Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-10-15
The Sinful Law.

The Sinful Law.
An old lawyer whose son was 10 plead
for his first client the next day was
very anxious about 1t.
Are YOU sure that when the time
comes you will not be embarrassed? %
he asked; that Won will not lose the
thread OF Your idcas?"
"l on can he at ease about it," his
son rcnutd; Il have it all ut my
fingers ends Will lot YOU Judge
now. Listen to me for few minutes.
We viii suppose that am already at
the bar. Ahem! Yes, gentlemen. yes;
burglary by night-theft, followed by
assassination 1t is all true; we con-
TESS to it. But you will not punish
man who has teen simply the dupe of
his excessive timidity. He was un-
Eappv--he suffered he was hungry;
misery, that Unscrupulous counselor,
whispered 10 him. 'Nou must steal
BE vaitp5 tor nisht-for darbness-to
hide the blush O.! shame which his pro-
ccriinE would bring 20 his face. lie
arrived before % locked door. Why
was Il locked? ] viii not seek for The
cause, bat lam obliged to insist that
thie was trQot ~ defiance given toy that
proprietor toward the Government
winch clea,a millions for police to
prot property. but be was no disc
tur.cl vi the peace. Not Wis ug 70
draw attention d himself, he merely
opened loar which blamewortAY
dis,rust had locked. We behold hm
entering the dining room. What VIII
H.. l..
the silver. No, tlat starving man Il
not hungry for knives and forks; il is
bread that lie wants; it IS on account
of a simple loaf of bread that we are
asked to east stones at him. l know
what is coming. If he wanted bread
why did he search tie safe, Won ask me?
When one enters n house for the first
time, IS it not natural TO be ignorant
where 1t i customary to keep the brcad2
No, he was prevented by the arrival Of
the proprietor. The theft did not ox-
ist. Then why that accusation of rob-
helyF The proprietor fell upon him
TlthJut explanation, but with q great
outcry-with the very nocturnal noise
which my client had been so
cautious not to make It j. here,
FeHllcmn, that l call your atton-
ton t. the culrable thought-
leseuc,s OF the legislator who made
the.t Iun's able bv law Let US for m
on instant suppose the code silent in
re ri 10 thi. Then ny client would
say to tie other: 4 have no money! /
have taken a Loaf Of bread, but / am
gong to give YOU my note.
Bat with the actual ate Of our laws,
Gustaye Immediately thought Of the
punishment that awaited him. His
natural timidity made monster of the
police, the judges, Of public opinion.
etc, etc.
And he strangled tie gentleman
"Whcn ] 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
volvod; he could not balance his ac
counts: he was in that situation whcro
he must at once choose between dis
grace or suicide.
Il will be just to him; he was a man
Of honor!
"Who can say, then, that twenty Sec
oDds before his meeting with Gustave,
that miserable man, had not 10 avoid
his shame -swallOwcd one Of those poi
sons unknown to science which IS all
astray about the effects produced? The
accusation of assassination falls Of it elf.
Such uncertainty forEds you to pass
sentence of death against my CLIENT
Return my poor man to that family he
was about to enter by marriage-ior,
know that he had been eight days en-
gagged to beautiful young girl whose
sole hope is in you, and who, in my
voice cries to you at this moment; Re
turn my Gustaye to me?"
The young lawyer resumed his usual
tone OF voice to ask his father: Hey!
what do YOU say 10 that!"
Not bad! not bad replied The
father, only l find that YOU weaken at
the peroration--you neglect the Jury {;
thcrc is nothing for them; it is wrong.
Give them something Ike this: No!
no, gentlemen OF Che jury, my heart
tells mo III advance. you viii not have
the cruelty 70 slide catoa head among
the wedding presents of that beautiful
young girl Translated from the
FreBci, Joy tie Wasp, ~ L. r. DGic-
SON.
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