Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1858-02-25
Beautiful Sentiments EIO-
9uenfEy Expressed.

fense was insanity. caused by his wife,s in
fidelity with another. The defense was
} overruled and the prisoner convicted Mr.
Hannegan made however very able
speech, which is published in the ST. Lou
is papers, in behalf of his unfortunate CHI
ent.
On the infamy OF the crime of seduc-
tion, Mr.. Hannegan thus speaks:
There is no offense upon the face of the
earth which causes such deep, overwhel-
ming, heart bruising grief and sorrow as
does this one single crime of Seduction,
whether it be of mans wiis or daughter.
To penetrate family with the foulest de-
sigma In the heart, IS an ofense which the
laws have never yet devised an appropr-
ate punishment for, for it never can; and
it is a strange fact that where the sorrow
and agony which is caused by an act of
that kind, Is most pressing, most potent,
where the wreck and ruin that follows is
most irretrievable, that there the world
looks on it most carelessly. The fiend Of
ten, too often turns from the sad page of
grief and bitterness with scorn, where the
occurrence is in the poor mans family, the
poor, humble and obscure, and yet you
well know, every man within the sound OF
my voice, that upon them i. falls with
heaylness.
The high and wealthy mantle veal
thy are always called the high--I cannot
understand why? know il is very far
from being the case. The wealthy man.
am sorry TO say it is hot always the high
man. Ny definition of a high man is the
high in heart and elevated in sentiment, the
noble In feeling. the gentle in action, and
| look for him and recognize him as much
In the ditch, where, with shirt upon his
back, he dies, as though he hved in a
princes palace. But speaking after the
fashion of the world. the high and wealthy
from injustice like this can turn at once
and console themselves with enjoyment and
pleasure.
The rich man can makesfor himself
home anywhere, and he can command un-
bounded visitors and attendants. AT his
new home he can call to his sumptuous
board. troops of friends--the rich always
have friends; the poor man rarely has any;
ard these friends come TO him with their
sadness, just as the occasion stirs, be il
what it may--of grief or of joy--the voices
and graces cf the throng are always ready.
If grief press at the rich mans heart, the
silken voice of the parasite distills into his
ear the well prepared music to sooth him.
If, for wrong like this for which Smith
struck, a rich man should strike with the
avenging arm at the betrayer of his honor
and his peace. the public voice cries out at
once the deed was righteous. the death
was merited. he has but acted in obedi-
ence to the dictates of his own nature, sus
tanning his own sacred rights. A trial
for him is but form. He comes before
the tribunal with proud and lofty bearing
which proclaims lis feeling of security,
and he at length goss forth with the plau-
dts of the world ringing in his ears, he
goes forth to plunge into that ease or
pleasure which lies strewn in bachanal pro-
fusion before him His wife, she never
had, perhaps idivioed possession of his
affections; the gay world always, perhaps.
divided 1t with her. He has one attraction
less now. and it is one as soon supplied by
one with fsesher lips and brighter eyes.
Not 50 with the poor man. His home is
the center Of all his enjoyment-it is his
earthly paradise. The wife who resides
there is queen of all his thoughts AMI al
fections. He comes home at even-tide,
and tells over the earnings of the day or
week. upon which they are to rely hereaf-
ter for their support, and they count over
the prospect of laying by littlc day by
day or week by week 70 provide for days
of sorrow He sits there and looks around
the humble dwelling, and feels no sorrow,
no care, no wish to wander out in pursuit
of licentious pleasures. He is at ease in
his body and mind. She is by him: he 81
lently thanks his God for such sweet and
precious gifts as those that are.around him.
and, above all, he thanks Him for the
dear, dear wife that met him when he came
back, with the bright, smiling eye. and
the warm welcoming kiss. How many
thousand such homes as this have des- |
cribed are spread around us. Do not sup
pose that am going to limit this to the
homes of the 'hewers Of wood and draw
ers of water" No! 1t is as much PIC
tnre of the home Of the professional man.
the poor lawyer. the penniless minister of
God, as it is of the poor tinker-as it was
Of this poor mulatto, William Smith.
Would you take this home away from
him who has it? Would you take it away?
Would you fill his very dish with loath-
some putrifaction? Would you make his
home den of kissing serpents. to coil up-
on his hearthstone, or nestle in his bed?
Would you plunge your knife into
the heart of her he loves when he was vet |
away, and place her discovered head ali 90
ry, on his plate to meet him when he next
came back-would you? You had better,
ten thousand times better do this, than do