True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1857-11-04
"Who Hath Woe o.

The strange and horrible power Of in
toxicating drinks 10 paralyze all bodily
affections Of human nature, furnishes one
Of The most effective arguments for their
disuse. So many instances of this terri.
Bile truth are seen on every hand that no
man can doubtit 1t was brought freshly
to our notice, few days since, in the
very brief account circulated in the pa
pers, of a mother driven to tfe murder Of
herself and child by the cruelty Of an in
temperate husband.
The story is quickly told, but is most
affecting. The body OF MIS-. Treat and
her child were recovered from the river
at Grand Rapids, Wisconsin, after they
had been mysteriously missing several
days. For some days previous to her
sudden disappearance she had endeavored
to find some one to adopt her child. Fail.
ing in that, it would seem she determined
10 free it from future neglect, brutality amp
ruin, and in pursuance of this idea, fas-
tened it to herself with rope, passing il
around the bodies of both, and tying it ia
a hard knot. Thus they were found
the child with one OF iIs arms around it's
mothers neck, the mother with both arms
clasped tightly around her child, Her
husband manifested entire indifference
during her absence, and after her bonnet
had been found by the side Of the river,
and while the neighbors were dragging
the river for the body, he fingered about
the tavern, stupefying himself, as usual
with liquor, and manfesting no more hu-
man feeling than brute.
1t is easy 10 6ll up the story. Prob
ably Treat had not been long a brute
A few years ago, who can tell what
wealth of young love he had lavished on
the fair girl who consented to be his, for
better or worse. Who can paint their
first paternal Joy at the birth Of the child,
destined at Length to share its mothers
walery grave. Treat had learned to love
the excitement of the intoxicating cap.--
AS the habit grew upon him and he be-
came its slave, The love Of wife and child
withered and died beneath lis fatal blight.
He became gradually Indifferent 10 their
happines, then morose, then positively
cruel. The heart of his poor wife was
broken, and in despair for herself and
child, she madly sought release for bo,lf,
from life made wrleched by husbands
cruelty. Trea, was not worse, very like.
ly, than other men. Liquor did the ter.
rible work, changed the man 10 brute,
and made the once fond husband the per.
secutor of his helpless wife and child,
even unto death.
Why do not these frequently recurring
lessons Of the perils of dram drinking
have their effect How can sane men
rush into this open vortex Of ruin ? Is
it not because no man sees his own peril
ill it is too late, till habit has made him
its slave, anc he sees but feels unable TO
to resist the influence that is gradually
Transforming him into its own detestable
image. Let The young man who drinks
for good cOmpanionsbip and innocent ex-
' hilaraion. beware. Let him look at the
: picture before us-the mother and child
) drawn from their waiery grave, and tho
brutalized husband and father callous to
the sad spectace--and ask il there is no
$ danger that his presen! agreeable indul-
gences may not at some time make him
the central figure ola similar picture
): "Who hath woe," like that Of the drunk
i ards wife and children !--Springfeld
Republican. IS