The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-16
ANIMALS TRIED In COURT
PIGS, ASSES AND COWS Ar
RAI0NED FOR OFFENsES.


for Violations of the Law.
Edmund Collins in Our Anfnt1I FrieadS
Ihave recently discovered some very in
teresting old records concerning the trials
Of animals for all sorts Of offenses. These
documents are authentic, and in most cases
are official records, and they show the Gu
rious views entertained respecting animals
by the most enlightened portions of ohris~
tendon from the beginning of the twelfth
century down to 1884.
The right to try animals was founded on
the Jewish law as laid down IN Exodus
xxi, IS: If an OK goro a man or woman
that they die, then the OK shall be surely
stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten, but
the owner of the OK shall be Quit.n There
are among the official records in the French
courts elaborate accounts of ninety-two
legal processes against animals extending
from ll2O to l744, when the last trial and
execution, that of a cow, took place. There
are also many records of similar trials In
the English court, showing that animals
came before the judgment seat, were ar
raigned, tried and sentenced with all the
formality and dignity observed in dealing
with human beings.
Men Ike ChaSseneuz, who were strong
supporters OF ecclesiastical jurisdiction, held
that everything that exists was created for
mans use and benefit; that we should not
misinterpret Gods providence by tolerating
any creatures that rendered themselves in
any way harmful to man, and he wound up
his learned thesis by saying: Religion per-
mits snares TO be laid for birds and other
animals, and the best Of all nets is the light
Mug of anathematization."
So it came to pass that the bishops and
other dignitaries OF the church, acting. as
they believed, under the sacred sanction 0 (
the scriptures, sole mnIy met many times in
the year. bue most frequently in harvest
season, and then and there deliberately tried
all offenders Of the animal kingdom against
which complaints had been made In the
civil courts there was hardly week In any
large town in France that ono or more
domestic animals were not brought before
the bar to answer through counsel to the
charges preferred against them. The same
practice was adopted in the English courts.
But the most interesting part of it all is the
methods adopted in trying the animals
When locusts, rats, feld-mice or any
other creatures hRrrassed the peasantry
they first prayed that God would rid them
of the nuisance; but il their prayers were
unanswered they at once came to she near
est town where there was bishop, laid the
case before him and besought him to take
action in the matter. The bishop, when
satisfied that their representations were cor
rect, at once appointed number Of experts
TO go out and examine the raw
aged districts. II these experts reported
that crops or other property had been
seriously injured by these crea lures. then
the bishop at once instituted proceedin gs
against them. His first step was to appoint
an advocate, who was usually an ecclesi-
astic well versed in canon law, his duty
being to defend the animal. A regular legal
dOCnnant naxt rpaAa QUIT
him to show cause why the defendants
should not be summoned. and IL he could
not show cause to the court, the insect, ami
NAL, or whatever it wes, was then cited
three times to appear before the tribunal IL
they did not appear after the third citation
Judgment was given against them by de-
fault,
The court then issued an admonition,
warning the animals to leave the district
within certain time under penalty of ad-
Duration; and if they did not disappear on
or before the period appointed, the exorcism
was with all due solemnity pronounced.
The courts, however, by every available
reason for delay evaded the last extremity
of pronouncing the exoroism, probably lest
the animals should neglect to pay attention
to it. Indeed, it is actually recorded that
in some instances the noxious animal did
not "wither or the face of the earth" after
lawyers attributed neither to the Injustice
of the sentence nor want Of power of the
COURT, but to the malevolent antagonism of
Satan, who, as in the case of Job, is at times
permitted to tempt aud annoy mankind.
There is TO be found in the Memories de
Ia Societe Royale Academique de Savoie, "
a curious account Of proceedings instituted
in 1887 against beetle that committed
great destruction In the vineyards of st.
lv1lfn 1.EA A.
beetle had appeared in millions, devouring
everything that was green in the march; so
the inhabitants applied to the bishop to
take proceedings against them. They
were cited to appear, and the usual
formalities were proceeded with
but, tefore Judgment was pronounced,
the beetles, strange to say, dieappe AIRED.
The paysans believed that the insects were
in dread Of being mathematical, and for
this reVson had left the country, High
masses were chanted and Te Deunls sung in
thanks for the deliverance, and delegation
waited on the archbishop through whose
action the pests had gone away. However.
the descendants of the frightened beetles
fortyotwo years later, as I have said, came
back and overran the meadows and vine-
yards, spreading desolation everywhere.
Duaire, in his History of Paris. mentions
a legal process set forth in 1890 ageinst the
dt6TplllHtS CudG ldl1 WdsE0- Inc CuIGlV6beQ
portion of the little town of Pont-du-C Chateau
in Auvergue. A vicar named BURN excom-
municetei these caterpillarS and sent an &C.
count of the proceedings to the justice of
the district, who laid an interdict upon these
insects and solemnly relegated them to an
uncultivated spot, which was duly desig-
mated.
No district could commence legal proc.
ess of this kind unless all its arrears of tithes
were paid to the church, and this circum-
stance gave rise to the wel-known French
legal maxim, "Dhe arst step toward getting
rid of locusts is the payment Of tithes."
The summonses were served by an officer
of the court reading them at the places
which the animals frequented. These cita-
Formally, and, that there might DO no mis-.
take, contained description Of the AMI.
mails Thus, in process against rats in the
diocese of sAutun, the defendants were de-
scrined as dirty animals IN the form OF rats,
grayish color, living in holes. This trial
Is famous in the annals of French law, for
il was then that Chasseneuz, the famous
advocate, won his first laurels. The rats
seneuz, their counsel argued that the sum-
mons was of too local and individual
character; that as all the
rats in the diocese were inter-
ested, all the rats should be sum
moned. This plea being admitted, the GU
rate of every parish in the diocese was in
sUructed to summon every rat for a future
day. The day arriving, but not any rats,
Chasseneuz said that, as all his clients were
summoned, including young and old, sick
healthy urnat ati0ps had 20 ha