Washington telegraph., 1853-06-22
Anecdote of Daniel Webster.

Anecdote of Daniel Webster.
well remember hearing my father tel
the following anecdote, Illustrative of the
early genius of that great man whose loss q
mighty nation mourns.
Ebenczer Webster, the father of Daniel
was a farmer. The vegetables in his gar.
den had suffered considerably from the de-
predatlons of woodchuck, whose hole and
habitation was neal the premises Daniel
some ten or twelve years old, and his broth
er Ezekiel, had set a trap, and finally sue
ceeded in capturing the tresspasser. Eek
iel proposed to kill the animal, and end at
once all the further trouble from him but
Daniel looked with compassion upon his
meek, dumb captive and offered to let him
again 20 free. The boys could not, agree,
and each appealed to their father to decide
the case. ''Well my boys" said the old
gentleman, Il will be the judge. There is
the prisoner (pointing to the woodchuck, }
and you shall be the counsel and plead the
case for and against his liberty
Ezekiel opened the case with strong ar
gument, urging the mischievous nature of
the criminal, the great harm he had already
done, said that much time and labor had been
spent in his capture, and now if he was suf-
fered to live and go again at large, he would
renew his depredations, and be cunning
enOugn -17UT rU -sstGi7r1eT himself To be caught
again and that he ought now to be put to
death that his skin was of some value,
and that to make most of him they could, it
would not repay half the damage he had al
ready done His argument was ready, prac-
tical, to the point, and of much greater
length than our limits will allow us to occu-
Ply in relating the story.
The father looked with pride upon his
son, who became distinguished jurist in
his manhood ''Now Daniel, it is your
turn; I'll hear what you have to say
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, tlmid ex
preston of the animal, and as he saw it
tremble with fear in its narrow prison house,
his heart swelled with pity, and he appealed
in eloquent words that the captive might
again 90 free. God, he said, had made the
woodchuck He made him to live, to enjoy
the bright sunlight, the pure air, the free
fields and woods. God had not made him,
or anything in vain the woodchuck had as
much right to life as any other living thing;
he was not destructive animal as the wolf
and the fox were he simply ate few com
mon vegetables. of which they had plenty
and could well spare part he destroyed
nothing except the little food he needed to
sustain his humble life and that little food
was as sweet to him, and as necessary to his
existence, as was to them the food on his
mothers table God furnished their own
food he gave them all they possessed !;
and would they not spare little for the
dumb creature, who really had as much
i right to his small share of Gods bounty, as
they themselves had to their proportion ?
Y ca, more; the animal had never violated
he laws of his nature or the laws Of
~@@4a44azee1ften did, but strictly follow-
ed the simple, harmless instincts he had
received from the 10 =. of the Creator
Of ali 1hirIlgs things Created by Gods hand,
he had right from God, to life, to food, to
liberty and hey had no right to deprive
him of either. He alluded to the mute
but earnest pleaings of the animal for that
life. as sweet, as lear to him, as their own
,as 10 them; and the just judgement they
heartlessness they took the life they could
not restore again, the life that God alone
had given.
During this appeal the tears had started
to the old mans eyes, and were running
down his sun-burnt cheeks; every feeling
of fathers heart was stirred within him
he saw the futule greatness of the son IN
his ewes he felt that God had blessed him
in his children beyoad the lot of common
men his pity and sympathy were awaken
ed by the eloquent words of compassion
and the strong appeal for mercy and for
getting the Judge in the man and the father
he sprang from his chair, (while DAME
was in the midst of his argument, wlthou
thinking he had already won the case') an'
turning to his older son, dashlng the tear
from his eyes, he exclaimed, +ZEKE AEKE
oU LET THAT wooDCHUcK GO !"
1 IraUelcr.