The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1833-02-26


say ing that it must be broken up. The,
who follow IT are daily and hourly yiolat.
ing the law Of the land, and must be
watched aud punished.
have been permitted to copy the dy.
ing declaration Of poor AcKEns, which
was found in his desk after hls dea,h.--I,
was probably written few moments ON.
y before he committed the awful act "a
which he was hurried by the goadings Of
remorse. Ii is sislple picture ofhuman
wo' Ia It's uniutored language we see ia
wha. "a depth of wre,chedDess one false
step reduced man, upon whose whole
lie before not blot had rested.
Read it-all ye who know how much
ofvlrtue and vice is the mere offspring OF
acclden.-the creation of circumstance.
Our daily prayer is, not to be led into
temptation; let us watch, as well as pray.
and drive out temptation from us-from
us and from ours, from those we love and
those we trust. We have made the land
ring with our voices against Intemper-
ance--and it is well !; but let us remember
mat there is another enemy abroad ;
whose assaults, fnot so frequent, are no
less snbtle and no less ruinous. The
dramseller can at least boast that his sor.
did trade is not frowned upon by the law;
brt the vender of lottery tickets cannot
urge even this miserable plea. Hisuaffic
Is unlawful, MS well as immoral; ard its
consequences has made desolate msnv n
fireslde, that was never darkened by a
drunknrd. The mournful case Of Ackers
is not the only one, which has ended in
ignominy and death ; but let the people do
their duty, and they can make il the last.
The following is the letter referred "a
above.
81 have for the last seven month, gone
fast down the broad road to destruction. :"
"Ihere was time, and that too but
few months since, that was happy be-
cause | was free from debt and care.
"Fhe time / note my downfall or devi-
alton from the path of rectitude, was a.
bout the middle Of June last, when ltook
n share in company of Lottery tick e,s
whereby | was successful in obtaining a
share Of one halfthe capital prize since
which have gone for myself, and that
too, not on a very small scale, as you can
judge from the amount now due J. r..
Co. every dollar Of which has been spent
in that way"
81 have lived or dragged oa, msera-
BILE existance for two or three months
past. Sleepless nights and a guilty con-
science led me to the fatal net.
"Only the hope Of making Messrs. J.
X. g. c.. good for. the defalcatiop has
postponed it till the present time n
smaller amount did hope, would be the
result, 70. the worst luck had the more
bought.
Since I have reflected oa my rashness,
! cannot look back and see how it is pos
sible could have conducted in this way.
When the situation | occupied, and the
confidence reposed in me, and the long
time have been engaged, and the re.
ward for my poor services by, that,
oil should be lost in one moment-but the
loss is too much for me to bear.
"Oh that seven or eight months Of my
existence could he blotted out-but 10, /
must 60, and ere this paper is read, my
spirit is gone to my Maker, to give an ac-
count ofmy misdeeds here, and receive
the dreadful sentence for self destruction
and abused confidence. 1.-Two or three
lines erased out.
"Relations and friends | have, from
whom do not wish to part under such
circumstances, but necessity
i "Oh wretch, Lotteries have been thy ruin.
81 cannot add more.''