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THE LAWYER’S STORY.
No lawyer likes going into court with
a thoroughly bad case, yet how can he
help it sometimes?
I should have more patience’with the
question : “ Do’you ever thiuk it right
to defend a man whom you believe
guilty?” were it less frequently put by
people who spend six days of the week
seeking to get the upper hand of their
neighbors, and the seventh in trying to
circumvent their Maker, honest
enquirer, I commend the answer Dr.
Johnson once gave to Dos worth : “Sir,
the lawyer is not the judge.”
Was it my place when George Gil
beit's little care-worn wife came, with
tears glistening in hyr eyes, to beseech
me to do what I could for her imprison
ed husband, virtually to turn my back
and leave her tired, troubled heart to
break or not as it might? I was neither
a priest nor a Lcvite to find a ready ex
cuse for passing by on the other side.
Yet what could I do? George Gilbert
had been sent on a collecting tur and
had gambled away money received for
his employers. It was a plain case of
embezzlement, and the penalty was a
term of years in the state’s prison.
“ I am sure he never meant to be dis
honest,” pleaded the loyal little woman.
“He was tempted by a crafty and tie
signing man, but instead of running
away, as others would have done, be
came back and confessed bis fault, offer
ing to let bis whole salary go toward
making up the lost money till every
cent was paid. Mr. Meek, the junior
partner, was willing to be merciful, but
Mr. Mangle, the head of the house, who
had returned then after a year’s absence,
insisted that the law should take its
course/*
I gave her what poor consolation I
could, for lawyers, like doctors, must
keep their patients’ courage up at times.
“In the first place, I'll see Messrs.
Mangle & Meek,’ I said. ‘‘Mr. Man
gle may be brought to hear reason, after
all, if he can only be made to see his in
terest in it.
Tire pale, despondent face cheered up
a little. My words seemed to inspire a
sort of undefined hope that I was far
from feeling myself.
Mr. Mangle received me with stony
politeness.
“ Young man,” said he, “dou't waste
time in appeals to sentiment: you wont
if you’ll just look at me.”
“ I took the hint and came at once to
business, repeated Gilbert’s offer, and
put it as strong as possible that more was
to be gained by leniency than harshness
—all of which Mr. Mangle listened to
with a conscientious scowl.
' “ I cannot be a party to compounding
a felony,” he answered with a solemn
intonation.
“ Nor have I asked you,” I replied,
not a little nettled. “ I have mentioned
a plan of paying your own, leaving it to
your generosity to press this prosecu-
tion.”
“ Oh, it’s all the same !” was the con
temptnous rejoinder; “anybody but a
lawyer with his head full ofquibsand
quiffles, could see that. Besides, there
is something rather cool in the proposal
to retain your friend in our employ, un
der pretense of working out the money
lie has stolen with the opportunity of
filching twice as much in the meantime.”
I felt my temper rising, and not car
ing to imperil my client's interests by an
outright quarrel, I took a hasty leave.
Had I been in the prisoner's place on
the morning fixed for the trial, I could
hardly have ascended to the courthouse
steps with more reluctance than 1 did.
And when I entered the courtroom and
found Gilbert and his w ife already there,
and noted the hopeful look with which
the latter greeted my coming, my heart
sickened at the thought of the bitter dis
appointment coming.
“ The people vs. Gilbert,” called out
the judge, after disposing of some for
mal matters.
A jury was immediately impanneled
aud the case opened by the district at
torney.
Mr. Meek was the first witness. The
nervous, hesitating manner in which he
gave his evidence would have greatly
damaged its effect had it not evidently
arisen from a disposition to do the pris
oner as little hurt as possible. But no
softening could break the terrible force
of facts he was compelled to relate.
In his partner’s absence he had em
ployed George Gilbert as clerk; had
found him competent and trustworthy ;
had sent him on a trip to make collec
tions ; on his return he had acknowledg
ed that, after receiving a considerable
sum, he was induced by a respectable
looking man, with whom he had casual-
ly fallen in, to join a social gameofcards;
at first they played for amusement, then
VOL III—NO. 24.
for money, and after losing all his own,
in hope of retrieving his loss, with the
fatal infatuation of. that dreadful vice
whose end is destruction, he had hazard
ed and lost the last dollar of moucy he
had in trust for his employers.
Mr. Meek's voice faltered as he closed
his narrative. He was going to volun
teer something about the prisoner’s good
character, when a disapproving glance
from Mr. Mangle brought him to a
halt.
