Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-08-24
Daniel Webster. First Plea.

Ebenezer Webster, father of Daniel, was
a farmer. The vegetables in his gsrdeu
suffered considerably from the deprcdations
of a woodchuck whose hole and hahtatiou
was near the premises Daniel, some teH
years old, and his brother had set trap,
and at last succeeded in catching the tres.
passer. Ezekiel proposed to kill the animal
and end at once all further trouble with
him; but Daniel looked with compassion
upon his meek, dumb captive. and offered
to let him 20. The boys could not agree,
and each appealed to their father to decide
Il e case.
swell, my boys, said the old gentleman,
81 will be the judge and you shall be the
counsel to plead the case for and against
his life and liberty"
Ezekiel opened the case with strong
argument, urging the mischievous nature
OF the animal, the great harm he had already
done, said that much time and labor had
been spent in his capture, and now il suf-
fered to go at large, he would renew his
depredations, and be cunning enough not
to be caught agaic, and that he ought now
to be put to death; that his skin was of
bin they could, it would not repay half
the damage he had already done. His ar
gument was ready, practical and to the
point, and of much greater length than our
limit will allow us TO occupy in relating
the story.
The father looked with pride upon his
son, who became a distinguished Jurist in
his manhood.
snow, 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 his large, bril-.
liant black eyes rested upon the soft, timid
expression of the animal, and he saw it
trembled with fear in its narrow prison
bouse. His heart swelled with pity, and
he appealed with eloquent words that the
csptive might go free. God, he said, had
made the woodchuck. He made HIM to
live, to enjoy the bright sunshine. the pure
air, the fields and woods God had not
made him or anything in vain. The
woOdchuck had as much right to live as
any other living thing; he was not q de-
structive animal, like the wolf; he simply
ate few common vegetables, of which
they had plenty, and could we'll spare a
part; he destroyed nothing except the little
food he ate 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 fur
nished their own food. He gave them all
they possessed, and would they not spare
a little for dumb creature who really had
as much right to his small share of Gods
bounty as they themselves were to their
portion? Yea. more, the animal mad
never violated the laws of his nature, or
the laws of God, as man often did, but
strictly followed the simple instincts he
had received from the Greater of all things.
Created by Gods hands, he had q right to
deprive hun Of either. He alluded to the
mute but earnest pleadings of the animal
for that life as dear to him as were their
own, and the just judgment they might
expect if, in selfish cruelty and cold heart.
edness, they took the life they could not
restore again.
During the appeal the tears had started
in the old mans eyes. and were fast run
ming down his sunburnt cheeks. Every
feeling of a fathers heart was stirred
within hIm, and he felt that God had
blessed him beyoed the lot of common
men. His pity was awakened by the elo-
quent 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 in the
midst of his argument. without thinking
he had already won his case), and turning
to his eldest son, dashing the tears from
his eyes, he exclaimed: ''Zeke, Zeks, you
let that woodchuck go!"