The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1853-06-09

HhH'D"iE W DANIEL MEBsTER.-I wei
remember hearing my father tell the follow.
ing anecdoie, illustrative Of the early gen
ius Of that great man whose loss mighty
nation mOurns
Ebenezer Webster. the father Of Daniel
was farmer. The vegetables in hi- garden
had suffered considerably from the depreda.
tons Of d wOodchuek, whose hole aud habi.
TALON was near the premises. Daniel, some
ten or twelve years old, and his older broth.
ier Ezekiel, had set trap and finally sue.
ceeded 10 capturing the irespasser. liz. k
/ el proposed To Mil the animal, and end al
once all further trouble from him: but Dan
iel looked with Compassion upon his meek
dumb captive, and offered to lei him 90 free
I The boys could rot agree, and each apneal.
ed TO their father TO decide the case. "Hel
my boys" said the old gentleman, 81 viii
be Judge. There is the prisoner, (pointioo
to The wOodchDck } and you shall be the
counsel and ptesd the case for and against
his life and Liberty"
! Ezekisl opfpcd the case with strong ar
gnneDt, Urging the mischievous nature oI
the criminal, the great harm he had already
done, said that much time and labor hac
been spent 10 his capture, and now If he va,
suffered to live, and to 90 again at large, he
would renew his depredations, and be Gun.
Mug enough not TO suffer himselfto be caught
again, and that he ought now TO be put tc
death; hat hi skin is ofsome value and that %
make the most Of him they could, it would
not repay half The damage he had already
done. His argument was ready, practical
10 the point, and of much greater length
than our limits will allow Us 10 occupy in re-
lating the story.
The father looked with pride upon his son,
who became distinguished jurist in his
manhood. Nov, Daniel, it is your turn;
I'll hear what you have TO say.'
I Twas his first case. Daniel saw that the
plea of his brother had sensibly affected his
father, the Judge, and as his large, brilliant
black eyes looked upon the soft, timid ex-
preston Of the animal, and as he saw it trem-
bic with fear in its narrow prison-house, his
/ heart swelled with pity, and he appealed
with eloquent words that the captive might
again go free God, he said, had made the
woodcbuck; lie IHade him to live, 10 enioy
( the bright sunlight, the pure air, the free
fields and woods. God had not made him,
or anything in vain; the wOodehuck had as
much right TO life as any other living thing:
he was not destructive animal, as the vol
and the fox were; he simply ate a few COM
mon vegetables, Of which they had plenty
and could well spare part; he destroyed
nothing except the little food he needed tu
sustain his humble life; and that little food
was as sweet to MIN. and as necessary 10 his
existence, as was TO them the food upon his
mothers table. God furnished their own
food; He gave them all they possessed; and
IVnnlH lftfi. L., L
creature, who really had as much right to
his small share of Gods bounty, a. they
themselves had 10 their portionl Yea, more
the animal bad never violated the laws of his
nature or the laws OF God, as man often did
but strictly followed the simple, harmless in
stincts hc had received from, the hand of the
Creator Of all things. Created by ooi's
hand he had a right;a right from G cd to life.
10 rood, 10 liberty; and they had no right to
deprive him Of either. He alluded'tO thernute
but earnest pleadings OF the animal for that
life, as sweet, as dear to him, as their own
was 10 them; and the just Judgment they
might expect if in selfish cruelty and cold
hcartlessness they took the life they could
not restore again, the life that God had Civ
en-.
During this appeal the tears had started
TO the old mans eyes, and were fast running
down bis sun-burnt cheeks; every feeling Of
fathers heart was stirred within him; he
saw the future greatness of bis son before his
eyes; he felt that God had blessed him in his
children beyond the lot OF common men; his
pity and sympathy were awakened by the ell
oquent of words compassion, aud the strong
appeal for mercy; and forgetting the Judge
in the man and the father, he sprang from
his chair, (while Daniel was in the midst OF
his argument, without thinking he had al
ready won his casc,) and turning to his older
son, dashing the tears from his eyes, exclaim-
ed, "ZEKE, ZEKE, YOU LET THAT wooDCHUcK
Gun'-TrdUelLer