The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-02-01

in the courthouse, giving such brilliant
hues to the eloouence of the unknown
defender of persecuted innocence, is
wholly evolved from the imagination OF
the story's original writer.
AN ARKANSAS GENIUS.
About the year 1887, Alfred A. AIRING
ton came from Missouri to the north
western part of Arkansas, and there
settled. He had been a preacher in the
state he left, but after reaching Arkansas
studied law, and soon became noted for
the brilliancy of his imagination and the
success which attended his practice IN
the courts. With the taste OF the poet,
and much dramatic power, ne won cele-
bTlty as reporter of trails that owed all
their brilliance and interest to the spark
ling fancy and gorgeous word-palntlng OF
the writer. g Nj teti9H Sed non 0TTdU9t ~
indeed, and to such extent did he carry
his ornamentation that, under the SIMPLE
trial for the larceny OF barrel OF whisky
distilled on the Arkansas river would be
transformed to q glowing and picturesque
romance OF the spOilingof whole vlntages
OF the purple Falernlan IN Arcadia, ana
OF the utter distressing of Arg:ve nymphs
by horned and hirsute satyrs. Among
his most famous productions IS the lmagl-
native reportof a trial in Conway county,
Arkansas, where John Taylor and a
beautiful Indian virgin are the central
figures The Cane Hill Tragedy" a
fanciful but powerfully-written account
IF no Il Al rlo4 Of
Hill, in the same state, and of Judge
Lynch's judicial operations at that
locality; and a novel, once deservedly
popular but now forgotten and unread,
The Regulators of the Tanaha."
AT CHICAGO AT LAST.
Arrington's life was successful but
eventful. Leaving Arkansas he went to
Brownsville, Tex, and then dritted to
Chicago, where he became the leading
lawyer at that bar, and died in that city
and he title was legitimate--left a
widow, now in one of the government
departments in this city lady of much
grace of person and many charms of
mind.
JOHN TAYLOR APPEARS.
1t was about the same epoch when
Judge Arlington arrived in Arkansas
that there came from Alabama TO Little
Rock q man made nationally famous by
tie Imaginative pen of Arlington, and
locally still more celebrated by his own
ectentricities and genius, John Taylor.
Morbid and misanthrupic, envious of
Other men attaining a success which he
disdained to accept. with an intellect
broad enough to solve the most compre-
q l.,
verge of obstinate ignorance, cordially
c9n.emning the frivolities ofsociety, and
avoiding, yet burning TO enjoy them, he
was congeries Of paradoxes, an insOluble
enigma, the study Of which was at once
a fascinating and q disgusting pursuit.
Tall thin and meagre in person, swarthy
vissged, 4 galvanized cadaver whose
veins were filed with NORWOOD and
gall, malignant scowl the natural and
constant expression of his face, with a
strange, peculiar habit of always pro-
truding his tongue from his lips; he
LOOKED AND MOVED LIKE A SNAKE.
The touch OF his hand was clammy and
as cold rs the skin of a moccasin, and
inspired equal disgust. He was said to be
married, but few men saw his wife none
ever became acquainted with her. He
lived alone with her, Stunned the society
of men, had no friends, and avoided
making acquaintance. He soon became
the Ishmael of the country, and the
most persistent and successful stirrer-up
of litigation that ever practiced before an
Arkansas count. As an attorney he was
respected for his intimate acquaintance
with the principles of law, and valued
for his ready familiarity with its prece-
dents. His command of language was
unrivaled. Twas q musical instrument
Obedient to bis every touch, and he
played upon il with mastery skill. His
voice was excee dinghy rich, sweet and
sympathetic, and its capacity to influence
a jury extraordinary. No man ever
excelled him in his command OF the vitu-
7eratiye and sarcastic, in which he was
bitter. scatt ~ and absolutely merciiess,
while IL = eatio eloqueuce he could
melt the ms 1bdurate, seemingly with
out object, and certainly without effort
Yet he WIS not. strictly speaking, an
orator
ALXOST, But NOT QUITE.
This singular man had been a politi
clan Of some eminence in Alabama in
fact, at on time. was nearly successful
rival Of William +. King for a seat in
the UnitedStates senate from that state.
y vague sorry was occasionally family
told about Little Rock that he had been
diraDpointd in love, but no man, look
ing in his srpent face and meeting his
scowling seer, ever felt disposed to
solicit his 0nfdence. He was
THE GENIUS OF THE sNEER.
Human virtue, truth, honesty. female
chastity and modesty were alike the OBJ.
jects OF hi; pitiiess, snaky sneers. He
feared no one, cared for no one; envied,
while he despised, and sneered where lie
hated. asi was willing to run with the
hounds of justice in harassing some poor
wretch as TO aid i'll rescuiDg the culprit
hares from the fangs OF their pursuers.
At last he accused the LAWYERS in Lit
tie Rock of poisoning his well, and then
the charitable inference began to be
drawn that he was insane. After resi-
dence of two or three years in the State
he went 10 Texas, and it is believed that
he is there still, a minister of the gospel
HOW THE STORY WAS WRITTEN.
During his stay in Little Rock. Ar
rin9ton moved to that neighborhood,
and, of course, such quick dramatic
intellect as his could not fail to seize
upon the silent points of Taylor's re-
markable chatacter. The misanthrop
was the very incarnation of romance to
the imaginative brain of the poet-lawver,
and out Of a dry, commonplace court
affair, such as occurs almost every day.
he wove such a glittering web of fiction
that the popular mind was captivated al
once, and viii not let the story drop. 4
dozen times at least since its first publ
cation has it been revived, each time in
new guise, and each time seeking to point
the old moral that prosecuted innocence
always finds, at the last hour, some
irresistible champion. This point alone
should expose its fictitious character.
Only in fairy land oRthe dreams of poesy
does the right unfailingly win and truth
and innocence always prevail Western
Post
Zachary TayIor's Grave.
In his message to the legislature of
Kentucky. Governor McCreary says:
"The grave that contains the mouldering
remains of Zachary Taylor, who was at
one time president of the United States,
n