The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-03-03

| not. 'wither of the face OF the earth after
! being mathematical. This the Church
| lawyers attributed neither to the lnluS-
| tice OF the sentence nor want 0i power OF
| the court. but to the malcyOlent antaS-
| onism of Satan, who, as il the case OF
| Job, is at times permitted to tempt and
annoy mankind.
There is to be found in he 'NemOres
de In SOciete Royale Academique de Sa
vote" a curious account OF proceedings
instituted in 1887 against beetle that
committed great destruction III the vine
yards Of st. Julien. FOrty-two years
before. the same beetle had appeared i'll
millions. drvouring every thing that was
green in the march 50 the inhabitants
applied to the bishop TO take pro
c"edings against them. They were cited
to appear, and the usual form
aitic8 were proceeded with: but be
lore Judgment Was pronounced the bee
ties, strange TO say, dIsappeared Inc
D1,iaqns believed that the insects were III
dread OF being mathematical, and for
his reason had left the country. High
masses We're chantcd and /" Deums sung
in thanks for The deiYerance, and d"."-
CATION waited on the archbishop through
whose action the pests had gone away.
However the descendants OF the fright
encd beetles fOrtytWo years later, "a
have said. came back and Overran the
| meadows and vineyards. spreading desc
lation everywhere.
The inhabitants, all Of whom knew
| about the former incnrsiOn, immediately
| made complaint to the vicar-geneEal OF
| the Bishop OF Maurienne, who, without
| any delay, appointed Judge to Try the
| case and a lawyer to defend the insects
| He also issued Il pastoral calling on the
| peasants to form public professions and
| pray that they might get rid OF the mva-
! sion. But the lawyer chosen by the VI
| car-gcro al was very loyal to his clients.
| and moreover ne was a man OF great le-
| gal learning so he compelled the prose
| cution to provide piece of land outside
| OF the vineyards and meadows, where the
| insects could live without doing harm to
| fhr vines. grasses or grain. 1t was stip
| uatcd that this piece OF land was to be
! OF Il definite area and contain trees,
| be; bs and whatever else was needed to
supply food to the beetles. But the in
habitants reserved the right i'll time OF
| war Get pnrce 9ne &c lien est une setrc retracte
en- temps dc guerre) 20 go upon the land set
| apart for the use Of the insects. The IN
! habitants, with the sanction OF the vicar
| general, agreed to the compromise on
the Doth OF June 1887, and the peasants
| prayed the ecclesiastical court that III
| default OF the defendants (the beetles) ac-
| ccDting the offers that had been made
| them. the Judge would order the vine
| yards OF the inhabitants to be respected
| under certain penalties. The advocate
| for the animals demanded time for de-
| liberation, and the trial being resumed
| in September following, he declared that
| he could not accept, in the cause OF his
| clients, the offer that had been made to
| them, as the locality in question was
| barren, and did not produce anything.
| This was denied on the other side, and
| arbitratOrs were named to decide the
question.
DuIaire, in his "IIistory OF Paris,'
mentions Il legal process set forth in 1900
against the caterpillars that laid waste
the cultivated portion OF the little town
OF Pont-du-C hateau, in Auvergue 4 vi
car named Burin communicated these
catcrpillars, and sent an account of the
proceedings to the Justice of the district,
who laid an interdict upon these insects,
and SOlemnly rcegated them to an I'M
cultivated spot which was duly deSigna
ted.
No district could commence Il legal |
process OF this kind unless all its arrears
OF tithes were paid to the Church, and |
this circumstance gave rise to the we'll |
known French legal maxim, The first |
step toward getting rid OF locusts is the
payment of tithes.>
The SummOnses We're served by an Off |
Ger OF the court reading them at the |
places which the animals frequented |
These citations we've written out with all |
technical fornality, and that there might |
be no mistake, contained Il description |
OF the animals. Thus, in a process |
against rats in the diocese OF Autun, the |
defendants were described as dirty ami
mails in the form OF rats, a grayish color |
living in holes. This trial is famous in |
the annals OF French law, for it was then |
that Chasseneuz, the famous advocate |
won his first laurels. The rats not APP
pcaring on the tirstctation. Chasseneuz |
their counsel argued that the summons
was of too local and individual Il char
actcr: that as all the rats in the diocese
were Interested, ali the rats should be
summoned. This plea being admitted, |
the curate OF every parish in the diocese
| was instructed to summon every rat for
IL future day. The day arriving but not
any rats, thasSencuZ said, that as all his
clients We're summoned, including young
| and Old, sick and healthy, great prcpara-
| tons had to be made. and certain ar
| engagements carried into effect. and he
| therefore begged for AN extension OF time.
| This also being granted, another day
| was appointed, ami again, no rats APP
| pearIng, thaSSeneuZ objected to the lr-
| gaity OF he summons under certain cir
| cumstances. \ summons from that
court, he argued, implied full protection
| to the parties summoned, both on their
| way to it and on their return home: but
| his clients, the rats, though most anx-
| IOuS to appear III obedience to the court
| did not dare to stir out OF their holes on
account OF the number OF evi-disposed
eats kept 10y the Plaintiffs Let the
latter, he continued, ENTER into bonds.
under heavy pecuniary penalties, that
their eats shall not modest my clients,
and the summons will be at once
obeycd." The court acknowledged the
validity OF this plea; but the plaintiffs
declining to be bound over for the good
| behavior OF their cats, the period for the
rats attendance was adjourned sine die,
and thus Chasseneuz gained his cause
ICcchCs, doves and other creatures
| were also tried, but III some cases feelings
ran SO strong that the defendants were
| SAID not to have received fair play On
one occasion IL lawyer who had been six
months dead was appointed to defend Il
host OF tormenting insects known as
chafrrs. and as the lsSects proved contu-
maclouS by refusing to appear i'll court,
they were accommodated and anathc-
! matiZed.
The civil courts assumed jurisdiction
over domestic animals When a com
plant was made against pig COW. or
a horse, and the court was satisfied with
the deposition, the accused animal was
committed to prison, at the place OF
criminal justice where the trial was to
take place. After hearing the witnesses
and taking down thedepositions against
the delinquent. and the crime OF homicide
being proved, the Judge condemned the
animal to be strangled, and hung by the
two back legs to an oak tree or gibbet.
according to the custom of the country
The animals We're led 10y a halter. one
menlal court official holding the cord: