Year: 1859

III lne year icOU, cnanceu, curing lou
through New Hampshire. to stop at the liittl
town of Boscowan. The weather was, as "
say falling; and l thought it best to spend
: few days in the deserted mud-hoe 1 was il
! particularly as | heard my classmate, Danie


Webster, was practicing law there. DAME
had been queer boy at college not much G
a student; nor one of your f1ighty geniuses
but grave and straight forward reasonel


with whom none of the professors could cor


tend in argument and whose general ability, a


well as unbending sternness and strength o


character had been acknowledged by u.s. Get


ting direction from my landlord, put out


amid the storm, for Daniels Office and after
few inquiries found it. There l discovered th,


young statesman, his shaggy and massive heat
leaning on his hand, engaged in close converse
tion with a young man of about our own age


whose light, fair countenance was clouded anc


worn. My old classmate recognized me, anc
| desiring his client to come again in the morn
ing, he waited upon him to the door with 6


kindness that seemed to speak more than com


mon sympathy with him. and then. returning
| shook my hand in his own hard and lion grasp
AS soon as the preliminaries were over, ask


ed him concerning the young man who had
Just gone out, and whose appearance interested
me. " He's Client" said Webster, 4" poor
| fellow that's to be tried tomorrow for highway
robbery, and God knows his chance is poor
one, though he's as innocent as his own babe
" Ha he is married then ?" He is" said
the lawyer, and / saw the tears gather in his
dark eye-for he was young then" he is "
said he, "and to the fairest and best being
that ever trod this earth ; and vet they must
be ruined unless heaven raises up help for them;
human ingenuity can do nothing" l begged
him to tell me the young mans story, which
he did with great degree of feeling. which 1
had not believed Webster capable of. The
circumstances were briefly as follows:


Ellen Staunton, the beautiful daughter of a
good old farmer in the neighborhood, had on
account of her loveliness, good sense, and sweet
temper. won all the spare hearts Of the village
around. After much courtship by all parties,
| Ten Slater, the young man who had just gone
out, an old playfelow of Websters, had won
the fair Ellen, and they had now been married
about two years. OF Skaters rivals, all reti-
rcd to private life and comfort, and quiet again,
save two; one Sam Brentford, who was des-
perately smitten with Ellen, and soon left the
village, and after short visit the winter pre-
vious went to Europe; the other was Jacob
Snow, young man of true old-fashioned New
England hard principle based upon reflection
and calculation, without bit of warmth and
passion to back it. He was rich and as it
happened, creditor of Skaters at the time of
the marriage. Piqued and disappointed he
called on him to pay. Slater wished a little
4.
hard on him but in a few months he would
see all settled. But the ciue with Jacob was
Now" and as he had naked justice on his
side, he felt no c0mpunction in pressing the
claim. Slater, however, could not and would
not pay; he was sued the suit went from
court TO court, and as it happened the poor


man rras fever able to pay. And so things


had stood for nearly two years, when just as
Jacob thought to take out his execution, and
sell his rivals property before his face, and
feast on the misery of the girl that had reject
ed him. Slater went suddenly forward, paid the
debt principal and interest; and the honest
scoundrel was deprived of his revenge. Where
Slater got his money was a mystery to the
whole town he said he received it from some
unknown friend through the Post Office and
the post master said such letter had been
given him as described, but it had been put in


there and did not come by mail. Just before
the money was paid by Slater, a traveller on
horseback had been robbed near town, on the
northern road the country had been raised,
but no trace of the robber wds found and as
the traveller had gone on, the matter had died
away. One morning the whole village fSds
startled by the intelligence that Tom Slater
had been arrested as the robber, on the testi-
mony of an old farmer, who was riding into
town, and was in sight when the traveller was
attacked, and whose shouts put the robber to
fight Nobody believed moment in Slaters
guilt, strong as appearances were against him !;
his wife, however, was almost crazy, and he


was himself thrown into state of despair
that seemed of itself suspicious. He had been


bound over to take his trial his old playfel-
low, Webster was to be his counsel, and the
morrow the day of his destiny. Such were
the outlines of the case, and at Webster's re-
quest, determined to attend the trial. Ae-
cordingy after night spent in wishing was
a great lawyer, or supernatural witness, that


l might clear this young man, went over af
ter breakfast, and taking our horses we rode
to the court house. l will pass by all the de-
tails of country Judges taking their seats,


country Jurors crowding into their box and


large audience, among whom were witnesses,


filling every crevice and corner, and at once


proceeded to the trial.


The prisoner took his seat and then the


wife assisted by her father, came in and sat be-


side him. She was indeed a woman of noble


mein purity and simplicity sat enthroned on


her brow but though all a woman, yet she


was not the failing and trembling creature


that woman sometimes is, but the strong, self


supported, and al-enduring being that is in


deed but little lower than the angels. All


spoke, and spoke kindly to her and to him.


The trial went on; sat fronting the wit


nesses, the prisoner and Webster. The first


evidence introduced was that of the old farmer;


he testified that as he was riding down to town


he overlook and passed two men one was


Croton the pedlar, and the other man in a


slouched hat, jean jacket, and with his boots


outside of his pantaloons he passed these men


and then stopped awhile at neighbors and


then rode OH; he heard, just as he reached the
crotch or fork of the road in the forest a cry
for help; by turning right i'll the branch Of


the road, he came upon the traveller that had


been robbed, and the robber, the latter o.
} Jacket, though he did not either time see


his face. Upon being cross-examined he


said that at that time he did not recognize
, Croton, the pedlar, but upon meeting him agair
lately had known him to be the same The
, next witness had lived as help with Slater, up
on the evening of the robbery, had returned