Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-07-24
A Sian Visit. fhe Editor so Cisrsi s.wiso
Printed that PIECE,

He Game in with an interrogation in
aue eye, and stick in one band. One
eye was covered with q handkerchief,
and one arm was with q settled pur-
pose in view.
"It was to sce," said he, "the man
that puts thing into this paper"
We intimated that several of us
earned frugal livelihood in that way.
"Neil, want to see the man which
cribs things out Of the other papers
the fellow who writes mostly with
shears, you mderstapd.''
We explained TO him that there
were seasons when the gifted among
us, driven to frenzy hy the scarcity Of
ideas and events, and by the clamor-
ous demands of an insatisfsble pub
lie, in moments OF emotional insanity
plunged the glittering shears into our
exchanges. He went on calmly but
in voice tremulous with suppress
ed feeling. and inaistinct through the
recent loss of a half do4n or so OF
his front teeth:
"Just so. | presume so. [ don't
know much about this business, bat
want to see n man, the man that
printed that little piece about pouring
water down drunken mans spine of
his back and making him instantly
sober. lf you please ] want to see
that man. Iwould like to talk with
him.
Then he leaned his stick against our
desk, and spit on his servieeable hand,
and resumed his hold upon the stick,
as though he was weighing it. Al
ter studying the stick d minute, he
added in somewhat louder tone:
"Mister, came here to see that ere
man. want to see him bad. p
We told him that particular man was
not in.
"Just so. Ipresume 50. They told
| me before came that the man want
ed to see wouldn't be anywhere. I'll
wait for him. live up North, and
I've walked seven miles 10 converse
with that man. l guess III sit down
and wait"
He sat down near the door and re-
| flectively 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 in
stantly sober, perhaps. eos
None of us in the Office had ever
tried the experiment.
.Just so. thought Just as likely as
not you had not Well mister, have,
/ tried it yesterday, and have come
seven miles on foot to see the man that
D rinted that piece. 1t wasn't
much of piece, l don't think:
but | want to sec that man that
printed ii, just a few moments.
You see John Smith lives next door
to my house, when I'm to home, and
lie 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 inconvenient for
his wife, and sometimes he gets his
gun and goes out calling on his neigh
bors, and it amt pleasant"
"Not that 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 AL the kitchen windows out of
"is MUST a;ies rss.~--ats hiss VIII.
around with the carving i-----sr sss.rksttIp
about her liver, and after q while he
lay down by my fence any went TO
sleep. | had been reading that little
piece; il want much of a piece, and 1
thought il l could pour some cold
water down his spine on his back, and
make him sober, it would be more
comfortable for his wife, and q square
thing all round. SO poured a bneket
of spring water down John Smiths
spine of his back"
"Well,' said we, as our visitor paus-
ed. "Did it make him sober" Our
visitor took iirmer hold Of his stick,
and replied with increased emotion
"Just so. / suppose it did make
him sober as jndgc in less time than
you could say Jack Robinson but,
mister. il made him mad. 1t made
him the maddest man | ever see, aud
Mr.. John Smith is bigger man than
me, and stouter. He is n good deal
stoutcr. Bla--bless him. never
knew he was half so stout till yester-
day, and he's handy with his fists, too.
l should suppose he is the handiest
man with his fists l ever saw"
ssThen he went for you, did he = we
asked innocentiy.
Just so. Exactly. suppose he
went for me about the best he knew,
but I don't hold no grudge against
John Smith. suppose he Amt p
good man to hold q grudge against.
| want to see the man that printed
that piece. want to see him bad. l.
feel as though il would sooth me 10
see that man. / want 10 show him
how drunken man acts when YOU
pour water down the spine of his
back. That's what come for.
Our visitor who had poured water
down the spine of a drunken man's
back, remained until about & p. M,
and then went up street 10 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, 1875. Da,lJuy Nesrs.