, 1880-12-24

animation OF witnesses. The testimony
| closed and the pleading began.
FIRST of all, Fowler, Pike and Ashly
tall famous lawyers at that time in the
| southwest spoke in succession for the
prosecution. They about equally partl-
! toned their cloQuenco betwlXt the pris-
onor and her advocate, covering the lat
! ter with such sarcastic wit, ralllery and
| ridicale as made il matter of douLt
whether he or his client was the party
then on trial. As to Denton, however,
he seemed to pay not the slightest atten-
tion to his opponents, but remained mo-
tionlcss. with his forehead bowed on his
hands, like one buried i'll deep thought
or in slumber.
When his time came, however, he sud-
denly sprang to his feet, crossed the bar
and took 4 position almost touching the
foreman of the jury. He then com.
menced in whisper SO wild, peculiar
and iudescrlbably distinct us to fill the
floor from hall to galleries.
At the outset he dealt in pure logic,
analyzing and combining the proven
facts, till the whole mass Of confused
evidence looked transparent as a globe
of crystal, through whicn the innocence
Of his client shone luminous rs a sun
beam, while the iurors nodded to each
other signs Of thorough conviction. That
thrilling whisper, and concentrated argu-
ment, and language simple as a child's,
had satisfied the demands of the intel
lect, and this, too, in only twenty min
utes. 1t was like the work OF a mathe-
matical demonstration. '..
He then changed his posture so as to
sweep the bar with his glance, and, like
n raging lion, rushed upon his adversa-
ries, tearing and rending their sophis-
tries into atoms, His sallow face glowed
like red-hot iron, the forked blue vein
swelled and writhed on his brow, his
eyes resembled live Goals, and his voice
was the clangor of trumpet. have
never, before or since, listened to such
appalling denunciation. 1t was like
Jove's eagle charging a flock Of crows.
1t was like Jove himself hurling thun-
derbolts in the. sluddering eyes of in
felior gods. And yet in the highest tenn
per of his fury he seemed wonderfully
calm. He employed no gesture save one
the flash of a long bony foretinger di-
rectly at the pallid faces of his legal foes.
He painted their yenality and unmanly
baseness in coalescing for money to crush
friendless female, till shout of stitied
wrath broke from the multitude, and
some of the sworn panel cried "Shame!"
And thus the orator had carried another
point-had aroused perfect storm of
indignation against the prosecutors-and
this, also, in twenty minutes.
- He changed his theme once more.
His voice grew mournful as funeral
dirge and his eyes filed with tears, as he
traced vivid picture Of mans cruelties
and woman's wrongs, with special appli-
cations to the cases of his client, till half
the audience wept like children.
- But, it,was in the peroration that he
reached the zenith both Of terror and
sublimity. His features were hyid as
those of a corpse; his very hair appeared
to stand on end; his nerves shook as
with palsy; he tossed his hands wildly
toward heaven, each finger spread apart
and quivering like the flame of a candle,
as he closed the last words of the de-
ceased Hiram Shore, ''Tell my mother
that I am dead and gone to hell! His
emphasis on the word hell embodied the
elements of all horror. IT waa wall OF
immeasurable despair wild howl of
infinite torture. No language can depict
its effect on all who heard it. Men
groaned, women shrieked, and one poor
mother was borne away in convulsions.
The entire speech lasted but an hour.
( The Jury rendered q verdict Of 'not
guilty. without leaving the box, and
three tremendous cheers, like successive
shocks of an earthquake shook the court
house from, dome to corner. stone, testify
ing the Joy OF the people, At the snme
moment the beautiful milliner bounded
to. her feet and clasped the triumphant
advocate in her arms, eXclaiming:
go, my husband! my dear husband!
Denton smiled, seized her hand, whis.
pered word in her ear, and the two left
the bar together, proceeded to the land,
ing aud embarked on steamboat bound
for New Orleans. 1t seems that they
previously parted on account OF his
causeless jealousy after which she had
assumed false name and come to Little
Rock. How he learned her danger, l
could never ascertain.