The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1883-11-15
miscellaneous.
THE VOLUNTEER COUNSEL,
OR THE POWER OF ELoQUENcE.

John Taylor was licensed, when
youth of twenty-one, to practice
at the bar. He was poor, but we'll
educated, and possessed extraor-
dinary genius. He married beauty,
who afterward deserted him for
another.
On the 9th of April, 1910, the
court house in Clarksville, Texas,
was crowded to overfiowing. An
exciting case was to be tried. Gen
eral Hopkins, wealthy planter,
had offered gross insult to Mary
Ellison, the young and beautiful
wife Of the overseer. The husband
had threatened to chastise him for
the outrage, when Hopkins went to
Ellison's house and shot him in his
own door. The murderer was ar.
rested and bailed to answer the
charge. This occurrence prodnced
a great excitement, and Hopkins,
in order to turn the tide of popular
indignation, had circulated reports
against her character. and she had
sued him for slander. Both suits
were pending, for murder and
SANDER.
The interest became deeper when
it was known that Ashley and
Pike, of Arkansas, and S. S. Prem
tiss, of New Orleans, by enormous
fees, had been retained to defend
Hopkins.
Hopkins was acquitted. The
Texas lawyers were overwhelmed
by their opponents. 1t was fight
of dwarfs against giants.
The slander suit was the 9Th, and
the throng Of spectators great in
number as excitement; public opin-
ion was setting in for Hopkins; his
money had procured witnesses who
served powerful advocates. When
the slander case was called, Mary
Ellison was left without an attor-
ney-all had withdrawn.
"Have you no counsel ?" in
quiled Judge Mills, kindly, looking
at the plaintiff.
"No, sir; they have all deserted
me, and l am too poor to employ
any more.' replied the beautiful
Mary, bnrsting into tears.
in such case. will not some
member of the bar volunteer 2''
said the judge, glancing around the
bar.
The thirty lawyers were silent.
q will, yauH honor" said a voice
fran the thickest part of the crowd
behind the bar,
At the sound Of that voice many
started-it was SO unearthly, sweet
and mournful.
The first sensation was changed
into laughter, when tall, gaunt,
spectral figure elboEed his way
through the crowd, and placed him.
self within the bar, His clothes
looked so shabby, that the Court
hesitated to let the case proceed un.
der his management.
elias your name been entered on
the roll of the State ?' demanded
the judge.
at is immaterial," answered the
stranger, his thin, bloodless lips
curling up with fendish sneer.
'Here is my license from the high
est tribunal in America" and he
handed the judge a broad parch.
ment, The trial went on.
He suffered the witnesses to tell
their own story, and he allowed the
defense to lead off, Ashley spoke
first, followed by Pike and Prentiss.
The latter brought the honse down
with cheer, in which the jury join
ed.
1t was now the strangers turn;
he rises-before the bar, net be.
hind it-and so near the wondering
Jury, that he might touch the fore
man with his long, bony finger-pro-
ceeded to tear to pieces the argu-
meuts of Ashley, which melted
away at his touch like frost before
a sunbeam, every one looked sur
prised, Anon be came to the daz.
zling wit of the poet-lawyer, Pike.
Then the curl of his lips grew
sharper, his smooth face began to
kindle up, and his eyes to open,
dim and dreary no longer; but vivid
as lightning, red as fire-globes, as
glaring as meteors. The whole
soul was in the eye, the full heart
streamed out of his face. Then,
without bestowing an allusion to
Prentiss. he turned short around on
the peEjured witnesses of Hopkins,
tore their testimony into shreds,
and hurled into their faces such
terrible inyectives that all trembled
like aspens, and two of them fed
from the court house. The excite
ment of the crowd was becoming
tremendous. Their united life and
soul seemed to hang On the burning
tongue Of the stranger; he inspired
them with the power of his malig.
nant passions; he seemed to have
stolen Natures long-hidden secret
of attraction. But his greatest
triumph was to come. His eyes be-
gan to glance at the assassin, Hop
kins, as his lean, taper fingers as
sumed the same direction. He
hemmed the wretch with a wall of
strong evidence and impregnable
argument cutting of all hopes of
escape. He dug beneath the mur.
dereT's feet 1itehes of dilemma and