Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1856-10-17
Stealing Fruit. Melons, GO.

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Tho complaints Of some Of our
neighbors, on account Of the dep
radations upon their orchards and
melon patches, requires us to call
the attention Of parents to the
law Of our Statute on this mat
ter.
Sec. 20, page 446, second vol
umo Of our Statutes, reads as
follows
aIf any person shall pull or
take and carry away any corn
growing on the stalk, or any fruit
on the tree, pumpkins or melons
or any other annual product at
tached 10 the reality, or growing
in the soil. Of the value Of ten
cents or upwards, he shall be fined
not exceeding fifty dollars, and
may be imprisoned not exceed
ing six months; and any person
concerned in the commission Of
any such offence, shall DO com
PEELED to testify against the 9TH
ers.'
IL will be observed by oil, tia I
these depradaticns are punished
by fine and imprisonment The
statute needs amendment. That
part which fixes the value Of the
property stolen 10 TEN cents, sho'd
be stricken out. 1t is almost an
impossibility for owners TO state
or prove the value taken by any
one Individual. The stealing Of
any growing crop, should be the
same as that OF any other thing,
and the statute defining aud pun
ishing petit larceny, has no valu-
alton. lie who steals a copper
cent is as guilty as it he had stole
four dollars and ninety-nine cents
He who has r.oney can take care
Of II, but the farmer is obliged to
expose his growing crops-why,
then, should not the law protect
those crops as carefully, at least
as the money or other property
that can be put on a mans per-
son, or taken into his houseg Toe
much Of national politics and toe
many lawyers find their way into
our Legislatures. Neither O
them shall influence our own vo.
ting-that's certain.
But this statute needs another
amendment. Last evening one
Of our neighbors told us that hi.
melon patch had been visited on
the Sunday evening previous, and
unripe melons cut of the vines
and left upon the ground, and
the smallest oneseniirely destroy
cd BY being cut into. Let al
such acts be declared stealing, or
at least, punished as such. Oul
statute should enforce the broad
principle Of morality, that whaI
belongs to another person is MOI
to DO destroyed, or injured, or Ia
ken from him, but at the peril o
fine and imprisonmentin the pen
itentiary.
The following card Of Mr.
Whippo places these depreciation
in their true light. They arr
robberies-they are schoolsof vic'
that have been the beginning o
orime-they disgrace those VIII
are guilty Of them.--Journal
An exchange has the following
article:
"FRuiT STEALING. - There j
scarcely a cultivator OF fine irui
in the country who has not beer
annoyed by fruit stealing, and thu
loss Of some new and rarc speci
mems Of kinds which he has pro
cured at great pains and expense
and watched over for years, is
much greater loss than il none,
had been stolen from his pocket
book, We have not seen an,
card on this subject more to tn
point than the following, whicl
has just fallen into our hands. an,
which was printed and posted up
as we are informed, with decided
ly beneficial results. DR.. Whip
pc, its author, has long held sew
eral distinguished Offices Of trus
in Pennsylvania, and among th
rest, that Of Chief Engineer o.
the canals OF that State:
"Men, women and boys -
want to say a word to you.
mean you who come into my OF
chard, especially on Sunday, an
carry of my fruit. OF wha
next will you rob me? There
nothing | would spare more reluc
family than my fruit--there
nothing that has cost me so muc
time, labor and money, and moth
ing | have in my possession ! val
ne so highly. Upon what princi
pie do you come to rob me Of it
/ do not like to be robbed at al
-on your account as well as m
ovn-huf ;f vou rob mo Fab,