Just then the prisoner chanced to turn
his head, and, catching a glimpse of the
senior partner, who had just entered and
was standing among the crowd, lie start
ed quickly, then whispered hurreidly in
my car.
“ Turn aside your face,” I whispered
back. And the case for the prosecution
being closed —
“Have you any witness for the de
fense?” inquired the judge.
“ I w ill call Hezekiah Mangle,” 1 re
plied.
A buzz of surprise greeted the an
nouncement, in the midst of which Mr.
Mangle stepped forward and was sworn.
“ You have been absent for the past
year, Mr. Mangle?” I began.
“ I have.”
“Traveling in different parts?”
“ Yes, sir.”
“ The prisoner was employed by your
partner in your absence, and was arrest
ed about the time of your return?”
“Such was the case.”
“ Have you ever seen him?”
“ Not to my knowledge.”
“Or met him in your travels?”
“ If he will turn his head this way I
can tell better.”
At my bidding Gilbert turned and
faced the witness.
The effect was eleetrie.nl. Mr. Mangle
turned red and pale by turns.
“ Oue other question, Mr. Mangle,” I
resumed. “Do you recognize iu the
prisoner a young man from whom you
won SI,OOO at ‘poker’ while on your
travels?” and I named the time and
place at which the prisoner had met with
the misfortune.
The man of iron nerve hesitated worse
than his more amiable partner had done.
He was halting between a point-blank
lie, which might entail the penalty of
perjury, and the truth, w hich would cost
him money.
Cowardice performed the office of con
science, and the truth came out. The
firm’s money, which George Gilbert had
lost had been won by the senior partner,
and the court instructed thejury that, as
the sum in question had actually been
delivered to one of the joint owners, who
was bound to account to h ; s, associates,
the prisoner could not be convicted.
“God bless you. Mr. Parker!” falter
ed the happy little wife. “ I kuew you
would bring us out all right.”
It. was evident the truthful woman’s
nature gave me all the credit of a result
iu w hose achievment my share had been
next to nothing.
The lesson was not lost on George Gil
bert. His first false step was the last*
and the richest fee I ever received was
the heartfelt gratitude of his noble, faith
ful wife.
After the circus parade two small
boys met on the street. One of them,
his face glowing with excitement, said :
“ Oh, Johnny ! did } r ou see that fel
low with the snakes around his neck ?”
No word from Johnny.
“ Yer seen the man in tins lion's den,
uncourse ?”
No word or sign from Johnny, save
and except a cloud upon his brow.
“ Well, yer seen the ponies with the
red blankets on, didn’t yer ?”
“ Naw, and I didn’t,” said Johnny,
at last bursting into tears. “I had to
stay at home and tend our baby, but I
can lick the stuffin’ out of 3 - ou !”
At one of the Whitfield Sunday
Schools a teacher was instructing her
class about the Prophets. She said
why don't we have prophets now ? and
asked any boy who could answer it to
hold up his right hand. A little hand
of a six year old went up quickly.
“Well, my little man, why is it we do
not have prophets now ?” “ Because,
ma’m, my papa says the times are so
hard and so many men have gone into
selling goods that profits are knocked
higher than a kite.
HARTWELL GA., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1878.
vIDLEmS IN THE SOUTH.
While we nr bewailing the results of
the war, and clamoring for more capital
and currency, and making feeble efforts
to induce the tide of immigration to flow
! in this direction, it may he well to pause
awhile and examine ourselves in a mir
ror of our own fashioning. Avery care
less glance will suffice to show us the
situation of affairs. We will perceive
at once that oue of the greatest evils
with which the south is afflicted is idle
ness. Wo may attribute it to the de
moralization and coufusion of the war
or to any other cause that may suggest
itself; or we may attempt to excuse it.
But the disheartening fact remains. We
have too many idlers among us. Their
name is legion. Every village, every
town and every city in the south has its
proportion, large or small, according to
the population.
It would be better, perhaps, to suggest
a remedy for this state of things, rather
than to search for the cause or deplore
the fact; but it is to be feared that the
remedy can only be found in a system
of education, fortified by home instruc
tion, that shall impress our young men
not only with the necessity but with the
dignity of labor; and yet this process
must he so slow in its developments and
so gradual in its results that it can scarce
ly be regarded as a practical remedy. In
the meantime, the idlers amongst us arc
playing their monotonous vocation of do
ing nothing. One has only to go through
the north —through the New England
States —where the drones are compara
tively unknown —to appreciate the na
ture and extent of the idleness that ex
ists in the south. We make no distinc
tion of race or color here. The negro
comes nohiv up to the standing of his
languid white brother in this business,
and succeeds, by closely, following the
examples set, iu making quite an artist
ic loafer.
