The organ of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, O. [Ohio]) 1852-1853, 1852-07-30
For the Organ Of the Temperance Reform.
A Voice from snaketcwn.
SNAKEToWN, JuIY ed. l952

you had never heard of our town, at
least by the above title, and thinking
that under present circumstances it
might not be uninJeresting to you and
your readers, to be apprised Of the
doings hereabouts, | concluded that |
would write and let you know all
about it. Recent occurrences have
yelept us "Snaketown, /" and "thereby
hangs a take" which 1 propose to
. unfold"
Know, oh, readers ofthe Organ, that
yourhumble servant halls from a town
in Eastern Ohio. (not down on the
maps), containing about 1900 inhabi-
tants, and bakers dozen of grog.
shops. As one might reasonably sup
pose, each grog-shop must have some
thing on which to subSist; for this
purpose some twenty-five or thirty
persons make it part Of their bust
ness to deposit in the rumseIler's $
drawers, divers three cent pieces, five
cents and picayunes, Tor charity l
presume, as | never yet heard OF any
one of them getting an equivalent for
their deposits. Following, as natural
sequence, so much drinking, must
come numerous visits from a certain
old gentleman, whose name | shall
not mention. Last week, therefore,
on Tuesday morning, we had the
unspeakable - l don't know what
to call it,, of seeing no less than six
of the aforesaid charitable individuals
in the street, and all apparently labor.
ing under some mental hallucination.
As might be expected, it created no
little excitement here, and the news
speedily spread to the country, that
we were endeavoring to outdo the
Egyptians, and had, not only frogs,
toads and lizards, but snakes, devils,
niggers and monkeys in abundance /,
one countryman declared that the de-
LirjUm tremens had assumed an epi-
demic form. One of the victims was
a rum.seller-he has had the same
disease f ur times within a twelve
month, but still he keeps on.
One rather startling disclosure has
been made here within few days
One of our grocery keepers having
opened an empty ale barrel, found in
the bottom, about a quart of caculus
iHdiCuS, or fish-berries, put there, l
presume, to facilitate the working OF
the alcoholic virus. A very good
plan.
But, joking aside, gentlemen, we
have had truly melancholy time ol
it. Six men IN the street, at the same
time with the mania pOtu, in sight ol
the very grog.shops where the poison
was doled out to them-and with these
horrid examples staring them in the
face, saw others imbibing at the
same fount, the same damning bever.
age.
| We have in our town what some
are pleased to call g decent doggery.' y
| God save the mark never saw any
evidence of its claim to that title,
unless excelling in the number Of Gus
toners, the appearance of the house,
or the wealth Of the occupant, is evil
dence of responsibility. If that dog
gerry. is decent or respectable, / thank
the Lord that decent an1 respectable
establishments are as scarce as they
are.
One ofthc men died from the effects
Of The deLirjum tremenS. Oh, what q
death l knew him but three short
years ago as young man Of talent
and good standing-but the accursed
associations of our town, threw their
loathsome arms around him, and
dragged him down, dOaOn, DOWN,
know not where, but, oh! dread to
think
Something else must tell you
but l must whisper it-incline you
ear little closer, and you too, deal
reader, There was pic mic here OF
he 5th inst and the young men, a(te
: making frothy speeches, about ''Iibert,
GLORIOUS land-(ree institutions
Iown with tyrants," &C., &C., go
0 drunk, thereby showing theirinestima
. BILE privileges. The ladies, too, re
port says, | hope report lies), go
Trunk too. They were the "nppe
= ien," however, and you are awar
: that they never take hold of the Ten
d perance Reformation. cit amt popu
n lar"
Now, gentlemen, | must say fe,
words to vlndicate our character, an
: to remove, 10 some extent, the ba
S impression that such a narration 4
n the foregoing is apt to produce. W
have a Division of the Sons of Ten
perance here-few, but mdismayet
: Through their instrumentaiity, pet
g tions TO the town council were circL
lated, praying for the '' Maine Law.
n The ladies', too, God bless them, ler
/. us their assistance, and rolled up a
7 immense number Of names, almost a
e in town. In view Of the number I
n dfunkards at that time in town, th
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