Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-05-30
Te a1s D e ran &c.
THE DRUNKARDS DEATH AND BU-
RIAL

NAL
William Cannon was a drunkard He lived
in Chester, the seat of justice of Delaware coun-
ty. Chester is one of the oldest towns on
Delaware river, and contains few hundred in
habitants 1t has suffered most wofully in its
reputation, and also in the lives of its citizens,
in consequence of having been for years under
the thraldom of a gang of rumsellers, who have
lived on the ruins and poverty of their neigh
bors. Chester is noted far and near as place
of dissipation, and resort for rowdies-a char
acter which it owes to the rumsellers afore-
said.
William Cannon was a duunkard and had
drunken wife. Of course they were given to
quarreling. For some misconduct of this kind
they were imprisoned in the jail, month or two
since.
To supply the means Of indulging their ap-
petites, one article after another was sold from
the apartment they occupied, till it became des-
ttute Of the comforts of life The last thing
they parted with was the stove, which they sold
for fifty cents This money, or part of it, sup
piled them with drink for some time.
One evening last week, the alarm was given
that Cannon had fit. Some of the neighbors
visited him, and one brought bowl of liquor,
with which to wet his lips But it was too late.
The poor man was dead His wife espied the
whiskey, and watched her opportunity to drink
it. The death of her husband did not prevent
her from getting drunk
The Coroner being called in, Cannon's body
was opened about an hour after his death, to
ascertain the cause. 1t is not very common to
use knife on body that is yet warm But
the man was poor drunkard, and that altered
the case.
Next morning, box made of common boards
was prepared, and the dead man was laid in it,
dressed in his shirt and trowsers, and his waist
coat was placed under the head. The underta-
ker gave some good advice to the drunken and
afflicted widow, and though not member of the
temperance society, he warned her Of the effects
Of her conduct telling her she would soon follow
her husband, and that he had made the box
large enough for two, supposng she also might
want the use Of it
Then came the funeral. With some difficult
ty four men were found to carry the corps
And here we are disposed to bestow a gentle
reproof on the Chester rumsellers. However
just and honorable their conduct had been up to
this point, we think they should have continued
their kind Offices after the mans death. The
rumselling storekeepers should have headed the
procession, and he who got the fifty cents fol
which the stove was sold, should have appeared
as chief mourner The Justice might have
preached sermon at the grave, telling what he
knew of the agency of rum and rumsellers il
producing crime, and throwing business in hi
, hands.
/; But, alas for the humanity of the DrunkarC
Manufacturing Co. of Chester, not man o
: them followed the coffin to the grave. The poo
drunken widow was the only human being il
! the procession The store keepers and the
tavern keepers should have been there to wills
t per consolation in her ear, and to inform he
that if she had another stove, or bsdStead t.