If these idlers injured no one save
themselves, they would still be in the
way ; hut as it is, their example is de
moralizing to the rising generation. The
contempt which they show for hon
est labor is too apt to be contagious,
and their influence, where they have any
at all, is altogether in the direction of
evil. They are a burden to the commu
nity, and an absolute hindrance to our
industrial progress. Their very pres
ence is a sort of disaster to the south.
Even in Atlanta —as active, progressive
and growing a city as it is—men can be
found upon the street-corners —men who
have been famous as loafers for twenty
five years —men who have nothing to
do and desire to to do nothing, and
young men will he found who are fol
lowing in the footsteps of the profession
als, and who will be ready to take the
places of the latter when they fade away
into the oblivion of inertia.
The evil is even worse in other cities
and towns in the south, and while it
calls loudly for reform, the question is,
how is it to he reformed? The idlers
are with us; how are we to get rid of
j them? They are rubbing their shoul
ders against the warm corners, gaping
at the bustle and stir around them and
wondering in an indolent sort of way,
why people will take the trouble to earn
| their own living. They behold with
careless indifference the progress of the
country, the inauguration of new enter
prises and the results of energy, but
thej' take no part in it. The stagna
tion of idleness would scorn to bestir
red by either intellectual or industrial
activity. Go into the country towns,
! and there you find a due proportion of
idlers—men who from one year’s end
to another lead the lives of semi-re
spectable vagabonds. In winter time
they seek the sunny-side of the street
corner or sit around the bar-room doors
and discuss politics. In the summer,
they sit in the shade of buildings that
industry' has reared, whittle dry goods
boxes, and continue to discuss politics.
Ilosea Bigelow was also a politician
in his way, but when he had said his
say, i: is probable that he returned to
his work, but our street-corner politi
cians go on forever. They are now en
gaged in a discussion that had its origin
before the war, and it will continue
with increasing ferocity from year's end
to year’s end. Unlike Hamlet, they
protest against all forms of thrift, and
I live their small lives with no other am
bition than to nurse their own littleness.
Where is the reformer who will lift
these men to the level of self-respect.—
Atlanta Constitution.
The loafers are not confined alone to
the cities, towns and villages of the
south. Visit the country stores, shops
still houses, and doggeries, and you
will find the political loafers there dis
j cussing political and other matters that
are of no benefit to anyone. Another
curse upon the country is the little five
shooter pistols which are to be had at
most stores at $2.00. You can scarcely
pick up a newspaper without seeing an
account of an accidental or intentional
killing of someone by these little
*
devil’s aids. Every good citizen should
feel in duty bound to report to the
| Graud Jury every man or boy who dis
graces himself by carrying such wicked,
cowardly, death-dealing weapons.
A Strange “ Bed-Feller
Owensboro ( Ky .) Messenger.
During the last cold snap, one of our
farmers chose a certain day to kill his
hogs, which was, to use his own lan
guage, “ a leetle too cold.” The hogs
froze on the pole as fast as they were
hung up, and after all were killed the
boys took several warm toddies, and the
old man, who was already staggering,
stumbled off into a back room and was
soou fast asleep in the wrong bed. About
eight o’clock a neighbor, who bail been
helping, concluded to go home, and as
be went out stopped to examine the hogs
on the poles, which he found ns cold as
stones. Taking one of the smallest
down, he lugged it around the house to
the back door, carried it into the old
man’s room and throwing back the bed
clothes, laid it snugly up to the old man
spoon fashion, then covered them up and
left.
About 11 o’clock the old man awoke,
and instantly yelled out:
“Dave, Dave! Oh, Dave!” Dave
was still busy engaged at euchre iu the
other room, but answered :
“ What the devil do you want with
me?”
“Come here quick with a light—run
here ! Your poor mother is dead and cold
as h—1!”
Caught.
An ardent lover not long since sent
his betrothed a present of diamonds
worth about one hundred pounds. Wish
ing to enjoy the gratification of his
bride, he followed closely on the heels
of his present, and finding no one in
the parlor, esconeed himself in a win
dow behind the curtains. Presently a
whole bevy of girls fluttered into the
room, and all began talking at once
about Louise’s luck.
“She ought to be happy, to be sure.
But do you know what she told me just
now ? Why, that she had rather have
the present without the gentleman who
gave it.”
