The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1872-07-26

DeneOn GOlden,S Dlstnlery.
BY MRS. E. J. RIcnMoND.

Nesting among the green hills of
-, In Central New York, Is q
pretty little village, whose schools and
Churches give evidence of intelligence
and thrift. 1t looks jrst the spot the |
weary city denizens would select fol a
retreat during the heated summer |
months; and were it not for the one
plaguespot upon Its beauty. would
seem ali earthly paradise. Here and
there along the pleasant rural streets,
may be seen tie guided word ''sa-
loon, whose definition is more damn
ing than any other word in the Eng
lisT vocabulary. There are other
,retentious buildings Of similar
character, where riot sometimes holds
high sway even at MONDAY. These
are yclept hotels. They commence
the work Of death witch the saloon
usually completes.
Issuing from one of these, saw a
man come staggering. with red, bloat-
ell face, and the most beSotted expires
sion ever witnessed on Il human
Duntenance.
"Who is that wretclled ereature?"
| asked of the friend who accompanied
me. an old resident of the village.
.'That? Why, ii is Tom Logan, son
uf old DIR. Logan. l thought every
body knew him."
But You see you were mistaken.
my good fiiend,' said |. "Would
you mind telling me some OF his his
tory? lie is certainly the saddest
wreck of man ever saw, and |
would like to know how he became
so.'
"If YOU were to see how and where
he lives, you would think stranger
still. His room Il in stable, and he
eats by himself, His habits are so
filthy no one could endure him at the
table: and yet lie was an intelligent
boy. the son OF the best physician this
town ever had. Ills mother was Il
lady. She died before he got so low.
Ills sister is Mrs. --, an estinabie
lady. wife OF one Of the first men IN
the town.
..How can She bear it?" | asked.
.It has almost crushed the life ott
6 her, poor woman. Many Is the
time, since the father and mother died,
Inc has come at her with an AK, swear
ing he would kill her. and he would
have been as good as his word, had
she not left him. Ills property IS tied
up. 50 he will be cared for, but cannot
spend it. and her friends insisted she
should leave him, as her periling her
life could do him 10 good"
''Bnt what made him such de-
non?'' asked.
Whisky" T" said my friend. 'The
odd story. When he was a little child,
wine and brandy were always on his
fathers sideboard, according to the
customs OF TIE day. Tom was always
fond of drinking what the visitors left
III their glasses hut the work of ruin
may be traced more directly to Dea-
con Gollen's distillerys"
"a deacou's distillery?" | said in
cTedulously.
YES, child" said he. "You must
remember that everybody drank Il lit
tie in those days. Making and selling
whisky wasn't looked upon as it Is
now. DIR. Logan and his wife no
more thought Of forbidding their little
boy going TO the Listillery than they
would to the village store; yet there
lle got the appetite which ruined him.
Wien he has drunk lust enough, :"
he is very funny and comical; and
Che hands thought it grand tun to get
him partly drunk and see him per-
form."
.sJu.t enough was what ruined poor
Tom. them" said +. "Was his moth
r asleep or dead, that her only boy
could be led away by these cruel
men.n
"Oh. she didn't think" said my
friend. 1T came Oh gradually
dreadful appetite-alld no one suspect
ed anything wrong. till poor Tom
came home raving drunk. and threat
ened to Kill his sister. When he has
drank too much. he is very ugly, and
is determined to kill somebody T"
II should think one drop was too
much. il it leads to such q fate, said
I: ''but about the deacon S diStillery.
Did he give It up when he saw how
much mischief 1t was dofng?'
.'Well, the deacon grew richer, and
the men VIE bought the whisky,
poorer. That distillery swallowed up
many a fine house, and farm, and beg
CARED many a family, richer than the
deacon's, to my certain knowledge.
Finally, temperance societies began to
be formed, and the deacon and his
family Joined, and he gave up the old
distiliery but that didn't bring back
the dead. nor give back the homes
that had been swallowed mp by the
whisky-ats.''
,.No; and tile stain is left upon this
beautiful village yet" said |. ''If any
men were deliberately to set them
selves to work to torture and to de-
stroy their fellow-creatures. there is
no way they can do it 50 eilectrnlly as
by the making and vending Of alco-
hoI.'- Te1ag,eyfnce .ddr0cdte,