Litchfield enquirer., 1864-01-28
MlisfelLolgn.
From Chambers Journal. The Verdict Against J. J.

About forty years ago sad misfortune hap pened to J. J.-Ec was born. He was not aware of it at the time. but it WAS not long be- fore he began to realize it. His baby-life was wretched one. His mother drank" His father was by profession blacksmith, whose only recreation was nisht-poaching. The i'm proprety of this nocturnal amusement could never be impressed upon Mr J. senior; bud. geons and butt-ends of guas had been used in the humane endeavor to drive the idea into his head but his skull was unusually strong, and wthstood manfully the forcble entry of the idea. Interviews with Justices of the Peace and arguments from legal gentlemen had TO more effect upon kim he took his imprison. ments with perfect eGrsniulity, as matter of course; but as soon as lie C. got out" he revert ed to his old practice. " Game was game, ' was his incontrovertible argument ; one ctap had as much right to it as another,' was his not equally incontrovertible deduction and t blowed if they won't preserve butterflies next, ,' was his ironical hut vague conclusion. He was told he would be hanged or transport ed, and he fully believed what was told him, but he expressed his determination neverthe- less to lave his bit O fun as we'll ss the best on en-" and to :" eat bit O public victuals now and agen, if he died for t j" for nothing could persuade him that game was anything but" public victuals.' It is hardly necessary, except as connecting link in the story. to observe that MT. J. seniors friends soon saw their prophecy fulfilled, and the man who would eat "public victuals7 was made public example of. The "jolly blacksmith,' in fact, con shiny night in the season of the year, !" got into serious complications with Mir. No mans (of Noware HalD gamekeepers and one of the latter was immersed in the water to such an extent that the whole Humane Society could not have brought back to him the requi- site amount of animation the consequence was, he expired and Mr. J. senior put the Government to the expense of sending him abroad, and finding him in board, lodging,
 
 to remove to unco nfortabe apartments at the workhouse, where, finding the supply of gin inappreciable, and attainable only by snug gling process beyond her abilities, she fell a victim to her su6erings, in the thirty-ffth year of her age and the third of her marriage. Her end was (enforced) sobriety.
 
 J. J. became work'us- boy, and received (with very i'll grace) the education generally awarded to that class of our younger brethren. In this public institution he had the misfor. tune to quarrel with comrade when they had each of them forks in their hands the com. rade made thrust at him with the two-prong. ed instrument, and missed whereupon J. J returned the compliment, but unfortunatel y took truer aim, and inflicted ghastly wound he was naturally set down as the more guilty of the two, was severely chastised, and bran ded as an embryo rufian. Now, it is often very difficult in this over-populated country fol work'us-boy who begins life with the prestige
 of convict father,a mother who died of-a de hcient supply of-drink, and of having himself
 nearly killed by playmate with a two pronged iofk' to obtain boot-cleaning and errand.run mug situation in a gentleman's establishment
 No wonder, then, that young J. J., with hi.
 antecedents. had great deal to hear at th,
 Hon. and Rev. MT. Fitz-R -Rsx's, wbo had ch.ri