Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-07-17
AN MOURNING SUBSCRIBER IN
DANBURY.
A Man Visits the Editor to Find s.yVho
Printed that Piece;

| lie cdIue Ill Will all interrogation IN
one eye, and with stick in one hand.
One eye was covered with handker-
chief, and one arm was in sling. His
bearing was that of man with a settled
purpose in view.
GO [ want to see,'' said he, "the man
that puts things into this paper.p
We intimated that several of us earned
frugal livelihood in that way.
"Well, [ want to see the man which
cribs things out of other papers-the
fellow who writes mostly with shears,
you understand"
We explained to him that there were
seasons when the gifted among us, driven
to frenzy by the scarcity of ideas and
events, and by the clamorous demands
of an Unsuitable public, in moments of
emotional insanity plunged the glitter
ing shears into our exchanges. He went
ON calmly, but in voice tremulous with
suppressed feeling and indistinctt through
the recent loss of half dozen or so of
his front teeth:
"Just so. presume so. I don't
know much about this business, but
want to see a man, the man that printed
that little piece about pouring water
down drunken mans back and making
him instantly sober. If you please, l
want to see that man. would like to
talk with him."
Then he leaned his stick against our
desk, and spit on his serviceable hand,
and resumed his hold on the stick, as
though he was weighing it. After study
ing the stick minute, he added in a
somewhat louder tone:
Mister, l came here to see that ere
man. / want to see him bad"
We told him that particular man was
not In.
"Just so. 1 presume so. They told
me before I came that the man 1
wanted to see wouldn't be anywhere.
I'll wait for him. 1 live up north, and
I've walked seven miles to converse
with that man. l guess I'll sit down
and wait. -
He sat down by the door and refec-
lively pounded the floor with his stick,
but his feelings would not allow him to
be still
81 suppose none of you didn't never
pour much cold water down any drunken
mans back to make him instantly sober,
perhaps
None of us in the Office had ever tried
the experiment.
"Just so. I thought Just as like as
not you had not. Well, mister, 1 have.
I tried it yesterday, and I have come
seven miles on foot to see the man that
printed that piece. It wasn't much of a
piece, don't think but 1 want to see
the man that printed it, just few mo-
ments. You see John Smith lives next
door to my house, when Tn to home,
and he gets how-come-you-so every
little period. Now, when he's sober,
he's all right, if you keep out of his
way; but when he's drunk he goes home
and breaks dishes, and tips over the
stove, and throws the hardware around,
and makes it announcement for his wife :;
and sometimes he gets his gun and goes
out calling on his neighbors, and it amt
pleasant.
"Not that I want to say anything
about Smith but me and my wife don't
think he ought to do so. He came
home drunk yesterday and broke all the
kitchen windows out of his house, and
followed his wife around with the cary
knife, talking about her liver, and
after while he lay down by my fence
and went to sleep. [ had been reading
that little piece it wasn't much of
piece, and 1 thought if 1 could pour
some cold water down the spine of his
back, and make him sober, it would be
more comfortable for his wife, and
square thing all around. So poured
bucket of spring water down ohm Smiths
spine of his back. y
swell, " said we, as our visitor paused,
"did it make him sober ?"
Our visitor took frmer hold of his
stick, and replied with increased emo
ton:
"Just so. I suppose it did make him
sober as Judge in less time than you
could say Jack Robinson but, mister,
it made him mad. 1t made him the
maddest man l ever see, and Mr.. John
Smith is bigger man than me, and
stouter. Bla-bless him, never knew
he was half so stout till yesterday, and
he's handy with his fists, too. [ should
suppose he is the handiest man with his
fists I ever saw"
"Then he went for you, did he ?" we
asked, innocently.
"Just so. Exactly. I suppose he
Went Tor me about the best he knew
but I don't hold no grudge against John
Smith. I suppose he amt good man
to hold grudge against. 1 want to
see the man who printed that piece. 1
want to see him bad I feel as though
1t would socthe me to see that man. I
want to show him how drunken man
acts when you pour water down the
spine of his back. That's what l come
for.
Our visitor, who had poured water
down the spine of drunken mans
back, remained until about p M, and
then went up street to find the man that
printed that little piece The man he
is looking for started for Alaska last
evening for summer vacation, and will
not be back before September, ISIS
Danbury Ne,0s.