“It can’t be ; she never said so!”
“She certainly did ; and there she is
—ask her for yourself. Louise, didn’t
you tell me you would rather have the
jewels alone, without Mr. Melier ?”
“Yes, I did say so; but that’s be
tween ourselves.”
“Much obliged to you, mademoiselle,”
exclaimed Mr. Melier, coining forward,
“ you shall not have either.”
So saying, lie coolly put the splendid
present under his arm and walked off,
leaving the ladies in an embarrassment
“easier conceived than expressed.”
Served her right.
“ My Boy.”
Some years ago the late Horace
Mann, the eminent educator, delivered
an address at the opening of some re
formatory institution for hoys, during
which lie remarked that if only one
boy was saved from ruin, it would pay
for all the cost and care arid labor of
establishing such an institution as that.
After the exercises had closed, in
private conversation, a gentleman ral
lied Mr. Mann upon his statement, and
said to him :
Did yon not color that a little, when
you said that all the expense and labor
would be repaid if it only saved one
boy ?”
“ Not if it was my boy," was the sol
emn and convincing reply.
WHOLE NO. 128.
A Venerable Matron.
On Sunday, the 26th nit., says the
Augusta Chronicle, Mrs. Elizabeth
Leopard, relict of Thomas Leopard,
died in Graniteville, S. C., at the ven
erable age of 107 years. She was born
in Buckingham County, Va., on the
“25th of December, 1771, and emigra
ted to South Carolina when she was
seventeen years of age, and lived near
Ninety-Six. She raised twenty-two or
phan grandchildren and great-grand
children. At the funeral was her only
surviving son, over eighty years of age.
Around her grave stood this son, a
grandchild fifty-six years old, several
great-grandchildren over forty years of
age, great-great-grandchildren twenty
five years old, and a number of great
great-great-grandchildren—five genera
tions in all. There are living at pres
ent eighty of her decendants, and two
hundred and ten have died, making
altogether nearly three hundred. Last
fall Mrs. Leopard knitted two pairs of
stockings for one of her grandchildren.
She read the Bible, without spectacles,
the Sunday before she died, and con
versed with friends and relatives almost
up to the very moment of her death,
passing away gently and without pain,
from old age.
Old-Time Conversions.
Wartrly Magazine.
Some things have changed. Conver
sions in the time of Jesus, the author of
our religion, was not a mental exercise
or an intelligent process. It was chang
ing one's way of living, dropping a style
of conduct and taking up another style,
in imitation of a man who lived that
other style. Conversion to-day is a se
ries of mental exercises which arc sup
posed to ultimate in a better mode of
acting. In the olden time the mode of
acting preceded the mental exercise.
The man of to-day feels so-and-so, or
tliiuks he does, and therefore does so-and
so ; the man in the day of Christ began
to do certain deeds, and, as the result,
felt rightly. The right action preceded
the happy feeling. We have got the
cart ahead of the horse, and look for
happy feelings before we have done that
righteousness which alone cun bring hap
piness of mind. The joy of the Lord is
only known to those who live the life of
the Lord in its goodness.
A Good Old Story.
A genuine Yankee in San Francisco
having bored a new-comer with every
conceivable question relative to his ob
ject in visiting the gold country, his
hopes, his means and lib prospects, at
length asked him if he had a family.
“ Yes, sir; I have a wife and six chil
dren, and I never saw one of them.”
After this reply the couple sat a few
minutes in silence ; then the interroga
tor again commenced: “Was you
ever blind, sir?” “No, sir.” “Did
you marry a widow ?” “No, sir.” An
other interval of silence. “ Did I un
derstand you to say, sir, that you had a
wife and six children in New York, and
had never seen one of them ?’’ “ Yes,
sir, I so stated it.” Another and a
longer pause. Then the interrogator
again inquired: “ How can it be, sir,
that you never saw one of them ?”
“Why,” was the reply, “one of them
was born after I left!”
A Singular Community.
Judge Jackson, of Georgia, writing
from lowa to the Advocate says :
In lowa, some hundred miles before
you reach Missouri, there is a singular
community, composed of from one
hundred and fifty to two hundred peo
ple, called Icarians and their village
Icaria. They eat in common, having
one dining room, one mill for grinding,
one property in lands, are one in all
things save in wives. Every man is
required to marry. Unlike the Mor
mon, he can have but one wife. They
elect a president annually, who rules
the community and apportions the
profits. They are French in descent,
and have been located at Icaria for
some thirty years or more.
