Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-08-06

| forward apparently making MIN nave a
| wild look, and with voice which sounded
| like distant thunder at times and again as
soft as child's. This then was the Texas
Major and lawyer who was pleading or
rather beginning to plead for one of his
starved soldiers who was about to be
| branded, as he had been apparently proven,
thief and to be imprisoned. The Major
saw that
SOMETHING MUST BE DONE.
He had seen that when the evidence was
FALL in. He had conceived a plan and now
! . part of that plan had succeeded. His
comrade, his Texas brother, his soldier
who had come all the way from Texas to
| Virginia to she'd his blood for his country,
was in bad fix, and he must rescue him
at all hazards, and rescue him, he would.
| AS the signal at the door was given, and
Major Martin knew then and knows now
who gave it, he began his defence. The
language will not be recalled, suffice it to
say it was eloquent, for the Major had been
practicing to living juries and assemblages
| for ten years and not to trunks of trees
as in 1850. He began in
SLOW AND MEASURED POINTS.
Getting faster and louder, men in the
crowded court.h house began to rise in their
seats. Apparently without any person tax
ing any particular notice of the fact, the
Major had mounted the table he had be-
forehand placed before the jury. His voice
began to roar like thunder. He frothed at
the mouth. He threw his coat-tails over
his back and head. He paved and sawed
the air with his hands. ALI the time bel
lowing like "a Texas bull. He shook his
back hair like lion. His eyes looked like
balls of fire. The audience had all arisen
out of their seats. Some standing on the
seats, and as the excitement increased,
which the sheriff had no power to quell, the
audience crowded into the bar, through the
railing and around the prisoner, and in all
this noise and confusion, the advocate went
on. Yes, gentlemen of the jury, here in
this glorious old State of Virginia; here
| in this mother of presidents, no roar of
cannon ever sounded near braver soldier.
No Yankee bullet ever whistled by better,
truer man than my client. Gentleman of
the jury, just lock at that brave face, that
noble countenance. Why What? Mr..
Sheriff, Judge, where is the prisoner? What
has become of the prisoner" The Major
ceased. He guietly.stepped down off the
table and wiping the persplration off his
brow, he sat down, never to finish that
speech.
THE BIRD HAD FLOWN.
The prisoner during the excitement over
the Majors speech, and while the audience
had crowded around him at the bar, had
gone out, mounted horse at the stile, and
ridden away. The jury was discharged.
No one doubts but that the talk with the
than one. No one doubts that the signal at
the door to begin the speech, was the
knowledge that the horse was ready. No
one doubts that the Major had fully intend
ed to mount the table when he placed it in
front of the jury, and that the saving of air
and tearing of hair was for purpose. The
soldier from Texas was never caught or was
never tried afterwards in civil court and
went back to his regiment and lost his life
for his country, and to day his children,
whether they know of this story or not,
love Major Martin like brother, and two
of the boys who are now old enough to vote,
would vote for the Major if he would run
on the Republican ticket or any other tick
ct.
IN1965.
Major Martin could write book of his
four years. experience in Virginia, aud his
friends would print it for him and be glad
cf the chance. Though as far as money is
needed he is ably cared for. Though he
lost much by the war, he is to-day worth
perhaps seventy-fve or a hundred thousand
dollars. seven of the two hundred who
went with the Major to Virginia in 1861 re.
turned with him in 1865 to tell the sad tale
The balance sleep amid the vine Clad hills
of the Valley of the Shenandoah, on the
banks of the Potomac, or may be in some
unknown grave near Cemetery Ridge or
Round Top. Is it any wonder the children
of these brave soldiers love Major Martin?
Major Martin is peculiar, but he is honest
brave and true. He helped his people
through the dark days Of reconstruction
aud in 1872, was elected
DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
He never prosecuted a man if be thought
he was innocent, and by his gentlemauly
manner made friends of those he convicted.
While he was holding this office, he had &C.
casion to frame bill for the grand jury a
gainst man for stealing sack of flour.
In writing the indictment he charged in the
same that the defendant ''did take, steal
and carry away one sack of fo,oer, &C." The
attorney for the defendant made motion
Gas we say in Texas) to quash the indict-
ment on the ground that it charged no
offense against the State of Texas-that
man might steal bushel of flowers, might
go into garden and take boquet OF flow
ers and still not violate the law. The Major
arose and strongly resisted the motion by
long and interesting argument and wound
up by saying: "Now, Your Honor, if f. l-o W
Glow e-r (er) don't spell flour what in the
h-ll do it spellP The Indictment was
''quashed." The Major wrote a new cne.
The man was convicted and sent to the
penitentiary. At another time while the
Major was holding this office
HE DEFENDED HIS COUNTY
in q civil suit, in which citizen of the
county was claiming damages for the kill
| ing of yoke of oxen and breaking to
pieces wagon. A bridge on public road
across deep ravine had been somewhat
neglected and the banister or fence on the
| left side Of the bridge had become rotten
and had fallen down. The owner of the
oxen drove them to the middle of the
| bridge when the oxen wheeled, fell over Or
eff the bridge with the wagon, both oxen
being killed and the wagon broken to pieces
Major Martin proved on the trial By the
owner himself that both of his oxen togeth-
er only supported one pair of good eyes.
That the left eye of each OK was blind
This was all the testimony the major in
troduced. And in winding up his argu-
ment for the county the Major said-"Why
gentleman of the Jury, those oxen thought
the whole country on that left side was
bridge "1he Jury decided the c; Sc in favor
of the county and the plaintiff never ap-
pealed the case.
At the expiration Of his term of Office as
District Attorney, Major Martin returned
to his farm and ranch, four miles from
town, which he was running when he was
elected to the 50th congress. In 1880, the
writer was at his ranch and was treated in
that free and hospitable manner character
istic Of the early Texans. The Major then
was the picture of
| RURAL FELICITY.
He had his estimable wife and happy
family around him. He did not know how
many horses and cattle he owned, but they
ran into the thousands. He lived thsn in
log house with two large rooms, with dirt
| q La int tha f,r