The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-12-06
Daniel Webster's First Case.


Ebenezer Webster, father Of Daniel, was
farmer The vegetables in his garden suf.
fered considerably from the depredations OF
a woodchuck, whose hole and habta.ion was
near the pre- nises. Daniel, some ten or
twelve yesrs old, and his brother Ezekiel,
had set a stell trap, and FINALLY succeede1
in capturing the trespasser. Ezekiel pro.
posed to kill the animal, and end at once oil
further trouble W ith him; but Daniel looked
with compassion upon this meek dun cap
tive, aad offered to let him go free. The
boys could not agree, and each appeled to
their father to decide the case.
"Well, boys" said the old gentleman, II
will be judge. There is the prisoner, (poiht.
ing to the woodeh1ck,) and you saall be
the counsel, and pl I'D for and agsi ast his
life and liberty"
Ezekiel opened the case with strong ar
gument, urging the m;schivions ratu-e Of
the criminal, and the great harm he had al.
ready done; said that much time and labor
had been spent in his capture, and now ifhe
was sufferd to live and go at large, he would
renew his depredations, and be cunning
enough not to suffer 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 the most of him they could, it
would not reIay half the damage he had
already done. His argument was ready,
practical and to the point, and of much
crater length than our limi will allow US to.
occupy in relating the story.
The father looked with pride upon his son
who became distinguished jurist in his
marhood.
Now, Daniel, it's your turn; I win heal.
what you have to say"
1t was 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 tifnid, ex-
preston Of the animal, and as he saw it
tr.mble 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
woodchuck; he had made him to live, to en-.
joy the sunshine, the pure air, the free fields
and woods. God has not made him or any
thing in vain; the woodchuck had as much
right to live as any other living thing; he
was not destructive animal, as the wolf and
fox were; he simply ate a few common veg
etables, of which we had plenty, and could
well spare part; he destroyed nothing but
the little food he needed to sustain his hum
BILE life; and that little food was as sweet to
him, and as necessary to his existence, as
was to them the food upon their mothers ia.
BILE. God furnished their own food; he
gave them all they possessed; and would
they not spare little for the dumb Great
ure VINO really had as much right to his
small Share of Gods bounty as they them.
selves had to their portion, yea, more, the
animal had not violated the laws of nature or
the laws Of God, as men often did, but
strictly followed the simple instincts he had
received from the hand of the Greater of all
things. Created by Gods hands, he had
right from God to life, to food, to liberty
and they had no right to deprive him of
either He alluded to the mute but earnest
pleading Of the animal for that life, as sweet.
rs dear to him as their own was to them;
and thejust judgment they might expect,
il, in selfish cruelty and cold hartedness,
they took the life they could not restore
again.
During the arpeal tears had started to
the old mans eyes, and were fast running
down his sunburnt checks; every feeling Of
a fathers heart was stirred within him; he
saw the future gratness Of his son before
his eyes; he felt that God had blessed him
and his children beyond the lot Of common
men; his pity and sumphathy were awakened
by the eloquent words Of compassion, and
the strong appeal for mercy and forgetting
the judge in the man and the father, he
sprang from his chair (while Daniel was ID
the midst Of his argument, without thinking
that he had already won his CASEY,
and turning to his elder son, dashing the
tears from his eyes, exclaimed 'Zeke, Zeke
you let that woodchuck gor'
Z