This advertisement is found in a
number of the Boston Evening Post,
edited by Thomas Fleet, in 1775: “To
be sold, by the printer of this paper,
the very best negro woman in this town.
She lias had the small-pox and measles,
is as hearty as a horse, as brisk a3 a
bird, and will work like a beaver.”
Savannah River Improvement.
ChrunieU * ConttiftionaHtt.
At the last session of Congress lion.
A. 11. Stephens procured the passage
of a bill authorizing a survey of the
Savannah river above Augusta. This
survey was made a few months since
by Mr. Jas. P. Carson, under the di
rection of General Q. A. Gilmore. A
full account of Mr. Carson’s work waa
published in the Chronicle as soon as it
wns performed, in which it was sliowu
that a small cost the river conld be
made navigable for steam vessels to a
point one hundred and fifty miles above
Augusta. Yesterday lion. W. 15. Young
received a letter from Mr. Carson, in
which the latter stated that General
Gilmore would forward his report to the
War Department with a favorable re
commendation. We know that Mr.
Stephens will do everything in his power
to procure the appropriation needed for
the commencement of the work, but we
hope lie will receive the active assist
ance of all the Congressmen from
Georgia and Sout h Carolina. The con
templated improvement will be of equal
benefit to the two States and should be
warmly supported by the Representa
tives from both. We fear that the
shortness of the session may defeat the
measure this year, but properly direct
ed efforts may procure the passage of
the appropriation before the day of ad
journment.
A Sad Thought.
The destrustion of human life for the
past twelve months has been appaling.
In China it is estimated that over seven
millions of persons have died of star
vation, and the wars that have been rag
ing in the various nations have carried
oil' two hundred thousand, while in our
country the yellow fever scourge has
made nearly fifteen thousand more new
graves. Death is never a welcome vis
itor, nevertheless it sooner or later
m kes its call at each of our doors. A
life sptnt in virtuous struggles and
noble deeds has its rewards in dearest
memories around the grave. Let the
good that is in us be manifest while we
live.
During the recent cold snap a Macon
youth was compelled to roost nearly all
night in the yard of his girl’s pa. There
was a loaded bull dog sitting on the
ground near by.
It was a colored preacher who said to
his flock last Christinas day : “We have
a collection to make this morning, for
the glory of Heaven, and whichever one
of you stole Mr. Jones’ turkey don't
put a cent in dc hat.’’ One who was
there says : “ Ebery blessed nigger in
de church come down wid de rocks.”
A gentleman was one day relating to
a Quaker a tale of deep distress, and
concluded very pathetically by saying :
“ I could not but feel for him.” “ Ver
ily, friend,” replied the Quaker, “ thou
didst right in that thou didst feel for
thy neighbor; “ but didst thou feel in
the right place—didst thou feel in thy
pocket ?”
A witty clergyman, arcos'ed by an
acquaintance by the name of Cobb, re
plied :
“ I don’t know you, sir.”
“My name is Cobb, sir,” rejoined
the man, who was about half seas over.
“Ah, sir,” said the minister; “you
have so much corn on that I don’t see
the cob.”
Illinois claims to have more horses
than any other State in the Union,
New York the most milch cows, Texas
the most cattle, lowa the most hogs,
and California the most sheep. Illinois
has about 1,01)1,500 horses, New York
1,401,100 cows, Texas 3,458,300 cattle,
lowa 3,050,000 hogs and California G,-
501,000 sheep.
The Red Wing Advance says the
following notice is posted on the fence
of a farmer a short distance from that
city : “ Dook Notic for Sail—Whereas
I haf got mi farm sell und vant to mov
de west out I makes offer to sell a lod
of korn oad’s and haf several dons
oder stuff. More also some bull heif
ers fresh inilk gows and steers and
hogs, a pig fat sow and pigs by me
Johannas Schnoogle. Derins gash if
you got him if not nodes secured by
suinpody.”
A Wisconsin girl put on trousers and
started through the deep snow to walk
six miles to a village for provisions, the
family larder being empty. She soon
became tired out, besides losing her
way, and the cold was intense. A big
Newfoundland dog which accompanied
was the means of saving her life. She
scooped out a hollow in the snow, lay
down in it, and made (he warm dog lie
on her, shifting him about so as to suc
cessively cover the coldest parts of her
j body. In that way she passed a whole
night, and was not very severely frost
bitten. “With two or three more dogs,”
I she says, “ I would have got along very
I comfortably.'’