The Hickman courier., 1871-04-08
THE WEAKNESS OF JOHN M,
MEYER.


: sons. two women and one man, charges
: with appropriating certain funds belong
ing to one John Henry Meyer, citizer
Of New Madrid, Mo. The larceny charg
. ed in the warrants, was said to have beer
committed on the steamer Belle Mem
{ phis on Tuesday evening, and from III,
evidence before the court and some par
ticulars otherwise obtained we give th.
; following account of the case.
John Henry Meyer from personal ap
: pearsnce. and his broken English. could
not be mistaken by the most Indifferent
observer to be anything else than whai
he really is, lineal descendant of the
great Tuetonic family. He is about
twenty Eve years old, six feet in height
rather slender, light hair-an unmistaka-
BILE mark of his nationally head round
} as a bullet, face fair representation of
full moon, q rather infantile mustache,
and voice and utterance something like
cross between the splutter Of boiling
mush pot and stream of water making
its way into the subteTanean passages Of
cornfeld sinkhole.
For reasons which viii develope them
selves as we progress in our narrative of
this case, have We been thus particular in
drawing John Henry's portraiture.
We have said that John Henry Meyer
/ is a citizen of New Madrid. OF his an
tecedents previous to the last six months
we are unadvised A About that time
saloon keeper of New Madrid went ayont
the moon, or in other words Don Jose
like went dead. leaving a widow-how
| fair or fat we know not-but that she was
forty is an undisputed fact. She soon
| found her lonely condition unpleasant,
indeed it was such that endurance longer
was not to be thought of, so she spread
her nets with view Of filling the place
of the dear departed. twas not in vain
that she did so. as her efforts were soon
crowned with success. John Henry
Meyer was the victim of the pretti
est little parIor he ever did spy.
lie saw the fair charmer, aud visions
of lager beer and standing behind the
counter OF his own saloon instead OF that
of the widows, were too much for him.
notwithstanding the reliet was old enough |
for his mother. he subsidized into matri |
moniaI relations about two weeks ago !
After a short treacle moon, j John thought /
that his saloon needed various supplies
and a trip to st. Louis was arraDged-I
aud after many warm embraces and fond
goodbyes to his newly made bride, care
fully slowing away in his capaeious pock-
ct book something more than i've hun
dred dollars In green backs, and taking
half dozen or so oe drinks with friends,
he boarded the magnificent Belle Mem
phis Although pretty we'll freighted
with drinks, John Henry thought he
could stand few more, and it was not
long before he encountered boon com
panion and they soon became liberal pa
irons of the bar Now johns newly
boat, aud believing from what he had
seen that j ohm was a festive cuss, fond
of larks and adventures, he would intro
duce him to his two companions. No
sooner was the proposition made than
John accepted. lie could not from his
very nature,--and his then condition only
accelerated him along the highway TO
an Invitation SO seduc-
tive, so gay, wheu he learned that he
was to be presented to two charming
pieces of crinoline. John was presented
he saw, he was conquered aud fell
although he had left bride of but two
weeks, and hardly out of sight of his
home, and all that should have been dear
and sacred to him,-he was fascinated,
enamored of one Of his fair acquaintances,
and determined, as quick as lightning, on
new conquests in the fields of love. John
to demonstrate his admiration, his liber.
ality and devotedness, called for bottle
of wine and in sparkling libations he
pledged himself as the most gallant of
knights. He was not satisfied with one
bottle, another was brought and it was
gulped as the first.
By this lime, from the excitement of
liquor and love, John Henry was not
exactly conscious of all that he was
doing, or what was going on, but had
faint remembrance that he was standing
upon the guards of the boat, surrounded
by his gay companions, with his pocket
book open aud finging his money around
ialiscriminately, and swearing that
one of the spoiled doves, whose acquain
tance he had made few minutes before,
should never want for dollar as long
as he, John Henry Meyer, was the pos
SCISSOR Of one
1t was in evidence that John was reck-
less of his money-(as well as undying
protesta.ions of devotion deep for his
Mary, that he indiscriminately handed
il over to white and black, BARRIERS, por-
ters, and roust abouts. Such liberality
could not but be noticed, and it had its
effect on his companions. Did John
care who got his money Not he. He
was glad he had money to cast around
loose-some oft fell prey to the Hinds,
aud was carried away never to be seen
moro.
As we have said John was not exactly
at this particular time, but was
enough so to call for another bottle of
wine, and as his share of the first two
bottles had created such a tempest OF
soft sentiment in his own bosom, one bot
tie more would probably produce simi-
lar effect on the sensibilities of his gush
ing Mary. 1t was then-the very then
that John discovered something was
wrong. The last bottle was to be paid
for. and John feeling for his pocket book,
found it, but on opening it, 10, the green /.
backs were gone--the book felt light
aud it was lightened to the amount of five
hundred dollars. Here, to his eyerlast.
tug ulsSTacc, JOun ipuiHefence lot
money forsook him,-his previous mani
fest disregard for it, had been only sound {
and show; and it was clear as mud, that
gold or greenbacks was as dear to him
IS it is to other people. lie cast an xious
ooks around for his friend that had been
10 kind as to introduce him to the ladies'.
md to his astonishment be found that
'riend paying to the clerk Of the boat
me hundred aud ifty dollars to the credit
If John Henry Meyer, TO be given to
lin when he became sober enough to
axe care of it. This arrangement was
lot satisfactory to John--he wanted !
hree hundred aud fifty more. and moth I
ng short of that amount would satisfy :
i'm. And here it was that John exhib
ted another bad trait of character. Not !
his friend had introduced