The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-02-07

occurred, against any man. AS no
closed with of his matchless bursts
of eloquence, he started to take his
seat, as the other lawyers for the de-
tense exclaimed:
sGreat God! What have you done?
You have hung your own client!r
II flashed on Prentiss all at once
that he had. in his drunken stupor,
made q speech for the State instead of
for his client. He was thoroughly
sober now. Reaching for a pitcher of
water standing near, he said, as if he
had only paused for new strength:
"Mr. Sheriff, give me q glass,
please"
He then took o drink of water, set
the pitcher down, looked around on
the jury, the Judge, the lawyers and
the audience, amidst a profound silence.
Every one, who had been under the
spell Of his argument and amazed
at his change, was breathless with
expectation at this strange conduct.
They all knew that something unusual
was about to take place. What, they
could not guess. But that they were
to be treated to something great, even
for Prcntiss, all felt, and not one in
the vast throng so much Us breathed
for a few seconds. The fiery orator
did not keep them waiting but a mo-
ment. He settled himself on his feet,
slowly wiped his mouth, raised his
hand, pointed it at the array of talent
and learning on the side of the prosS-
cution, and began:
May it please the court and gentle
men of the jury, I have given what I
believe to be the strongest arguments
that the prosecution could possibly
bring against my client; arg uments
which, I admit, seem to involve him in
o network of convicting evidence more
inextricable than the meshes of the silk
en- web woven about his victim by the
cunning and alluring spider. But, gem
tlemen of the jury, 1 will now address
myself to the arguments in favor of
the accused, and I think I shall be
able to sweep away the entangling web,
even rs the hand of man sweeps away
the spiders silvery threads Of silken
letters and sets free the captive fly"
He then proceeded to make not only
the most eloquent, most remarkable
speech he had ever made, but the most
remarkable, perhaps, in the English
language. The jury, judge, audience,
and eve counsel for the prosecution
were dumfounded, overwhelmed with
amazement. Applause and tears came
ut the bidding of the great orator.
When he ceased speaking lie fell back
exhausted; and, when he recovered his
strength, he was told that the jury,
without leaving their seats, had brought
in a verdict of mot guilty" as the
prosecution submitted the case after
his speech without making further
argument.
When asked how he came to be in
spircd with the idea of making such a
speech for the prosecution, and then
knocking it all to pieces, he remarked:
II was never inspired with such an
idea. / didn't know what I was about
until my colleagues told me what 1 had
done. Then my brain seemed to take
fire; I saw that I must redeem both
my reputation and my honor, and had
to do something quickly. The only
thing L could do, without acknowledge
ing that I had played the drunken fool,
was to pretend that I did that on pur-
pose, and then try to undo my blunder.
That's all there is to it,"
But We have only had one Keats, and
one Chatterton, and one Prentiss. As
Q gentleman once remarked to q Young
man who excused his drinking habits
by saying the brightest men we had
drank. and naming Prentiss especially:
Yes, my young friend; we See what
Prentiss Is, in spite Of drink. But,
great God, Just reflect what he would
have been had he not drank intoxicat.
Ing liquors q ALL