Eaton Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1843-1856, 1854-08-31
A TOUCHING INCIDENT.
THE LOST CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTS.

be Drought 10 Ilght-cOuld NE SUUeUnsS Oi IN
noeent children, whose fathers and mothers
have been 6esotted, not imbraled, by rum, titI
wonld be q libel on the brute creation TO COM
pare drunken man with the lowest grade of
ihem) be witnessed by those who had hearts
10 feel, no power under heaven would stay
the spontane us prompiings Of all such 10 de-
stroy the cause Of so much misery.
Could the aggregate of such suffering be
conceived by the human Imagination and be-
lieved 10 be reality, no law, however much
police force, however powerful,
could prevent tue attempt TO save these siary-
ing, suffering, bleeding, unprotected and inno-
cent offspring Of the victims of the rum traffic.
Place in the opposite scale the commerce, the
trade, the demand for buildings, and the en-
ployment furnished by the rum traffic, which
grows out Of the drunkard-making business,
and ask for the sake Of these interests that
thousands and millions Of children may be al
lowed TO grow up in vice anc ignorance, 10 be
abused and starved and robbed Of every bles-
sing connected leglimalely with their exis-
tence, andthese men, the sight Of whose eyes
has affected their hearts, would not be inhu-
enced by any such considerations to stay their
hand until the demon rum, was annihiiated.
Read the following statement which is
found in the Five Points Monthly Record, and
'consider it only one case out of thousand
Lequally distressing that has been seen there.
A few Sabbaths since, at morning service,
one Of the most degraded specimens that ever
greeted my vision, came staggering into the
chapel of the House Of Industry, His wild
and irigh'ful looks, ragged and dirty beyond
description, his face bruised and swollen, rem.
dered him an object of disgust ana terror. He
seemed 10 look at the children with wonderful
| interest, occasionally muttering to himself
"Beaulful beautiful! OH that mine were
herev' lie sat an hour or more, and then
with lone and earnest look at the children,
staggered out Of the chapel and weuC up to
''the dark valley Of the shadow Of death, -
! Cow Bay.
! As the bell rung for service in the afternoon,
and while the rhIdren were clustering logether
| the same wild looking man staggered in once
more. He surveyed the faces Of the childrer
with the closest scrutiny; and at length hi.
eyes rested on two bright eyed little girls, whit
were singing one Of their little hymns. lie sa
| nmovable as statue during the whole ser
vice, gazing intently on the faces Of these tw'
children.
The service closed, the congregation aispers
ell, vet he fingered, and the tears came cours
ing down his face thick and fast.
DR.. S. asked him -"W hat was the mat
teri"
4 al am drunkam A wretch--an outcast
h homeless and without penny. Once had
'rhome and friends father, mother, wife, chill
dren, and host Of friends who loved and res
pected me. Time passec'on and became
ldrunkord One friend after another LETT me
Nstil drank on, and down fell Father an
mother both went down TO their graves wit
broken hearts. My poor wife still clung 10 m
whcnall others deserted ne. ! still drank or
Z. pawned ole article after another until all wa
gone, and when my wife refused TO give he
wedding ring, which she had chung 10 with tII
tenacity of death grasp, felled her to tn
earth, seized her finger, tore of the ring all
pawned il forum. That fatal blJwmaddene
her, and in despair, she 100 drank, and togetht
we wallowel in lie gutter.
Pennies We begged our way from Vernon
TO this great city, Here we hired small CT
lar, in dark, dismal street, and sent our Chi
dren out 10 beg. Many n weary day we spel
in that dreary cellar, lille our children we
wandering tie streets begging for their dfuni
I en- parents. About forty DAYS since, my lit
: eiIls went out to beg, and from that hour
A ibis have not seen item.
t "Wlthout food or fire Iclung 10 my dlSm
= abode until hunger forced me out, aud then
began TO search for my children. My degrade
g wife had been sent 10 Blackwel's Island, as
; vogrant, and alone ! went to The islands,
i the House of Refuge, TO the Tombs, and
: Jespair W ndcred down 20 The Five Point
T., no Il bnvn lived in N
NBay, among beggarS and thieves. To day
have seen two children, who, if they had II
3 looked so clean, and sung so swcetly, ! won
3. have called mine. Oh! would 10 God tht
4 wereW
e "Tell me The name," said Dr., s., ''and
n will See" ..
: In a few minutes two interesting lille gil
+ were ed towards him, AT the first sight tb
s fearful looking man they shank back. II
. poor nan spang TO his feet, eXcamng, "Th'
= are mine! mine! Ny children don't you kno
i your pom old flther!-comc 10 me my CHI
drcn. Father loves you, he won't hurt you
: He reached OH his arms, the little ones we
4 timjd at first, but they soon climbed up the
r lather knee, Will The learS wee streamll
!, down his face.
i "Kiss your poor drunken father, my chi
u drcnp' But the face of the man was so blac
,r and filthy that not n fit place could be ioun
II Soon they forgot the dirty face, aud rrmel
;. bered their poor degraded father, aud each
- twiued their lit c arms around his neck al
d 'ohu'E "SSeG "'''' T"G 'ue e."Gl on' S"i,
vi Yoice 'LaI 'oHcNeu eN,l! ne'It- w, w.,
:, YOU come and live here, TOO, papa! VIII
-" makes vou Irirl SOP Dear pana do Sign t