The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-03-21

leaving friends and relatives behind, and
their first acquaintance is n boarding
house of dissipated young men, and ''de-
ceased furniture" Around St Johns
Park hundreds of young men are 'bunkcd'
in those larger boarding-houscs. / have
been through "Hash Row" there myself
After tea the question goes round amongst
the young men: 'Well, Henry, what
are you going to do with yourself to-
night" "Ill play you billiards for
drinks" "Whcre are you going, Jack ~
"lm gning 10 the opera" "Wcll, come
4 take II drink before you 60 Que is
| going TO see his "htle milliner" in llous-
ton street another to play bagatellle for
lager, others to play faro particularly If
It is pay day some TO have throw at
cards; some 10 theatres and oyster suppers
and worse.
Very, very seldom do you hear one
say, "Tm going to a prayer meeting"
Last Sunday night was the first one |
was ever in here in this city. ! went at
the invitation of Mr.. McBurncy, and it
did me good. | saw sincere picty there.
1t was an unaccustomcd sight to me.
l had not been six months in my new
situation before rum was again at work
A fcllow-cle runs off with a pretty
''waiter GIRL" and leaves his wife and
children to shift for themselves. That
gentlemen has since changed his course of
life, and now holds a high position
Instead Of pushing my way up with the
talents | was blessed with, | was fond of
changing. received better salary in
another house Rum was still there
One Oft the principal statesmen, brilliant
man, in drunken spree, walked off one
of our ferry boats, was drowned, and left
a wife and several children to mourn his
sad untimcly end.
But the sad case that came under my
notice some few months since | can never
forget. A gentleman boarding in the
same house with me, and engaged in a
large mercantile house. cut his throat
from ear to ear from the effects of drink
ing rum. lie had been hard drinking
man elsewhere. lie seemed to drink
very little, and would lecture my compan-
ions and myself for coming in '.joliy' some
nights. lie got to drinking very hard at
last. Many ga Thy OF ale" Eve had
with him, and many a merry eve spent
at the "Housc of Lords lie COM
minced to neglect his business, spent some
SlOO in few days, he told me, for
rum, Sc. lie sent TO his employers
for more money; III y, thinking he
was sick, sent him all he wishel- for -
We al refused TO drink with him when
we saw he was bent On keeping up his
spree.
was regularly at my business, and
saw him only once or twice week. lie
really was hard up, spent all he could
borrow, pawned all his valuablvs, and
went TO business agmn. lie raised more
money and started oyer the same old
ground. One Sunday morning following
| he came TO my room to borrow an under
shirt. | shall never forget it. He had
''Hpoutcd' his, and told me his uncle
would not give hIm enongh on his vest to
| buy n drink. | commenced to reason
with him on the folly of his course. lie
wanted lie TO take him 10 minister |
did not know where to find Il religious
man in New York. Had | known our
esteemed friend, Mr. McB., another soul
might have been saved.
As did not know any minister tool,
poor Mack TO the nearest physician. lie
imagined the ladies' were throwing stones
at him as we walked the streets, or some
body was to shoot hlm. lie said he felt
he had done some one a great wrong
The doctor gave him some strong doses
Of morpline-he went to bed and next
day was better prayed him not to
driIk any more, and thought he was all
right again.
A few evenings after, coming home
from the opera rather late, saw light
in Macks room, and thought | would
call on him. As soon as | opened the
do2r, | 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 to
ear just after tea, when 10 one was in the
room. For fear of soling the carpet he
had placed his neck on the spittoon
which was filled with blood. The land
lady did not wish him to die in her
house, and the physicians took him to
Bellevue hospital, where | saw him the
next morning laid on strelcher firmly
fastened down, the awful cash sewed up
with silver thread, | shed tears over
him. lie could not arliculate, but was
still alive and the surgeon said he thought
he would live a week and perhaps recov-
er. The next day intended to take a
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 claimant.
As lifted the covering there poor Mack
lay dead on Il common siretcher in the
dead house of an hospital, waiting for
some relative to claim it-his soul had
flown. -Four of his companions buried
him in Greenwood. No minister, no
mother, no sister, to follow him TO the
last resting place How sad his mother,
and brokcn-hcarted mnst she have been
when she heard bis sad end
Intemperance in the same ward had
other victims. An old man of eighty
] cnD,n,ar.I onI tOuno ,na,,