Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-03-06
A SAD STORY.

We find the following in the daily Cour-
Ter, published at Hannibal Mo-: 80. -.
few DAYS ago a gentleman called upon.
us and requested us to make public the fol-
lowing story, hoping, he said, that itmight
prove a warning to others and thereby do
good. We will relate it as near as possl- |
BILE In his own words. It was as follows:
sSeven years ago lived on the banks of
the beautiful Des Moines in Iowa. / was
then a prosperous and happy man. had
everything man could wish for, ON this
earth, to insure perfect happiness. had q
large and beautiful farm, well stocked; a
fine carriage, and horses that were the
pride of the whole neighborhood. But the
crowniTg joy of my then. happiness was
4 true and loving wife and two children,
Tommy aud Lizzie, aged respectively five
and three years. Our house was not fine
one, but It was large and cemmodious, built
of brick and stone, after no particular FASH
iOn.. Our life had been a life of perpetual
sunshine up to the time of the commence
ment of my narrative. Nothing mad ever
occurred to mar our happiness. My wife
and had no,one to think or care for but
onr darling babes, and many were the plans
that we had laid for their future happiness.
About this time young man, one of nay
cousins, came from New York, where his
father resided. to visit me and spend the
winter. Charley was a good fellow, loved
fun, and was always up to something to
crafty this propensity. The times we had
that winter sleighing, skating and hunting
will never be forgotten. One falling Char
lev had, he liked his morning dram for an
APPETIZER as he would say, and a little dur
in6 the day to facilitate digestion. This
would have had no evil effect in itself had
he notSalways insisted on my drinking with
him. at first merely tasted the liquor,
drinking it only through courtesy to him;
after while, in consideration of its being
cold, L would take little for my stom-
0obS lzo ND hofnro TUint0r 4
went to bed several times in a precariOus
condition. Ny wife had noticed this stead
lily increasing taste for liquor, and time and
again had she expostulated with me, and
with tears in her eyes she had entreated
me to drink no more; but laughed at her
1ears and assured her tnat there was no
danger of whisky getting the better of ME-
AT the first call for troops in the spring
Of 1851, Charley started for his home in the
East to raise q company for the war. |
went TO the station with him to see him off
We took several parting drinks together
and before was ready to go home was so
intoxicated that could scarcely drive my
horses; before reaching home they took
fright and ran away, throwing me violently
against the root of a trees Iwas taken
home insensible from q severe confusion
on the left temple. lay for several days
on my bed from the effects of the fall, dur
ing which time / was kindly watched over
and administered to by my loving wife.
While living on my bed she used every ar
gument to induce me to sign a pledge of
total abstinence. / felt my degradation
deeply, yet all her entreaties were in vain.
Twas impressed with the mistaken idea
that to sign pledge was still more de-
ora ling-took away my liberty, my man
hood. And so spurned my only succor.
aShor6iy after my recovery, went to the
village on business. Before going back,
could not withstand the temptation of GO
s,,k1. of tho, coInAnR and tQKlnD
drink Just one. said to myself, entering
the saloon. Now Charley and myself had
been in the habit of going into these places,
and for amusement seat ourselves at one OF
the tables and play game OF euehre to see
who would pay tor the DRINKS. 30 upon
this occasion, when i entered the saloon,
man was standing there whom had met
once or twice before on like occasions. i
invited him to drink with me, when he
proposed to play for it, as Charley and my
self had done before. AS was In no hur-
lrv. and he appeared to be an agreeable fel-
low. I sat down, played and won game.
And being the winner in the first, did
not like TO refuse to play him second.
won again, and so on for several games,
drinking each time. He then drew out a
five dollar bill, and offered to bet that i
would not get the next game. was ex-
cited from drinking, and before thought
what was doing, had staked another hVe
aud we were playing for them. won the
game. and another, and then he won one,
and so we played, winning and looslng, for
an hour or more, when became too drunk
to play longer. ] found the next morning
when counted my money that was some
fiffv dollars ahead of the game. now see
thai this was only bait. 1t succeeded
well, however, for the next day found me
back at the saloon playing with my antag-
oriist of the previous day. Sometimes ne
would suffer me to win and then again ne
would win from me : but this time upon
counting my money found that was a
Iooser to a considerable extent. This made
me more eager to play, as / desired to win
back what had lost. felt con1dent That
could do it. I thought that it was only
his luck that had won from me, and not ms
superior playing. And so it went on until
lost. all my ready cash. Ithen borrowed
some. and it went the same road as the f1rst
I then becoming desperate, mortgaged all
INV stock to raise money, and lost 1T also. l
x1Ss souhrensied by this that determined
to win back my lost property or loose all.
The consequence was that mortgaged my
farm and everything had for cash, and
.sfaj1ed it in one game against all that
5nsrvsI Need i say the wOrds2 lost and
was thus. in a few short days, reduced from
,SnuleHee and ease to d beggar and an cut
cast. An outcast, for dared not go home
sonny vie and children and tell them What
had done. To degrade them by drinking