Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1884-08-20
The Sinful Law.

An old lawyer whose son was to plead
for his first client the next day was
very anxious about It.
@Are you sure that when the time
comes you will not be embarrassed?"
he asked; shat you will not lose the
thread Of your ideas?"
son replied; Il have il all ut my
fingers ends. l will let you Judge
now. Listen to me for a few minutes.
We will suppose that I am already at
the bar. Aheml Yes, gentlemen. yes;
burglary by night-theft, followed by
assassination It is all true; We on
fess to it. But you will not punish Q
nan who has been simply the dupe OF
his excessive timidity. He was un-
happy--he sufrered-he vas hungry;
misery, that INSCRIPTIONS counselor,
whispered to him: You must steal
He waited for night-for darkness-to
hide the blush Of shame which his pro-
ceeding would bring to his face. He
arrived before a locked door. Why
was it locked? / will not seek for the
cause, but / am obliged to insist that
this was proof Of defiance given by that
proprietor toward the Government
which expends millions for police to
protect property. But he was no dis
turber of the peace. Not wishing to
draw attention to himself, he merely
opened a door which o. blameworthy
distrust had locked. We behold him
entering the d%ining-room. What will
he steal there? Some one responds
the silver No, that starving msn is
not hungry for knives and forks; it is
bread that he wants; it is on account
of n simple loaf of bread that we are
asked to cast stones at him. / know
what is coming. If he wanted bread
why did he search the safe, you ask me?
When n enters q house for the first
time, is it not natural to be ignorant
where it is customary TO keep the bread?
No, he was prevented by the arrival of
the proprietor. The theft did not ex-
list. Then why that accusation Of rob-
berry? The proprietor fell upon him
without explanation, but with a great
outcry-with the very nocturnal noise
which my client had been 80
cautious not to make. 1t is here,
gentlemen, that 1 call your atten-
ton to the cnlpable thought
l~essness of the legislator who made
theft punishable by law. Let us for an
an instant suppose the code silent in
regard to this. Then my client would
say to the other: I have no money! /
have taken a loaf of bread, but I am
going to give you my note.'
"But with the actual state of our laws,
(tr,otorn u,,%a1,oto1r khDrht ~ tho
punishment that awaited him. His
natural timidity made a monster of the
police, the judges, of public opinion,
etc, etc.
"And he strangled the gentleman.
"When I say he strangled'-I state
what you claim to be true; but are you
more certain, more convinced than the
man who is the sole surviving witness
of that drama? And he offers to give
| you his word that he did not. The dead
gentleman's business affairs were in
volved; he could not balance his &C.
counts; he was in that situation where
he must at once choose between dis
grace or suicide.
Il will be just to him; he was a man
of honor!
"Who a say, then, that twenty sec
onds before his meeting with Gustave,
thdt miserable man, had not to avoid
his shame-swallowed one of those poi
sons unknown to science which is all
astray about the effects produced? The
accusation of assassination falls of itself.
Such uncertainty forbids You to pass
sentence of death against my client!
Return my poor man to that family he
was about to enter by marriage-for,
know that he had been eight days en-
gagged to o beautiful young girl whose
sole hope is in you, and who, in my
voice, cries to you at this moment; Re-
turn my Gustave to meY"
The young lawyer resumed his usual
tone Of voice to ask his father: "Hey!
what do you say to that!"
"Not bad! not bad!" replied the
father, "only I find that you weaken at
the peroration-you neglect the jury
there is nothing for them; it is wrong.
Give them something like this: No!
no, gentlemen of the jury, my heart
tells me in advance, you will not have
the cruelty to slide q cutoff head among
the wedding presents of that beautiful
young girlr"-Translated from the
French for the Wasp, BY E. F. Daw-
SOn.
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