apology to the Court for the
wrong / have committed" Then,
returning to the jury, he said:
"a more fitting and appropriate
comparison, gentlemen, would be
to associs.e the name OF James
Irwin with that of the stealthy,
light.fngered pickpocket, who robs
you while not knowing that you
are not robbed" The effect was
blasting and painfully whitening,
and which no effort of the genius
and eloquence ol Randall Hunt
could obliterate. Prentiss had
skinned the alligator!
The result was that young,
Henry Clay Irwin, the Oldest son
OF Mr.. IrwiD, high.toned and
i:r.ta7 x,npno man onlv iuentv-