Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1867-07-19

THE MYSTERIOUS WOMAN.

AT a certain town-mceting in Penn
sylvania, the question came up wheth-
er any persons should be licensed to
sell rum. The clergyman, the deacon
and physician, strange rs it may now
appear, all favored it. One man only
spoke against it. because Of the mis-
chief it did. The question was about
TO be put, when all at once there arose
from one corner Of the room miscr-
able woman. She was thinly clad,
and her appearance indicated the ut
most wrctchedness and that her NOR
tai career was almost closed. After
a momen; Of silence, and all eyes be-
ing fixed upon her, she stretched her
attenuated body to its utmost height,
and then her long arms to their great
est length, and raising her voice to
shrill pitch, she called to all to look
upon her.
"Yes." shc said, d" look upon me,
and then hear me. All that the last
speaker has said relative to temperate
drinking, as being the father of drunk
enness, is true. All practice, all cx-
perience, declares its truth. All drink
ing Of alcoholic poison, as beverage
in health, is ercess. Look upon me i!
You all know mo, or once did. You
all know I was once the mistress Of
the best farm in the town. You all
know, too, l had one Of the best. tn
most devoted Of husbands. You all
know / had fine. noble-hearted, indus
trious boys. Where are they now !?
Doctor where are they nov: You all
know. You all know they lie in row
side by side in yondcr churchyard !;
all-every one Of them filling the
drunkard's grave! They were all
taught to believe that temperate
drinking was safe; that excess alone
ought to be avoided; and that they
never acknowledged excess. They
quoted you, and You. and you," point
ing with her shred Of a finger TO the
minister, deacon and doctor, "as au-
thority. They thought themselves
safe under such teachers. But I saw
the gradual change coming over my
family and prospects with dismay and
horror / felt We were all to be over
whelmed in one common ruin. tried
to break the spell. the delusive spell
in which the idea Of the benefits Of
temperate drinking had involved my
husband and sons. l begged, I pray
ed, but the odds were against me.
The minister said the poison that was
destroying my husband and boys was
. good creature Of God the deacon,
who sits under the pulpit there, and
took our farm to pay his rum bills,
sold them the poison the doctor said
little was good and excess only
ought to be avoided. My poor hus-
band and my dear boys fell into the
snare, and they could not escape and
one after another were conveyed to
the sorrowful grave of the drunkard.
Now look at me again. You probably
see me for the last time. Ny sands
have almost run. Ihave dragged my
exhausted frame from my present
home-your poor-house-to warn you
all to warn you. deacon! to warn you,
false teacher Of Gods wordw And
with her arlns flung high, and her tall
form stretched to its utmost, and her
voice raised to an unearthly pitch.
she exclaimed, Il soon shall stand
before the judgment-seat Of God. I
shall meet you there, You false guides.
and be witness agains. you all ~
The miserable woman vanished. A
dead silence rervadcd the assembly !;
the minister, deacon and physician
hung their heads, and when the pres
ident Of the meeting put the question,
''Shall any licenses be granted for the
sale of spirituous liquors - the unani-
nous response was, No