Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1861-01-05

little liquor was administered to do me
good. | did not want wine but water.
[ was naturally very thirsty child,
and everything that was put between
my speechlcss lips increased my thirst.
My mothers milk was sweet, the pana-
da given me was sweet and ii now and
then I was blessed with a draught Of
goats or COWS milk, it was warmed and
swectened first, to make it as much like
my mothers as possible. | used to
cry.-No other way do we poor babies
have Of expressing our feelings, and
the chances are ten to one that we will
be understood. To stop my crying |
was put to the breast this at times |
would Indignantly refuse. Then there
| would be commotion, "Nurse,' my
mother would say, ''what shall we DO
with him - The nurse WAS stout
hearty woman, who made & practice of
tasting whatever was prepared for
her charge. Her sovereign remedy was
liquor. / was taken and a spoonful ad-
ministcred at time. At first I REBEL
ed strang!ed, kicked and coughod.
The firm hand he'd the spoon to my
little tongue, and down went its CON
tents in spite Of me. Little by
little the dose was increased. [ soon
liked it. In my thirsty moments | cried
for it. It was given me readily, and
after a few moments of wild gee,
| T fell into 2 drunken stuDor. which gave
my attendants many opportunities OF
enjoying themselves, as my sleep was
sure to be long and sound.
"At length maria 4 potU assaiied
me. During my whole life no ore had
thought of giving me single spoonful
of water | had crayed- the cooling,
cheering, refreshing drop Of water !.
Now no longer cared for it. In my
widest frenzies | was accused OF hay
ing the collie; down as usual went the
fiery drink, until finally | was literally
burnt out. | was nothing but clndcE
within, shell without. Ny stomach
was cooked to a crisp, my intestincS
were shrivcncd, my lungs, no longer
filed with pure air, bel:hcd forth only
the fiery fumes that had consumed me.
I died. l was good for nothing.
hope whatever form my dust is destin-
ed to take Oh earth, that it will not be
watered, as when inhabited it, with
| alcohol.'
"As this speaker ceased there aroz'
a wall Of sympathy, such as had first
attracted me to the pandemoniac cham
ber; as it subsidized, Another little figure
had taken the stand.
"My legs he said, drought me out
of the world Ny mother labored I'M
der the strange delusion that her child
was born Highland laddie Of Amori-
can parents and in America. / was
dressed, or left un3rcssed rather, in
short plaid stockings: reaching to the
calf Of ny leg, and an elegant kilt
reaching just to the knee. My limb:
we're moulded in chcrubic forms, and
when exposed in the nursery were pret
ty. But the nu sery was TOO narrow 8
Geld in which to display my beauty
On bitter cold days ] was walked out
over the icy street, the keen wine
chapping my flesh and chilling my
blood till my knees looked like two
nutmeg gratcrs painted purple. | usec
to look at my mothers long comforta
ble skirts and thick leggins drawn NJ
over warm hose, and wondered if sht
could survive fashion such as | wore
if adopted by herself. I became at1lict
Cd with inhammatory rheumatism, anc
unable to endure the pain, gave up the
ghost
Il felt" said my grandmother, stha
this victim was = sacrifice to a fashion
started since my day. l know that YOU
father was not dressed in such aredic
ulous style when little boy, for wItl
nv own hands / knit his warm woolei
stockings, and saw that his comfortable
trousers came well over the in-step 0
, his little calfskin shoes"
s.The next speaker was q cream fac
: ed little girl, who trembled as she rose
and said:
4 am an opium eater. Ny death
warrant was written on the label Of th
t first bottle of Godfrey's Cordial brough
/ into my mothers house. A few drop
at first sufficed to hush my feeble cries
Then Godfrey's cordial would not do
Then my nurse would give me small
D opium pill in my pandana. Of cours
[ was but little trouble. was decl
2 sleeper; but my digestion became i'm
| paired too much sleep weakened me
t and I knew no natural slumber. NJ
/ eyes became like those of leep-walk
+ er. full of dreams when wide-awake.
a lost my appetite my head grew full 0
pain my baby-heart was always ach
n ing. / closed my eyes one day foreve
: on the home | felt could be little loy
:, ed, where my low walls were never a
q lowed an annaal 11, those around me