New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-30
JURIES OF INQUEST IN OUR TOWN

afoLstt noies ~, that they are, ia srls way OF other
connected with the legaliacd traffic 10 Run We
vsss to say q fow words more in the way OF special
usrstion.
by reference 10 our r'.c book, we sni that on
Ami a., 1912 Date a'lueci 70 ntho former ni,.
sscucshat exciting incident took p'a o ia oar Town
Aleheriog man, mechanic, who had beco ne very
inter- craie, and also very destitute, was Observed
sccupyrg seat by the roadside and 10 be s..ing
sery strangely. Boys were attracted by his Singular
ccrduct and though lessly were a nu.ed byit Ue
xored 10 see something which they coald not aad to
be sgitsied. II was evident hat his nerve. were dis
ordered for at enc time he fsncicd that he was g
rounded with boes-then that some beast was making
a. hin--and then that zone particular devil" was
pncbed just The opposite ride Of the street grin
ming Lideously at him. lie muttcred incoherepuv
md the numerous pss'ers-by said "he was Only
adrmk." There be sat several hours. and little
.er noon, he staggered TO housc near by in which
here happened to be only females, who, being fright
med would notle, him in. He seated hi6scf on tho
door. step, end there saw the same faucod dangers
mil tie Poor. Oficer coming along, took him home
With him. He was very weak, and very sick, and The
cEcer did all he could for him. but the poor creature
had not been in the house fifteen minutes before BIZ
70, dead. Here is naked, unvarnishod statement
Without fiery explosives, such as We hear il Tcmpor
snce lectures sometimes
A citizen a man, a fellow-ciea tute was dead. and
he circumstances of his death were certainly sngu-
lr Had he been found with bloody dirk or G pis
tOl, or On empty laudsnum phia by bis side, 10 ipd
cate murder suicide, should have ID an inquest
over bis body. But dying as he did what roed Of
Al inquest What could here be about it that was
not dissgreesble? So the inquest was rot held and
IoI., &c A., ,k..l
lie died on town meeting day, and, in our opinion,
he citizens Of our town could not have engaged Ia
Any 20 Important business that day as TO have he'd
thorough inquest that drunkard BODY to as5er-
min uoder oath all that pertaned TO his de4tb-log
much liquor be drank daily, what kind he dlank,
md where he bought IT, or who gave it to him, 60 as
70 msle out connected history of his descent from
manhood down TO Ms dishoror,d grave. The real
fe.s would have made some ears ia our town tngie.
But our LITTLE beck hes another record. Once Oh
tine, not ten years ago, nay not two yeow ago we
made a visit to poor family in our town We heard
hey were sick ard suffering, SO one cold disagrcca
BE day in March we rode over to 500 them. We
valked half a mile from where We tied the horse,
md, after crossing valley and climbing part way
Y The eide Of the mountain through the bushes, 40
Fund the log cabin aud entered it. The mother ap-
mrenJy bad the consumption, and with her were
Gree small children seated at Old table supported
Nth three legs. They were eating some buck
tskes The house was not near so comfortable as
many COW stables. The wind came in cold cuneots
through numerous holes. TIE immense fireplace
had little heap Of coals, and wood a. the door.
The bedstead an old, ricketty aft air, had tick with
iome straw and some scGnty coverings. There may
have been little bed for the children, but do not
remember seeing it What place for a consump-
i've TO winter in for little children to suffer in
lock upon that womans face showed she wss hope
kss. She had suffered feariully. More than once
Ess she compelled TO sleep in the woods with young
babe, because greater peril threatened her ia the
cabin from her drunken husband.
Well, we did what we could for them, and they get
through tb winter, but the next winter things were
no be tr, and cold night one of the children ed.
People coy the child fioze to death; that the body
when found was frozen fast to the floor and that when
they took it up fast it frozen that it was mar
slsd in getting loose SO the report goes and there
certainly were grounds for the ruuOr. AT any rate,
he child was found dead, and it would seem as il an
inquest shoud have been held the body to ascer.
tsin If possible II reasons of the death Witnesses
under oath would have testified that the father was
IN able Iaborer, but dreadful drunkard; that ho
t1cIMceu 10 rum enough ~ huNO I'"''S~
warm beds and clothing, and good food for his fam
w. and that this child had died for want Of these
fhipes Oh. how that history, ottesed by the solemn
oath would have pcaled out its thunder, for it would
have pointed out several particular men woo had
BEEN selling the rum which reduced this iamdy 10
such awful extremites!
But then our citizens held iequest over lat lit
Ne frozen body, aud we confess to feeling OF won
der at the matter.
There is one more incident recorded in our book
Several wears ago. one iearfuly cold day, we visited
= family. the head Of which was powerful laboser
but drunkard. The wife seemed discouraged but
peemea TO be making the best of the matter. Evi-
IDENTIFY they were suffering. That woman toii me
that repeatedly che had been compelled to lice the
house and sleep in neighbours barn, for fear her
husband would kill her. This was the hrst tune we
raw tile family. Some years after we saw ucn
aetin in other circumstances. Tue u an was oeau
and in his coffin this time but WHIST rough ROAD no
had wake ed to get there His big, muscular irame'
once would bear up under two quarts OF rum IN t"en
.y.four hours, but at las, il gave way lie had eP'
lsptic FITS, then partial palsy, then he Ieormel anu
then went back. He sold everything he couia Jay
hold Of even the COW, and prov sions "hieh MS WIG
had bouoht with her own labor, and he iound men
villine 10 trade rum for these things Things came
10 crisis for his blistered stomach refused to retain
run er longer and there was no viSor In inc oouy
10 react. So he died; and when we were there We
were told there was not enough food III the mouse 'of
cblds breakfast. Such was the end OF the strong
eat and ablest worker in our town. human lie
" as extipguished by violent not nave an
INQUEST TO bring out the causes in their smp'e !o'
dreadful naturel Why not spread it out oy au'uo'-
r 80. 20 vn .niOht read, IN Oig