The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-09-13
PEN SKETCB BY PR

4 PEN SKETCH BY PRENTIS.
Among the attendants at the James
trial at Gallaiin was Noble Prentis, of
the Atchison Champion, who thus
sxelched the bantliI as he looked upon
him, seated in the court room by the
side of his counsel:
II was Ii remarkable figure through
out. Quite slender, emaciatcd IN tact
with long arms and legs, and a slender
waist, conveying, one would say, rather
the idea of a professional man but the
face Was one among ten Thousand, and
une never 10 be forgotten-long, thin,
worn, not with disease, but watchful-
ness, long travel, suspicion aud anxiety (;
with restless, thiu-hpped mouth, that
Was never still Il short, sharp chin, that
rose and fell, and occasionally seemed
10 close up and almost disappear under
the thin, sickly-loOking, yellOwish nous.
Ische. so that moustache, lips and chin
were blended in one Grey eyes, with
changing shades, that betrayed various
feelings, bat never kindness; and most
remarkable of all, long, large nose
that dominated over his lace; not aJew-
ish. nor Roman, nor Gret K nose, but
Il nose by itself, not exactly human; a
nose like Il fux's or VOLTS. Straight
back, slipping at AN angle, almost as
great as that of the pose, was q forehead,
smooth, white, and broad, which, had it
been upright, would have been fine
feature, but il lay down, 50 to speak, al
ter the cruel fashion one sees in cats,
leopards, tigers, wolves and the baser
and crueler sorts of carniVarous' AMI
mails. Across the forehead was a long,
threa like scar, perceptihle only on
close inspection, and said TO have
been made in childhood. There was, to
make the face still more singular, deep
depressions below the temples The
mass, of rather small b -;sd was above and
behind the-tars; but not Immediately
behind thrm, 80 "a Ia give the thick neck
common in tine lower order of criminals
on the other haEd. The neck Was long,
slender and snswy, and quite fair, dis.
played by turning collar The com
plexion was hard tn describe; il was
dOuh;less bleached from confinement,
and m4gfh 3s1snme bronze from exposure
IN thr-AnB. The thin, fine brown hair
and IHe color of the musiache indicated
a blonde; there were dusky spots, as If
the man had black skin dimly show.
ing through white one.
TIE face was one To be studied and
studied again, and might then Tell very
little. His occupation for instance, could
hardly i'e guessed. 4 halt dozen Sug
gested themselves fat the writer, and were
discarded But whatever they were the
| idea OF dishoanr, IFeacheEy and wicked.
ness as associated with each A conf
dence man; sneak gambler 10 which
the long slender fingers gave credence)
a wandering dentist, using chloroform
to debauch his female patrons; An inter.
mittent schOOlmaster of limited educa
ton and villainOus tendencies; a shower
of counterfeit money, but not a maker
of it; a clerical dead beat. There was
nothing bold or brave, or manly or open
about the face; nothing of the hero, even
of the cheapest sort, about il. And yet
when the singular combination of mouth
nose, mustache and chin, of which We
! have spoken, took place, shadow 81
internal cruelty stole over the whole
counteHance, to the roots of the hair and
| the edges of the ears