Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-04-10
A Thrilling Defence Fren VSlunteer
Counsel.

o"t. ne was poor but well educated.
ana possessed extraordinary genius. He
married beauty who afterwards de-
serted him for another.
On the ninth of August, 1871, the
courthouse at GAINESVILLE, Texas. was
crowded to Overlooking. An exciting
case was to be tried. George HOPKINS
a wealthy planter. offered gross insult
to Mary Allison, the young and beauti.
iul wife of his ovcrseer. The husband
threatened to chastse him for the ont
rage, when Hopkins went to Allison's
house, and shot him in the door. The
murderer was arrested and bailed to
answer the charge. The occurrence
produced great excitement, and Mr..
Hopkins, in order to turn the tide of
popular Indignation, had circulated re-
ports about her character, and she sued
INN for SANDER. Both suits were pend
ing-for murder and for Islander.
The interest became deeper when it
was known that Ashley, and Pike, OF Ar
Kansas, and 5. S. Prentiss, of New Or
leans, by enormous fees. had been re-
tanned to defend Hopkins.
Hopkins was acquitted. The Texas
lawyers were overwhelmed by their OPP
ponents. 1t was fight ofdwarfs against
giants.
The SANDER suit was ready for trial,
and the throng of spectators grew in
number, rs in excitement. Public opin-
ion was setting in for Hopkins; his
money had procured witnesses who
served his powerful advocates. When
the SANDER case came up, it was left
without an attorney-all had with
drawn.
Have you any counsel?' inquired
Judge Mills, kindly, Of the plaintiff.
No sir: they have all deserted me,
and am too.poor to employ any more"
replied the beautiful Mary, bursting
into tears. "in such case, will not
some chivalrous member Of the pro-
fession volunteer" said the Judge,
glancing around the bar. The thirty
old lawyers were silent. 81 will your
honor" said voice from the crowd
behind the bar. His clothes looked so
shabby that the Court hesitated to let
the case proceed under his manage
ment. "Has your name been entered
on the rolls of the State?' demanded
the Judge. 1t isimmaterial," answered
the stranger, his. thin, bloodless lips
curling up with 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 off. Ashley spoke first, followed
by Pike and Prentiss. 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
so near the wondering jury that he
could touch the foreman with his long
bony fiuger He proceeded to tear to
pieces the arguments of Ashley, which
melted away at his touch like frost be.
fore sunbeam. Every one looked
surprised Anon he came to the daz-
zling wit of the poet-lawyer, Pike
then the curl of his lip grew sharper,
his smooth face began to kindle up,
his eyes to open, dim and dreary no
longer, but vivid rs tightening,
red as fire globes, and glazing as twin
meteors. The whole soul was in
his eyes; the full heart streamed out Of
his face. Then, without any illusions
to Prentiss, he turned short round on
the perjured witnesses of Hopkins, tore
their testimony into shreds, and hurled
into their faces such terrible invectives
that all trembled like aspens, and two
of them fled from the courthouse. The
excitement of the crowd was becoming
tremendous. Their united life-soul
seemed 10 hang upon the burning
tongue of the stranger, and he inspired
them with the power of passion. He
seemed to have stolen natures 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
enclosed the wretch within wall Of
strong evidence and impregnable argu-
ment, cutting off all hope of escape.
He dug beneath the murderer's feet
bitches of dilemas, and held up the
slanderer to the scorn and contempt of
the populace.
Oh then it was vision both glorious
and dreadful to behold the orator. His
actions. too, became as impetuous as
the motions of an oak in hurricane.
His voice became trumpet filled with
whirlpools, deafening the ears with
crashes Of power, and yet interminglcd
all the while with an undersong of
sweetest cadence. His forehead gloweJ
like heated furnace, his countenance
was haggard like that of maniac, and
ever and anon he flung his long, bony
arm on high, as if grasping after a
thunderbolt.
He drew a picture of murder in APP
palling colors, that in comparison hell