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Show Lawyer Who Was a Terror m At the last meeting of tho Arkansas Bar Association, says Law Notes, tho Prosldent, Georgo B. Boso, delivered an Interesting address on "Tho Bar of Early Arkansas," In which ho set himself tho task of rescuing from oblivion somo memories of tho early leaders of tho Bar and reconstructing tho conditions undor which thoy worked. Among them Is presented tho curious flguro of John Taylor, whoso picturesque and terrlblo character might well furnish a hint for a modern Sir Walter Scott, if wo wcro fortunate onough to possess a successor to tho great novelist: "John Taylor was only a sojourner In Arkansas from 1837 to 1844, but ho was so remarkablo a man that ho should not bo forgotten. Everybody who heard him agreed that in capacity for Invective, for withering, wither-ing, blustering, envenomed eloquonco ho oxcelled any human being that evor spoko, and that ho seemed possessed of a demoniac power. Ho was a tall, lank, red hnlred man, repulsively ugly, with llttlo greon oyes that glistened llko those of a snako, nnd with a fashion of licking out his tongue that was strangely serpentine Ho talked to no ono savo on business. When ho settled In Llttlo Itoek, whither ho had como from Alabama aftor ho had been defeated In his candidacy for tho United States. Senate, all tho Bar called on him, but ho received them with repelling coldness, and returned no visits. Ho had a wife, but nobody over saw hor wondorful thing considering consid-ering tho small slzo of Llttlo Rock at tho tlmo. During tho seven years of his sojourn ho nover crossed nny B man's threshold, and no man crossed H his. In riding tho circuit ho always. H rodo alono, permitting no companion- H ship, and while In attendance on court H ho would, If tho weather permitted, H llvo in a tent pitched in tho neighbor- H lng wood, whero ho might not havo to H look on tho hated faco of his fellow- H man. Yot this modern Timon, a thou- Bj sand times moro embittered and mallg- H nant than ho of Athens, was a dovout H Christian, assiduous in his attendance- Bj at church, and al.vays speaking with iutenso religious conviction. But his Bj strange, invlsiblo wlfo did not nppoar B on tho Sabbath. As a lawyer ho was B a terror. His knowledgo of law was fl prodigious and his memory of author!- B tics almost superhuman. Ho could B write out any of tho verbose, involved fl common law pleadings word for word fl as they appeared In Chltty without fl looking at a book. Ho was a master B of every technicality by which his ad- B versary could bo humiliated and over- fl thrown, and when ho nroso to speak fl nono could resist tho flerco torrent ot fl his fiery eloquonco. Ho spared no fl ono and feared no ono; but while ho I nover suggested a resort to personal violonco, ho always carried two pis- fl tols in tho pockets of his long black. fl coat, in readiness to ropenl any at- I tack. In 1855 he reappeared I ono day In our Supremo Court, much I nged, but still erect, proud, scornful, nnd malignant, nnd after looking: around on such of his old opponents ' -as survived, departod without spooking spook-ing to nny ono, and wont forth upon his lonely way, whither no man. know." |