The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-01-17
A voLunrEER. COUNSEL.

youth Of twenty.ones 10 practice at the
bar. He was poor but we'll educated.
and possessed extraordinary genius.
He married beauty who afterwards
deserted him for another. 5.....ass. Il.
On the ninth of August, 184l, the
court house At Clarksville, Texas, was
crowded to overfiowing. An exciting
case was to be tried. George Hop
kins, wealthy planter, offered a gross
insult to Mary Allison, the young and
beautiful wife Of the overseer. The
husband threatened to chastise him tor
the outrage, when Hopkins went to
Allison's honee and shot him in the
door. Tho murderer was arrested
aud bailed to answer the charge. The
occurrence produced great excitement,
and Mr.. Hepkins, in order to turn the
tide of popular indignation, had circu
lated reports about her character, and
she sued him for slander. Both suits
| were pending-for murder and for
slander. .A ~}z@i "5#s
The interest became deeper when it
was known that Ashley and Pike, OF
Arkansas, and S. s. Prentiss, of New
Orleans, by enormous fees had been
retained to defend Hopkins.
Hopkins was acquitted. The Texas
lawyers were overwhelmed by their
opponents. 1t was fight Of dwarfs
-
against giants.
The slander suit was ready for trial,
and the threng of spectators grew in
number as in excitement. Public opin-
ion was setting in for Hopkins. His
money had procured. witnesses who
served his powerful advocates. When
the slander case came up, it was left
without an attorney-sll had with
drawn. ... -..-.-+
Have you no counsel7" Inquired
Judge Mills, kindly, of tho plaintiff:
"N No sir, they haye all deserted me
and I am too poor to employ any
more," replied the. beautiful Mary,
bursting into tears. .'ln such case will
not some chivalrous member of The
profession volunteer :" said the udge,
glancing around the bar. The thirty
old lawyers were silent. II will, your
honor," said . voice from the crowd
behind the bar. His clothe. looked
so shabby that the court hesi-
tated to lot the case proceed under his
management. /" Has your name been
entered on the rolls of the State!" de-
manded the Judge. SIT is idhmateriai, -
answered tho stranger, his thin blood
less lips curling. up with a sneer.
"Here is my license from tho highest
tribunal in America" and he handed
the Judge . broad parchment. The
trial went on. He suffered tho witnes-
ses to tell their own story, and allow
ed the defense to lead of. Ashley
spoke first, followed by Pike and
Prentiss. The latter brought down the
house in cheers, in which tho Jury
joined. 4,-.
It was now the strangers turn. He
rose before tho bar, not behind it, and
so near the wondering Jury that he
could touch the foreman with his long
bony finger. He proceeded to tear
to pieces the arguments of Ashley;
which melted away at his touch like
frost before q sunbeam. Every man
looked surprised. Anon he came to
the dazzling wit of the poet-lawysr,
Pike. Then the curl of his lip grew
sharper, his smooth face began to kind
ly up, his eyes to open, dim and drea-
ry no longer, but vivid ~ lightning,
red as fire globes and glaring as twin
meteors. The whole soul was in hie
eyes; the full heart streamed out OF
his face Then, without any allusion
to Prentiss, he turned short round on
the perjured witnesses of Hopkins,
tore their testimony into shreds, and
hurlded into their faces such terrible
invectives that all trembled like as.
pens, and two of them fed from the
court house. The excitement of the
crowd was becoming tremendous.
Their united lite-soul seemed to hang
on the burning tongue Of the stranger,
and he inspired them with the power
Of passion. He seemed to have stol-
Ell natures lOng-hidden secret of At
traction. But his great triumph was
to come.
His eyes began to glance at the as
sassin Hopkins, as his lean, taper fin
ger assumed the same direction. He
enclosed the wretch within q wall OF
strong evidence and impregnable ar
gument, cutting OF all hope of escape.
He dug beneath the Inurderer's feet
bitches Of dilemmas, and held up the
sla nderer TO the scorn and contempt
OF the populace. Having thus girt
hlnf about with . circle OF fire, he
stripped himself to the work of massa-
ere.
Oh! then it was q vision both gl0ri
GUS and dreadful 10 behold the orator.
His actions, too, became as impetuous
as the motions of an oak in hurri
cane. HIS voice became trumpet
filled with whirlpools, deafening the
ears with crashes of power, aud yet
intermingled all the while with q
sweet undersong Of sweetest cadence.
His forehead glowed like q heated
furnace, his countenance was haggard
like that of q maniac, and ever and
anon he aung his long, bony arms on
high, as if grasping after q thunder
bolt.
lie drew picture of murder in ap-
palling colors that in comparison hell
itself might look beautiful: he painted
the slanderer so black that the sun
seemed dark at MONDAY when shining
upon such monster. Aud then fix