The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-02-01
THE MANIAC LAWYER.
Albert Pixies "Reminiscences oT south.
western Life and Men-SYOnderTuI
Judge Arlington, ana the
StfiI More wonderful
John TAYLOR

Judge Arlington. and the
SIN More wonderful
John TAYLOR
A late issue of Forney's Sunday Chron-
icle contained a sketch of a court scene in
Texas, dated as far back as 1871, which.
under different captions and a variety of
metamorphoses, has done duty for many
a hard-pressed editor during all these
years. As the name of Albert Pike was
mixed up in it, and as that historic char
acter is still moving around in our lively
midst, as nimble of brain and fertile OF
execution as the best of us, it occurred to
the Post that the best time TO vindicate
the truth of history was the present. a
reporter of the Post accordingly clipped
from the Chronicle the article as it last
appeared and which we here present
On the 9th of August, 1871, the court
house at GAINESVILLE, Texas, was crowded
to OVERLOOKING. An exciting case was to
be tried. George Hopkins, wealthy
planter, offered a gross insult to Mary
Allison, the young and beautiful wife OF
his Overseer. The husband threatened
to chastise him for the outrage, when
| Hopkins went to Allison's house and shot
| him in the door. The murderer was ar
rested and rallied to answer the charge.
ht occurrence HlNduNCu SANelb NANlht
ment, and Mr.. Hopkins, in order 10 turn
the tide of popular indignation, had cir
culated reports about her character, and
she sued him for SANDER. Both suits were
pending--for murder and for SANDER.
The interest became deeper when il
was known that Ashley and Pike. oil
Arkansas, and :. :. Prentiss, of New
Orleans, by enormous fees, had beer
retained to defend HOPKINS
Hopkins was acquitted. The Texas
lawyers were overwhelmed by their Oppo
nents. 1t was a fight of dwarfs against
giants.
The SANDER suit was ready for Trial
and the throng of spectators grew in
number, as in excitement. Public opin-
ion was setting in for Hopkins; his
money has procured witnesses who served
his powerful advocates. When the
SANDER case came up, 1t was left without
an attorney--all had withdrawn.
" Have you no COUNSEL" inquired
Judge Mills kindly of the plaintiff
"No, sir; they have all deserted me,
and l am too poor to employ any more, -
replied the beautiful Mary, bursting into
tears.
In such a case, viii not some chival-
reus member of the profession volun-
teer?" said the judge, glsneing around
the bar.
The thirty old lawyers were silent.
will, your Honor" said voice
from behind 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.
1t is immeterial," answered the
stranger, his thin, bloOdless lips curling
up 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
allowed the defense to lead of Ashley
spoke first, followed by Pike and Prem
tiss The latter brought down the house
in cheers, in which the jury Joined.
1t was now the strangers turn. He
rose before the bar, not behind it, and 50
near the wondering jury that he could
touch the foreman with his long, bOny
finger. He proceeded 70 tear to pieces
the argument of Ashley, which melted
away at his touch like frost before a sun
beam. 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 kindle up, his eyes 20 open, dim and
dreary no longer, but vivid as lightning,
red as fire globes, and glowing rs twin
meteors. The whole soul was in his eyes,
the full heart streamed out of his face.
Then, without any allusion to Prentiss,
he turned short around upon the peIjured
witnesses of Hopkins, tore their testi
mony into shreds. and hurled into their
faces such terrible invectives that all
trembled like aspens, and two OF them
fed from the courthouse.
The excitement of the crowd was be-
coming tremendous. Their united life
soul seemed to hang upon the burning
tongue of the stranger, and he inspired
them with the epOwer OF passion. He
seemed to have stolen natures lOng-hid-
den secret of attraction. But his greatest
triumph was to come.
His eyes began-tO glance at the assassin,
Hopkins, and his lean, taper fingers as
sumed the same direction. Fe inclOsed
the wretch within wall of strong evil
dence and impregnab,e argument, cutting
off all hope of escape. He dug beneath
the murderer's feet bitches OF dilemn as
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.
On then it was a vision both glorious
and dreadful to behold the orator His
actions, too, became as impetuous "a the
motions of an oak in q hurricane. His
voice became a trumpet filed with whirl-
pools, desfening the ears with crashes of
power, and yet intermingled all the
while with sweet undersong OF sweetest
cadence. His forehead glowed like a
heated furnace, his countenance was
haggard like that of a maniac, and ever
and anon he flung his long, bony arms
on high, as if grasping after thunder
bolt.
He drew picture of murder in appal-
ling colors that in comparison hell itself
might look beautiful; he painted the
slanderer so black that the sun seemed
dark at MONDAY when shining on such q.
monster. And then fixing both por>
traits on the shrinking Hopkins, fastened
them there forever. The agitation of
the audience amounted almost to mad
ness.
All at once the speaker descended from
his lofty height. His voice walled out
to the murdered dead, and livipg--the
beautiful Mary, more beautiful everv
moment as her tears flowed faster and
faster-till men wept and sobbed like
children.
He closed by strong exbortation to
the jury, and throu, Ii them to the
bystanders the panel, after they should
bring verdict for the plaintiff, not to
offer violence to the defendant, however
richly he might deserve it--in other
works, not to lynch the william, but TO
leave his punishment to God. This was
the most artful trick of all, and was cal
culated to insure vengeance.
The jury returned verdict of $50, 900,
and the night afterward Hopkins was
taken out of his bed by the lynchers and
beaten almost to death. AS the court
adjourned, the stranger said: "John
Taylor will preach here at early candle
light"
He did preach, and the house was
crowded. We have listened to Clay,
Webster and Beecher, but never heard
anything in the form of sublime words
even approximating to the eloeuence of
John Taylor. massive as a mountain and
wildly rushing as cataract of fire.
GEN. PIXIES ACCOUNT.
The story, said Gen Pike, as he blew
,he smoke from hundred-dollar meer-
chaum, has been going the rounds of the /
press for twenty-five years So far as it /
elates to me, it is emphstically not true. |
In the first Mace / was never in Clarks- /