The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1873-12-18
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From the Outline.
Our Much Abused Town.

ucational advantages which the young
sters Of this day have, l should have
been nm astronomer. / have often in
my younger days missed II jolly time
ut IN apple. cutting or dance to walk
alone and study the heavens aDd note
the planets and consultations. The
habit hos grown upon mo with increas.
ing age, and in the course Of these
lone but, to me, pleasant walks | have
stumbled upon many little matters Vi
Il moro earthly and perhaps more un-
pleasant nature than those connected
with the mighty works Of the Infinite
in the blue dome above US. Since my
advent to Herscy have been cxplor-
ing the place and its surroundings by
moonlight, .and. but recently. | to"k
MY cane in hand and sallied out Tor
an evening walk up the railroad to
ward Evart. On my return as l was
nearing the depot, / heard some voices,
first faint and then growing louder us
the parties approached nearer, aud not
knowing who it mish, BE-, drew back
into the shadow caused by building
across from the depot. and remained
silent The parties Game up the street
to point near where Was standing,
aud haliing. proceeded to bring forth
large but short square bottle, and
elevate it to their respective mouths
and each take drink" While it
seemed to comfort them, they were
Not yet altogether satisfied. Bit
tiers, they said, as compared with the
clear quiA' Wei il swindIe. 1t was
u pity any white nan had to live in
town where, in order to ''git son'cthin
rarn," he must 90 through 'hs fapcc Ut
sayin" his stomach Was out OF order,
aud then pay dollar for quart bot
tie Of swamp water and the poorest
kind of whiskcy with little medicine
mixed in, when all the while the man
who sells it to him grihs and looks
wise and knows that his stomach is in
u good enough conditions - massicate
all the hash man can get out OF
Wood and Watson. Forty-rol was
better than Buffers anytime, and it
didn't mako q man 20 drunk nor 50
sick the next day neither, and then
the young men took another pull aud
started OH their winding way and were
soon lost TO my sight. had but just
started to resume my walk when | OBJ.
served nan standing alone near the
depot, and | know ut once that he too
had bean an Interested listener and
probably an Interested observer OF
both the drinkers anil myself And
now, if any one wanisto Enow who
"a new citizen" is, all lie has to do is
to ask that man, for as soon rs he
reads this he will have my secret. He
was of medium hight, a litd, above
me in years, stout, honest looking, in-
tcllgcnt, and as | am told, one of our
oldest citiacns, wealthy aud respected
After few wnrds h. opened on the
subject of bitters as now manufactured
and sold. He had been told that
they contained the vilcst whiskey man
ufacturcd aud just enough bitters to
give uhem.a. stupefying effect upon the
drinkers, and that they were put Up
and sold und,r the. shallow rsetence
that they we've q medicine, bat were
generally to Ne foMsd in saloons Of the
lowest sl,ss as we'll as in drug-stores.
lie had been informei that the Uni
ted States authorities had decided
that where merchants had kept them
for sale, tho merchants were TO pay a
license tho same as saloons or any re-
tailcrs Of whiskcy lie had no doubt
that the effect Of thcm was as bad or
worse. lie remembered a case that
had occurred in this county two years
ago. A sober respectable man named
Elisha Parker living niue miles u'rth
Of this place happened tn be doing
some trading at store in Reed City
where he was pressed to drink some
bittcrs lie yielded. He started or
home getting n ride part Of the way
Ills compassion and the man with
whom they rode state that no seemed
to get stupid after going a distance
After they left the wagon his compnn
ion, not qrite so bad of, left hit~ ia
the woods alone. II was stormy. mer'
cilcss night. the cold min and See
by turns kept pouring down On Nj
devoted head AT home his wife KEEP
watch oyer .hcir two slumbering babes
and slccplc~ herself imagined at in
tervals she heard his voice calling Z
her through the ceaaeless rattle OF the
rain or sleO., Tor assistance, but still
he came not, nor could she "a 4, him
A, last, aHsr ,ha, long, weary, agouis
ing watch, tho morning dawned nnt
the ncighbors went out and searches
and Iound him, what there was left o
him. the clay, the earth, the form, bu
the immortal soul, that which hnt
given s'rength. support. guidance,
love, and hops. To the wife for him.
for herself, for their children. was NJ
l. II lx.lsA.. -,