Lynchburg Star

For the Star.
A Broad Hint.

IN what differs the receiver of stolen goods from the thief? Of the two the receiver is the greatest villain : for altho' he gives something in exchange for the plundered property he receives, as he runs equal hazard of pain and infamy with the thief, he take care that the profits of his avarulent bargain will measureably make up for the risque he runs.

During the last month have I been confined to my house by the combined effects of old age, disease, peevishness, and the rheumaticks. Allured by a clear sky and promising morning I determined to risk your village contemptible troublers. With feeble spirits to the end of my lane, that opens into the great road. But judge of my chagrin and mortification on discovering that a fine new fence of last year (10 rails high) had been carried almost clear off, for upwards of a quarter of a mile, leaving my whole crop of small grain exposed to destruction --Totally out of temper I was unable to account for this extraordinary robbery, and at first began to question and weigh the integrity of my good neighbours all around, but as I advanced their fences were found to be if any thing, more plundered and their crops in a more ruinous condition than my own. Yet, still the difficulty seemed inexplicable: At length, however, I arrived in Lynchburg, and nearly at the same time with half a dozen waggons from the upper country, driven and conducted principally by negroes, who I observed, stopped in different parts of the main street, with an alertness that seemed to indicate business. --I was not deceived, the waggoners were certainly on this occasion, men of business, and by drawing aside the waggon covers cleared up very much to my satisfaction the riddle and difficulty concerning the fate and disposal of my fence rails--In my hearing at noon day, a bargain was struck between a white man and a black --a slave--half a dozen rails (stolen of course) for a ginger cake and a dram, while the sparkling eyes, and ivory, of the unfortunate African, unrestrained by any moral principle, conscience, or conviction, exulted in the fruits of his plunder and enjoyed it by anticipation.--What encouragement this for thievery!--Transactions of this nature are not infrequent of which the circumstances stated must be ample evidence.

Is there no law to restrain, suppress or punish such midday, barefaced villainy? Will men be countenanced in such plundering practices?--Acts of this nature, on account of the destructive consequences inseperable from them, infinitely surpass in moral turpitude, ordinary dishonesty, for the fruits of the toil and labor of half the year, may be endangered by a fence being torn down or carried away.

How would small dealers in this way, like to have their names published to the world, to have them sent on an airing expedition to the remotest limits of the union? Reversing situations with the farmers and planters, whose fences bound public roads, how would the present receivers of stolen fence rails like to have their own fences' carried away, and their crops destroyed?--The measure of justice and of right is as unalterable as it is eternal. The divine standard of reciprocity should be the invariable rule of every man's conduct--"Do unto others as you wish they should do unto you."

A FARMER.

N. B. Whenever you see in your streets a few fence rails sold by a waggoner, no matter what his color may be, black, blue, mahogany, or pye-bald, set the purchaser down as the receiver of stolen goods.