Year: 1860

The young man covered his face with
his hands, and sat down overpowered by
his feelings, His mother who was near
him. sobbed aloud, and bending over, laid
her hands on his head, saying


My poor boy


There were few eyes In the courtroom
undimmed. In the silence that followed,
Mr.. Carman spoke


Is my character to be thus blasted on
the word of criminal, your honors Is
this just? Is this the protection citizen
finds in the courtroom?


Your solemn oath that this charge is un-
true, said the Judge, will place you all
right 1t was the unhappy boys only op-
portunity, and the court felt bound in hu-
manity, to hear what he said s


James Lewis stood up again instantly,
and turned his face and dark piercing eyes
on Mr. Carman


Let him take that oath if he dare he
exclaimed. #


The counsel for prosecution now inter
tered and called the proceeding an outrage
on all justice, and unheard Of before in a
| courtroom. But the judge commanded
order, and then said


The Court offers you the only way of
reparatlon in its power. Your oath will
scatter the allegation of a criminal to the
winds. VIII you swear?


Mr.. Carman turned with distressed
look towards his counsel, while James kept
his eye fixed upon him. There was con-
ference, and the lawyer said


The proceeding is irregular, and I have
advised my client to make no response. At
the same time he protests against all this
as an outrage upon the rights of citizen.


The judges bowed. and Mr.. Carman with
drew. After brief conference with his
associates, the presiding judge said, ad-
dressing the criminal:


In consideration of your youth and the
tenn tation to which in tender years, you
were unhappily subjected, the court gives
you its lightest sentence, one years i'm
prisonment At the same time, in pro-
nOuncing this sentence, let me solemnly
syarn you against any further steps in the
way you have taken. Crime can have no
valid excuse. 1t is an evil in tie sight of
God and man, and leads only to suffering
And when you come forth again from your
brief incarceration, may it be with a reso-
luton to die rather than commit another
crime


And the curtain fell on that sad scene
in the boys lie. When it lifted again
and he came forth from prison year af-
terwards his mother was dead From the
day her pale face faded from his vision as
he passed from the court, he never saw
her again


Ten years afterwards, a man sat reading
a newspaper, in a far western town. He
had calm, serious face, and looked like
one who had known suffering


Brought to justice, at last he said to
himself, and the blood came to his face
Convicted on charge of fraudulent insol-
vency, and sent to States prison So
much for the man who gave me the first
lesson in wrong doing Too well, alas +!
did | remember his words But, thank
God other words have been remembered


when you come forth again, said the
judge, may it be with the resolution to die
rather than commit another crime and
I've kept this injunction in my heart when
there seemed no way of escape except
through crime and God helping me
will keep it to the end


AN AMIABLE PARTNERSHIP. AND AN
Equally ANIABLE Dissolution A sin
gular fact is related of two citizens of
Southbridge, by the Webster Times, who
had jointly owned and occupied farm in
that town for 16 years, but have lately
dissolved partnership, Daring the whole
Of this period,no accounts of any kind have
been kept by either Of the parties Both
individuals were men of family, occupying
different portions of the same house and
when either wished to use cash, he went
to the drawer IN which it was kept and
took it, no account being kept in single
instance. Yet in all these 16 years not
word Of fault was spoken, no ill-feeling,
jealousy, or suspicion was shown, and per-
feet harmony subsisted between the par
ties to the day of their separation. The
final dissolution IN business was occasioned
by the merriage of u member of one of the
families, when it was thought the house
might not be able to contain ''the eonse-
quenees," 50 one party raised the value of
one-half of the premises in cash, and paid
over to the retiring partner, who quietly
left. We believe this to be an unparal-
lelsd case of honesty and confidence.


RESTED. .-Hellow, there. captain said
a brother Jonathan, to captain of ca
nal packet on the Erie Canal, what do YOU
charge for passage.


Three cent per mile, and boarded, said.
the captain.


Well, L guess I'll take passage, captain,
seein' as how I'm kinder gin eout, walkin'
SO far


Accordingly he got on board as the.
steward was ringing the bell for dinner
Jonathan sat down and began demolisbing
the fxin's to the utter astonishment Of the
captain until be had cleared the table of
all that was eatable, when he got up on,
deck, picking his teeth very comfortably.


How far is it. captain, from here to,
where l got on board ?


Nearly one and a. half miles, said the,
captain.


Let's see, said Jonathan, that would be.
lust four and a hall cents: but upve1 mind