The Shasta courier., 1855-06-30
A Thrilling Euciaenf.

The following thrilling incident was related
by Governor Briggs. of Massachusetts. in a
speech delivered a, Albany, n. y, some year,
since:-
AT town meeting in Pennsylvania, the ques-
ton once came up whether any person should
be licensed to sell rum. The clergyman. the
deacon. and physician, strange rs it may now ap-
pear, all favored il. One man only spoke against
IT, because Of the mischief it did. The question
was about to be put when, all at once, there
arose fron corner Of the room miserable
female. She was ,hnly clad, and her appear
ance indicated the utmost wretciledness, and
that her mortal career was almost closed. Alter
a moment OF silence and ull eyes being fixed
upon her, she stretched her attenuated body 10
its utmost height, and then her long arms 10 their
greatest length, aud raising her voice To shril
p tch. she called 10 all 10 lock upon her.
''Yesr ~ she SAID, look uponne, and ;hen hear
me. All that The last speaker has said relative
To temperate drinking. as being The father Of
drunkenness, is true. All practice, all expert
ence, declare It's truth. All drinking Of alcohu-
lie poison, as beverage in health, is excess.
Look upon You all know rIc. or once did
You all know | was once the mistress Of the best
farm in tie town. You all know. too | had one
of the best--thc most devoted Of husbands You
all know had five, noble hearted, industrious
boys. Where are they now Doctor, scaere arc
hey noo You all know. You all know they
lie III row, side by side, in yonder churcli
yard all-every one of them filling the Dlnn&
aids graUe, They were all taught TO believe
that temperate drinking was safe-excess alone
ought to be avoided; and they never acknow-
ledged excess. They quoted you, and you, and
YOU, pointing with her shred Of a finger TO the
Priest, Deacon, and Doctor, as authority '' They
thought themselves safe under such teachers.
But saw the gradual change, coming over my
family and prospects, with dismay and horror;
| felt that we We're all to be overwhelmed in
one common ruin-I tried to ward off the blow,
tried to break the spell, the delusive spell-in
which the idea of the benefits of temperate
drinking had involv ed my husbands and sons.
begged, prayed; but the odds were against
me. The minister said the poison that was de-
stroying my husband and boys was good crca-
ture OF God; the deacon who sitsundert the pull
pit there. and took our farm TO pay his rum bills
sold them he poison; the doctor said that little
was good, and excess ought to be avoided. My
poor husband, and my dear boys fell into the
snare and they could not escape and, one after
another, were carried TO the sorrowtpl grave of
the drunkard. Now look at me again. You
probably see me for the last iime--my sand has
almost run-I have dragged my exhausted frame
from my present home-your poor house-to
warn you ALTO warn you deacon to warn
you, false teacher of Gods word ~ and with her
arms high flung, and her tall form stretched 10
its utmost, and her voice raised 20 an unearlhy
pltch--she exclaimed:
6 | shall soon stand before the jud gment seat
OF God-l shall meet you there, YOU false guides.
and be a witness against you all y
The miserable female vanshcd---a dead 81
lence pervaded the assembly-the priest, dea
con, and physician hung their heads--and when
The president OF the meeting put the question:,
"Shall any License be granted for the sale of
Spurious Liquors ?" the response unan-
nous" Non