The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-08

| WHere are you going, JACK e! III
going to the opera.h 'HWell, come take
see his ''little milliner" in Houston
street; another to play bagatelle for
lager; others to play faro, particularly If
| II is nav day; some to have throw at
cards; some to theatres and oyster sup
pers, and worse.
Very, very seldom do you hear one
say, "I am going to prayer.meeting
Last Sunday night was the first one
was ever in here in this city. | went a.
the invitation Of Mr.. McBurney, and II
did me good. saw sincere pety there
1t was an unaccustomed sight to me.
had not been six months in my new
situation before rum was again at work,
A felIow-cerk runs off with a pretty
"waiter girl" and leaves his wife and
children TO shift for themselves. That
gentleman has since changed his course
of life, and now holds high position.
Instead of pushing my way up with the
talents was blessed with, was fond OF
changing. i received better salary In
another house. Rum was still there.
One of the statesmen, a brilliant man, in
drunken spree, walked OFT one OF our
ferry boats and was drowned, and left a
wife and several children to mourn his
sad untimely fate. go
But the sad case that came under my
notice some few months since I can
never forget. A gentleman, boarding in
the same house with me, and engaged in
large mercantile house, cut his throat
from ear to ear from the effects of drink
ing rum. He had been hard-drinking
man elsewhere. He seemed to drink
very little, and would lecture my COM
pOnions and myself for coming Ii" Jolly"
some nights. He got to drinking very
hard at last. Many "tobby OF ale" l
have had with him, and many merry
eve spent at the '.House of Lords.n He
commenced to neglect his business,
spent some 500 in few days, he told
me for rum, &c. He sent to his employ
ere for more money; they, thinking he
was sick, sent him all he wished for.
We all refused to drink with him when
we saw him bent on keeping up his
spree.
i was regularly at my business, and
saw him only once or twice a week. he
really W.. "hard up, " pawned all his
valuables, spent all he could borrow, and
then went to business again. He raised
more money AMI started over the same
old ground. One Sunday morning fol
lowing he came to my room to borrow
an undershirt. l shall never forget it.
He had 'spouted" his, and told me his
uncle would not give him enough on bis
vest to buy drink. L commenced to
reason with him ON the folly of his
course. He wanted me to take him to a
minister. did not know where to find
a religious man in New York. Had
known our esteemed friend Mr.. Mob,
another soul might have been saved.
AS did not know any minister took
poor Mack to the nearest physician. He
imagined the ladies We're throwing
stones at him as we walked the streets,
or somebody was to shoot him. He said
he felt he had done some one great
wrong. The doctor gave him strong
doses of morphine--he went to bed and
next day was better. prayed him not
all right ngain.
A few evenings after, coming home
from the opera rather late, saw a light
in Mack's room, and thought / would
call on him. AS soon as / opened the
door, 1 saw the carpet rolled up, and
blood all over the floor. His two COM
panions were there, and they told me
Mack had cut his throat. Rum had
done its worst. Poor fellow, he had
placed himself deliberately before the
mirror, and cut his throat from ear tt
ear just after tea, when no one was in
the room. For fear of soiling the carpet,
he placed his neck on the spittoOn,
which was filled with blood. The land
lady did not wish him to die i'm her
house, and the physicians took him to
Bellevue Hospital, where / saw him the
next morning laid on stretcher firmly
fastened down, the awful cash sewed up
with silver thread. i shed tears over
him. He could not articulate but was
still alive, and the surgeon said he
thought he would live a week and per-
haps recover. The next day l intended
to take minister to his bedside. When
| called at the hospital with some of his
| friends, his place was empty and his
body lay in the dead house waiting for
a claimant. AS / lifted the covering
there poor Mack lay dead on common
| stretcher in the dead house of hospital,
waiting for some relative to claim it
his soul had flown. Four of his com.
panions buried him in Greenwood No
minister, no mother, no sister to follow
| him to the last resting place How sad
his mother, and broken-hearted must
she have been when she heard his sad
end.
Intemperance in the same ward had
other victims. An old man of eighty
summers, and young man--throats
cut. 1t was an awful, CHASTITY sight |
do not wish TO see again. / feel thank
full have fallen into good hands.