Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-04-10
A Thrilling Defence From Volunteer
Counsel.

JOIlH Taylor was licensed, when a
youth of twenty-one, to practice at the
bar. He was poor but well educated
and possessed extraordinary genius. He
married q beauty who afterwards de-
serted him for another.
On the ninth of August, 1871, the
courthouse at GAINESVILLE, Texas, was
crowded to overhowing. An exciting
case was to be tried. George Hopkins,
a wealthy planter. offered gross insult
to Mary Allison, the young and beauti-
full wife of his overseer. The husband
threatened to chastise him for the out
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
him for SANDER. Both suits were pend
lng-for murder and for SANDER.
The interest became deeper when it
was known that Ashley, and Pike, OF Ar
kansas, and S. 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 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 had procured witnesses who
served his powerful advocates. When
the SANDER case came up, it was left
without an attornev-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: y
replied the beautiful Mary, bursting
into tears. In such a case, will not
some chivalrous member of the pro
fession volunteer" said the Judge,
glancing around the bar. The thirty
old lawyers were silent. Il will your
honor" said a 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 is immaterial," answered
the stranger, his, thin, bloodless lips
curling up with sheer. "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 tc
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.
cling 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 nc
longer, but vivid as tightening
red as fire globes, and glaring as twin
meteors. The whole soul was il
his eyes; the full heart streamed out o.
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 invectiveE
that all trembled like aspens, and two
of them fed from the courthouse. The
excitement Of the crowd was becoming
tremendous. Their united life-sou
seemed to 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 a 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.
| VII UuOu IL WIS ~ VlolOu UOIll SlOIlOus
and dreadful to behold the orator. His
actions. too, became as impetuous as
the motions of an oak in hurricane
His voice became a trumpet filed with
whirlpools, deafening the ears with
crashes Of power, and yet intermingled
all the while with an undersong Of
sweetest cadence. His forehead glowed
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 ap-
palling colors, that in comparison hell
itselfmightlook beautiful; he painted the
| slanderer so black that the sun seemed
dark at MONDAY when shining On such
a monster. And then, fixing both por-
traits on the shrinking Hopkins, fas-
tened them there forever. The agita-
ton of the audience amounted almost
to madness. 8
All at once the speaker descended
f~o~ i. lie 1, III II LII