Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-02-18
NUMBER 6.
..WhO hath Woe"

The strange and horrible power OF
intoxicating drinks to paralyze all tho
kindly affections of human nature, fur
nishes one of the most effective argu-
ments for their disuse. So many in
stances of this terrible truth are seen on
every hand that no one can doubt. 1t
was brought freshly to our notice few
days since, in the very brief account cir
culated in the papers, of mother driy-
en- to the murder of herself and child
by the cruelty Of an Incorporate hus-
band.
The story is quickly told. but most
affectingly. The body of Mrs. Treat
and 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 endeav-
ored to find some one to adopt her child.
Failing in that, it would seem she de-
termined to free it from further neglect,
brutality and ruin, and in pursuance Of
this idea, fastened it to herself with
rope, passing it around the bodies Of
both, and tying it in hard knot
Thus they were found-the child with
one of its arms around the mothers
neck the mother with both arms clasp
ed tightly around her child. Her hus-
band manifested entire indifference du-
ring her absence, and after her bonnet
had been found by the side of tue river
and while the neighbors were dragging
the river for the body, he fingered about
the tavern stupefying himself, as usual,
with liquor, and manifested no more
human feeling than q brute,
1t is easy to fill up the story. Pro-
badly Treat had not long been a brute.
A few years ago, who can tell what
wealth of young love he lavished upon
the girl who consented to be his, for
their parental joy at the birth of the
child, destined at length to share It's
mothers watery grave? Treat had
learned to love the excitement Of the in
toxicating cup. AS the habit grew upon
him, and he became its slave, the love
of wife and child withcred and died be-
meath its fatal big ht. He became grad
ually indifferent to their happiness, then
morose, then positively cruel. The heart
of his poor wife was broken, and in des-
pair for herself and child, she madly
sought release for both from a life made
wretched by husbands cruelty. Treat
was not worse, very likely, than other
men. Liquor did the terrible work.
changed the man to brute, and made
the once fond husband the prosecutor
of his wife and child even unto death.
Why do not these frequently recur-
ring lessons OF the perils of dram-drink
ing have their effect? How can Sane
men rush into this open vortex of ruin?
Is it not because no man sees his own
peril until it is too lato, until habit has
made him his slave, and he sees but
feels unable to resist the infunce that
is gradually transforming him into mis-
own detestable image? Let the young
man who drinks for good companion
ship and innocent exhiliration, beware.
Let him look at the picture before US
the mother and child drawn from tho
watery grave, and the brutalized hus-
band and father calls US to the sad spec
tacle-and ask if there is no danger that
his present agreeable indulgences may
not at some time make him the central
figure of a similar picture. "Who hath
woe" like that of the drunkard's wife
and children ?-[Spring. Rep.