The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-07-06

| ANECDorE OF DANIEL WEBsrER.-E Ebene
z-r Webster, the father Of Daniel, was a far
mer. The vegetables in his garden had suffer-
ed considerably from the depre da,ions of a wood
chuck, whose hole and habtation was near the
tpremises. Daniel, some ten or twelve years
old and his older brother Ezekiel, had set tran
and finally succeeded in capturing the trespasser
Ezekiel proposed 10 kill The animal and end
at once all future trouble from him, bat Daniel
looked with compassion upon his meek, dumb
captive, and offered to let him again 90 free
The boys could not agree, and each appealed
to their father to decide the case "Well, nv
boys said the old gentleman, 81 will be the
Judge. There is the prisoner (pointing to the
woodchuck) and you snail he the counsel and
plead the case for and against his life and
liberty"
Ezekiel opened the case with a strong arpu.
nent, urging the mischievious 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, f he was suffered to
live and 60 again at large, he would renew his
depredatlons, and be cunning enough not to snE
fer hlmselfto be caught again, and that he ought
now to be put to death; that his skin was of
some valne, and that to make the most of him
they could it would not repay halt the damage
he had already done. His argument was ready,
practical, to the point, and of much greater
length than our limits will allow us to occupy in
relating the story.
The father looked with pride upon his son,
who became distinguished jurift in his man
hood. SNOW, 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 sen.
sibly affected his father the Judge, and as his
large, bril- liant black eyes looked upon the soft
timid expressions Of the animal, and as he saw
st tremble with fear in its narrow prison house,
his heart swelled with piry, and appealed with
eloquent words that the captive mi ight again 90
free. God, he sale, hrd made ,he woodchuck; :;
he made him to lovo, to enjoy the brich, sun.
light, the pure air, the free fields and woods
God had not made him, or anything, in vain;
The woodchuck has much right to live as
any other living thing; he was not destruc.
tive animal as the wolfand the fox were; he
simply a'e few common vegetables, of which
they had plenty and could well spare a 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 nee
cssary to his existence, as was to them the
food upon his mothers table God furnished
their own food ; he gave them all they pos.
sessed and would they not spare little for the
dumb creature, who really had as much right
to his small share Of Gods bounty, as they
! themselves had to their portion Yea, more
the animal had never violated the laws of his
nature or the laws Of God, as man often did ;
but strictly followed the simple harmless in
s,incts he had received from the hand of the
Creator of all things. Created BY Gods hand
he had right, from God, to lite, to food, to
liberty and they had no light TO deprive him
of either. lie alluded to the mute but the earn.
est pleadngs of the animal for that life, as
sweet, as dear to him as their own was to them
and the justjudgment they might expect il in
selfish cruelty and cold hear,lessness 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 man ) eyes, and
were fast running down his sunburnt cheeks /;
every feeling of fathers heart was stirred
within him, he saw the future gre atness OF his
son before his eyes he Il o. that G had bes
sed him in his children beyond the 10, of com:
mon men his piety and sympathy were
awakened by the eloquent words Of compassion,
and the strong appeal for mercy and forget.
ting the Judge in the man and the father, he
sprang from his claf while Daniel was in the
midst Of his argument, without thinking he had
already won his case, and turning to his older
son dashing the tears faom his eyes, Exclaimed
"Zeke, Zeke you let that voodchuck gor'-
Boston Traretey.