The Carrollton sun. (City of Carrollton, Parish of Jefferson, La.) 185?-1???, 1860-10-24

80
Daniel: webstsr,s Fir.t Case.
Ebenezer Webster, father Of Daniel,
was farmers The egetables in his
garden suffered consid derabl from the
dspredations Of d woodchuok, whose
hole and habitation was near the pre-
mises. Daniel, some ten or twelve
years old, and his hrother Ezekiel, had
set . steel trap. and at last succeeded
IN captnring tho trespasssr. Ezekiel
pro opassd Ia XIII tho aninal, and end at
once farth her tTou5lo with him; but
Danie poked tifh compassion upon
the me6l dnnab cnptive, and offered
to lethim go. The boys could not agree,
and each ap ppenled to their father to de-
eide tho case.
NY boys said the old gem
tleman, viii BE Judge. There is the
prisoner 3 pointing to tho woodchuck; ];
land you shah be the cos6ssel, and
plead the case for and against his life
and liburty.''
Ezekiel opened the case with a
strong argument, urging the mischie
vous nature of the criminal, the great
harm he had already done, said that
much time and labor had been spent in
his capture, and nowif he was suffered
to live and go at large, he would renew
his depreciation, and be cunning enough.
not to suffer himself to BE caught again,l
and that he ought now to be put to-
death; that his skin was Of. SONS alue.
and that, make the most Of him they
could, it would not repay half the dam
age he had already done. His argu-
ment was ready, practical and to the
point, and of much greater length than
our limits will allow us to occupy in re-
lating the story.
The father looked with pride on his
son, who became distinguished iurist
in his manhood.
"Now, Daniel, it's your turn; I'll
hear what you've got 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, timid expression of the
animal, and as he saw it tremble with
feari its narrow prison house, his heart
swelled with pity, and he appealed with
eloquent words that the captive might
go free. God, he said, had made the
lol
enjoy the bright sunshine, the pure air,
the free fields and woods. God has not
made him or anything in vain; the wood
chuck has as much right as any other
living thing he is not destructive ami
NAL, as the fox or wolf was; he simply
ate few common vegetables, ofwhich
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 necessary to
his existence, as was to them the food
on their mothers table.
God furnished their own food He
gave them all they possessed; and
would they not spare little for the dunn
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 rieI Ter vio-
lated the laws of his nature, or the laws
of God, as man often did, but strictly
followed the simple instincts he had re-
ceiyed from the hands of the Creator
of all things. Created by Gods hands,
he had right from God tolife, to food,
to liberty; and they had no rightto de-
prive him of either. He alluded to the
mute but earnest pleadings of the ami
nal for that life, as sweet, as dear to