The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-04-04
Crowding Matters Too Close.


"Did 1 ever tell you how L come to
stop selling rum, and become temper
ance MANI" BFkg Ia
"No r' "Well, if you won't tell the
story after me, giving name and locali-
ties, will give you the facts"
In company with Mr.. B, was
engaged in trade in D., few miles
from the city Boston,) some twenty five
years ago. We had a general assort-
ment of goods, such as are usually kept
in a country store. Liquors constituted
part of our stock in trade, and were
kept in standing casks in separate
room opening out of the principle store
room. Among our liquors we had one
cask of cheap and miserable stuff,
which we usually drew for loafers who
had but little character and less money.
Across the street in a handsome and
well-furnished mansion, lived a gentle
man of education and fair standing in
society, although a very hard drinker.
He was good customer of ours.
When he called for his drink we al
WAYS drew the best we had"
lone day he came in, and as we
were quite busy at the moment, he slip
ped into the liquor department and
helped himself, and most unfortunate
ly, as it turned out, he drew from the
cask of adulterated cheap liquors. 1t
suited him better than any he had drank
before. The nerves of the stomach, al
most paralyzed by the constant contact
of alcohol, needed some a ditiOnal pOis-
on to wake them mp and bring them to
state OF comfortable excitement. The
vile mixture he had for the first time,
and by accident, got hold of, suited him
exactly, and shortly after reaching
home, he sent over a servant, with
demijohn, for supply of the particu-
lar article he had drank.
"For a time, was perplexed," said
the Narrator" and hardly knew what
to do. [ disiked to send such vile
liquor to a man of his character but
after debating the matter in my own
mind for while, I concluded that a
man ought to be the best judge of what
he needed d or wanted, and so / filed the
order. Some four or five days after, he
came into the store and asked if l had
any good cordage, suitable for clothes
line, as his wife, he said, wished one. ]
furnished him an article which he said
would do, and he left for home.
thought no more of the matter, as there
was nothing unusal in his appearance.
In an hour or two afterwards, his daugh
ter rushed into the store with the cry,
oh do run over to our house, for
father has hanged himself. " l was
across the street in an instant, and
rushing into the front door found the
man hanging by the stair
rail, to the top of which he had attach
ed the rope He was quite dead. OF
the grief of the bereaved family need
not speak. OF my own FEELINGS you
may Judge I had furnished the liquor
that maddened him, the rope that hang
ed him, and was called upon to cut down
the dead victim of my own internal
traffic, and it all happened within the
space of one week. l never sold liquor
since, said the gentleman, "exeept to
part with my share of stock on har d to
my partner in trade, on any terms he
might name. 1t was crOwding things
together rather too close for me"
The above is a simple statement of
facts as related by the person thus led
to abandon the sale of liquors, l have
given the facts as nearly in the gentle
mans own words as pretty good men,
Ory will enable me to do.