Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-01-17
JANUARY Il, 1866.

0NSiJ ohu utiSut was now OAR
ened !; again raised the vine cup and dram
70 the health Of all, / was lost. Once mo,
was become thing Of guilt and shame
telt all the pangs ofthe confirmed inebr
ate was going back, back TO the horri
gull from which | bod been wrested as
4 hu 4, rcsO, lsl19ss
Gonesgone. | wasA now being to be Il
fsplseds lost Amy esfz 80 inatiou and fF,b
OF othersl Who wouldNt trust me nowf
| left the room--the house; the viii
laugh, the gay song, and strains of swee
music rang in my ears ! shuddered-
and hurried on. [ could not 90 home
How could gaze upon that little sanctuns
low act In that room which for seyentee,
years had received me sober man? I wa
now drunkard! "A public house stooc
oeIore me-one glass more I cried, ant
memory will be crushed I tasted tba
cuP-lt refreshed the memory of the stom
ach. but could not, would not, drown recol
lection. That insatiate nav, tickled will
the exciting liquid, cried for -"feec
me-feed me- it seemed to say, cor II
madden youY / indulged it. Yes, glas,
after glass disappeared, and became beast
y drunk. The landlord elected me from hi.
Inc streets seemed peopled with iend.
they passed me like ghosts, and mocked
me Dy their strange and unearthly sounds
Ine stars seemed as if they were drunk
and reeled in the heavens. Ah /! sec, tbey
,ail !! God of the orbs save them! The
lamps shed flood of light over the scene,
aho the paVements seemed to raise up as
staggered along. [ heard voices, old ia.
mllIar 7 voices which had long since gone ont
from the bodies wherein they lived. call me
Dy name and from the charnel house thew
started forth to meet nae
;. All things were changed and apparently
awe the very air breathed sounds suitable
70 my feelings. The laugh. the ieer, the
glbe, the deep curse fell upon nv ear. like
sweet music from Aeolian harp. I liked Il.
and shouted with maddening ioy as / nsbed
on. Where was | !? The DAYS of NV
youth had come back again. But oh! how
changed! Mind and body had undergone
complete revolution. A world Of spirits
was " before, and they greeted me as passed.
but there came change | came in con-
tact with one who, unlike me. was sober
and rational; A quarrel. ensued. ha. strnals
and'rushed upon him like demon. For "a
moment, he manfully resisted-but l stab
bed him and the blood from the gaping
wound gushed fearfuly up into my face
| staggered back-there he lay upon the
pavement, seemingly living corpse; the
moonlight rested upon his face, and its
ghastly appearance shocked mel fled the
spot; and in my hand I held the knife reek-
ing with his blood. now heard the cry of
murder; it came on the winds of night like
a messenger from hell to drag me DOWN
On, on l went-footsteps followed close,
and l could hear the hot breath of my pur-
suers Kissing in mine ears. Ny foot struck
stone, faltered and fell PROSTATE on the
pavement.
Then came dull sense of pain, sickness
of death; and the very fends of hell seem
ed rioing in my brain, and in the wilderness
of insanity cursed and blasphemed as lay
quivering on the ground x
The bright sun arose and found me a
prisoner, closely confined in a narrow cell
and for what? The horrid truth flashed
upon me; | had committed a murder The
image Of my victim appeared before me
the deep wound, the ghastly look, the quiv.
ering frame, presented themselves to my
sight, and almost maddened me. The tor.
ments of that hour | can never forget; ages
of misery were crowded into seconds had
leisure to reflect. Alas! what were my re.
fections? In one moment. one unguarded
moment, had been decoyed, betrayed, lost
What followed Horror Horror! There
are no dreams, no visions of night, half 81
dreadful as are the stern realities Of life
Here was [ prisoner, one whose career has
been honorable, and whose endeavors were
to do good, and set a bright example tt
others-now murderer! A murder c, m
mitted under the influence of liquor Tha
curse-that dark spot upon the mirror O
creation, whose power over rmortals is almos
omnipotent. Fatal, fatal hour, in which
left the quiet of my own house to mingl'
with the gay, the foolish, and the inebriate
Yes, the inebriate; for soften it as you will
all are SO who make liquor the means O
gratifying foolish desire to be considered
fashionable Oh that custom would de
nounce it and females frown it down fore0e,
| heard the grating Of the iron door
opens, and the keeper entered with two gen
tlemen. The features of one of them wer
familiar. l shuddered asI gazed, it SCENE
as if the grave had yielded up its dead
The keeper spoke - Rise young man an
behold the gentleman whom you last nigh
wounded Not dead = I exclaimed, stal
ting to my feet Not dead ha I! ha / al
no murderer, ha! ha = and In ecstacy
JOY I embraced him. 1t appeared that th
wound was slight, but the blow was heav
and felled him to the ground, and in m
wild delirious state, as | gazed upon bill
PROSTATE, imagined the worst. Noble
generous man; he stepped forward and vii
dicated me, stating that he, (Which he afte
wards assured me was the fact) had strue
the first blow, and so eHectually did /
plead for me, that was liberated, by ente
ING bail for my future good behavior. T,
ture good behavior! | will not look in
the future, but guard against the evils
the day
Let no one boast Of his strength, lest
fall. Palaces have crumbled of the pow
of man. Temples totter in their ruins
every age; cities have been swept from IL
face of the earth, by causes over which b
man efforts can have no control. And wi
not man? Is he not weak and feeble pro-
TO err, and are there not times when reason