The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-11-14
THE VOLUNTEERS COUNSEL
A story of the Texas Bar.

y
of Texas, author of the Desperadoes of
the Southwest" The Judge now, alas !!
no more, was not only forcible writer,
bat an orator. He wrote under the nom
de plume of "Charles Summer6eld"
John Taylor was licensed when youth
of twenty-one to practice at the bar of this
city. He was poor, but we'll educated,
and possessed extraordinary genius. The
graces of his person combined with the
superiority of his intellect enabled him to
win the hand of fashionable beauty.
Twelve months afterward the husband
was employed by wealthy firm OF the
city to go on mission as land agent to
the West. AS heavy salary was offered,
Taylor bade farewell to his wife and in
fant son. He wrote back every week, but
received not word In answer. Six months
elapsed, when the husband received let
ter from his employers that explained ALL
Shortly after his departure for the West,
his wife and her father removed to Miss.
issippi. There she Immediately obtained a
divorce by an act of the Legislature, mar
ried again forthwith, and, to complete
the climax of cruelty and wrong, had the
name of Taylors's son changed to Mar
kets - that of her second matrimonial
partner. This per6dy drove Taylor in
sane. His career after that period was
eccentric in the first degree At last a
fever carried him off,
AT an early hour on the 9th of April,
1910, the courthouse in Gainesville, Tex
as, was crowded to overfowing. Save in
the war times past, there had never been
witnessed such a gathering in Red River
county, while the strong feeling apparent
on every flushed face will sufficiently ex-
plain the matter
At the close of 1889 George Hopkins,
one of the wealthiest planters and most
influential men in n orthern Texas, offered
a gross insult to Mary Ellison, the young
and beautiful wife of his chief overseer.
The husband threatened to chastise him
for the outrage; whereupon Hopkins
loaded his gun, went to Ellison's house
and shot him in his own door. The mur-
derer was arrested and bailed to answer
the charge. The occurrence produced
intense excitement, and Hopkins in order
to turn the tide of public opinion, or at
least to mitigate the general wrath which
was at first violent against him, circula-
ted reports UNANIMOUSLY prejudicial to the
character of the woman who had suffered
such cruel wrong at his hands. She
brought her suit for SANDER And thus
two cases, one criminal and the other civil,
and both out of the same tragedy, were
pending in the April Circuit Court for
1910. The interest naturally felt by the
community as to the issue became far
deeper when it was known that Ashley
and Pike, of Arkansas, and the celebra-
ted Prentiss, of New Orleans, each with
enormous fees, had been retained by Hop
kins for his defense.
The trial for the indictment of murder
ended on the sth of April with the &C
quittal Of Hopkins. Such result might
have been foreseen by comparing the tai
ents of the counsel engaged on either side.
The Texas lawyers were utterly over
whelmed by the arguments and eloquence
of their opponents. 1t was fight of a
dwarf against giants.
This slander suit was set for the 9th,
and the throng of spectators grew in
number as we'll as excitement and what
may seem strange, the current of public
sentiment was decidedly for Hopkins.
His money had procured pointed wit
nesses who served most efficiently his
powerful advocates Indeed, so triumph
ant had been the success of the previous
day that when the slander case was called
Mary Ellison was left without attorney
they had all withdrawn. The pigmy pet
tifoggers dared not brave against the
sharp wit of Pike, and the scathing thun-
der of Prentiss.
"Have you no counsel?" inquired
Judge Mills, looking kindly at the plain
tiff.
"No sir, they have all deserted me,
and | am too poor to employ any more" :"
replied the beautiful Mary, blushing even
to tears.
"In such a case, will not chivalrous
member of the profession volunteer ?"
asked the Judge glancing around the bar.
The thirty lawyers were silent as
death.
Judge Mills repeated the question.
81 will, your honor" repeated voice
from the thickest part of the crowd, situa-
ted behind the bar
At the tones of that voice many start
ed from their seats and perhaps there
was not a heart in that immense throng
which did not beat something quicker
1t was 80 unearthly, sweet, clear, ringing
and mournful.
The first sensation, however, changed
into general laughter when tall, gaunt,
spectral figure that nobody present re-
membered to have seen before, elbowed
himself through the crowd and placed
himself within the bar. His appearance
was q problem to puzzle the Sphinx her
self His high, pale brow, and small nerv-
ously twitching face seemed alive with
the concentrated essence and cream of
genius; but then his infantine blue eyes,
hardly visible beneath the arches, locked
dim, dreary, almost unconscious and his
clothing was so shabby that the Court
hesitated to let the cause proceed under
his management.
"Has your name been registered ON the
rolls of the State 2" demanded the Judge,
suspiciously.
at 10 immaterial about my name being
on your roll" answered the stranger, his
thin, bloodless lips curling up into fiend-
lab sneer. III may be allowed to appear