River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-03-07

was supplied with decanters, filed with
brandy, rum, gin, ETC., and no man
called upon his neighbor without being
invited to stale q drink" and if his
stay was prolonged for an hour or so,
the qualities of each variety, from cider
to cider-brandy, must be fully tested.
At one time, cider brandy was very
fashionable beverage among New Eng
landers. Apples, as | have before re-
marked, were plenty, and there were
from two to six cider mills in almost
every school district, and distillery in
nearly every town. II took twelve
barrels of cider to make one barrel OF
brandy, and the distiller required one
half for his services, so that man
must make twenty four barrels of cider,
and, not unfrequently cart it four or
five miles, to obtain one barrel of liquid
fire, without which no household was
thought to be well ordered or complete
On all militay days, such as drills,
trainings, celebrations, aud musters,
liquor was freoley used, and deacons,
generals, colonies, captains, corporals,
high privates, and privates must get
gloriously, or ingioriously drunk, and
the most brutal, shameful, and some
times shocking fights would close up
the scene When they could no longer
kick, scratch or strike, they would bite,
and it not unirequently happened that
an ear, or a nose made a delicious
mouthful for some desperate cannibal.
Bot all of these wounds of flesh aud
feeling were healed at the next meeting,
where forgiveness was asked over pipe
of tobacco, and a glass of brandy!
Militay trainings used to commence
at an early hour in the day, since all
the officers, and high privates in COM
pany. must be saluted before day break,
and they, in turn, must "treat" with
bread and cheese, and a good supply of
liquor.
1t is safe to estimate, then, that there
was stream of liquor running down
the Threats of men, on every training
day, from one o'clock in the morning
till one o'clock the next morning, in
nearly every town in New England,
large enough to propel an overshot
wheel with power enough to carry
several spindles in factory; and. could
the whole have been concentrated, it
would have been sufficient to propel all
the machinery in six common WOODEN
factories.
But training day was a martial day
a day Of great parade aud display. The
different mihtay companies were dressed
in their peculiar costume and uniform,
and equipped with flies and drums
with swords and pistols,-guns and
boyonets-battle axes and rifles; while
the boys and old men followed with
cocked-up hats, corn-stalk fddlcs, jack
knives, goose quilts, iire-crackers, pop
guns, AID mullen stalks.
Potatoe distilleries were very numer-
Gus, and potatoe whiskev was extensive
ly used.
This also, was an important article in
:he finances, or business transactions Of
the New Englanders. Banks were
scarcely kNown-specie was scarce, and
whiskey and neat stock Supplied the
want of a better circulating medium.
No man in New England, till within
the last forty years, thought Of purchas-
ing farm-a horse-a bill of goods at
the store, even, and promising to pay
money. Many a farm was bought and
paid for in potatoe whiskey-others in
neat stock or grain. The first day Of
October was the time when neat stock
payments became dus in Vermont and
some Of the other states, and on that
day, from every nook and corner of the
towns, might be seen the farmers with
their wives--their boys and girls, all
started out 10 secure the sheep-the