Connecticut western news., 1874-03-06
The Whisky War.
Incidents and Triumphs of the Crusade
 as it is carried on in Ohio.

Incidents and Triumphs of the Crusade
 as it is carried on in Ohio.
 The whisky war in Ohio continues with unabated vigor, and fresh move ments are being inaugurated through out the State. The Cincinnati Com neercial relates 8 description given by 8 refugee, who has arrived in that city from McArthur, Vinton Co.,, Ohio, where he had sort of club-room where a game of cards could be played and a drink of whisky taken. He was driven out by the woman's war against whisky and cards. He said i: "They climbed up to my place week ago last Friday night, fifty-four of them, young and old, rich and poor, some in rags and some in fine harness. Each of the fifty four women came up personally and spoke to me, and hoped I'd get a new soul. Of course had to treat 'em po- litely. There was only one lamp burn ing in the room when they came in, so I lit another for them, to make it lighter. Then they took out their hymn books and all began to sing to- gether. One or two of 'em led, and the rest joined in. After they had sung fifteen minutes or so they all got down on their knees and prayed. There was one woman there who could pray loud enough to be heard all over the village, which has only eight hundred inhabitants. A woman would pray and the rest would join in with an a-a-men "a long and loud one. One of the women that prayed was seventy years old. She prayed so long and strong that she got herself all of tremble, and had to be lifted to her feet and carried down stairs. One time they called all got down on the outside, and sang and prayed" ...
 Reporter-You closed up, finally.
 Mr. G.-There was nothing else to do when they were carrying on that way. They closed everything in the village down to an oyster saloon, where the folks were in the habit of playing 8 game of cards to see who'd pay for the stews, 8 place where there wasn't a drop of liquor sold. .r..-
 Reporter-How do they treat fellow MT. G.-They are very kind in their prayers at first. They pray for a fel- lows soul, and then stick a petition before him. If he don't sign to quit, they pray for lightning to strike his shop. ........
 A correspondent describes speech of Van Pelt, delivered in front of 0 saloon in Morrow, Ohio. He says : evan Pelt launched into the most un- reportable speech have listened to for some time. He told of the evils he had witnessed in the saloon business, the ruined men he had known, and the misery it caused, then gave comically 1f the great God put the stimulant into it., stating that peaches contained no sound reason why man, because God put brains into his head that he could do it, should distil this arsenic out to kill the human nation off the face of the earth.'" ...... ..'. ...
 In subsequent speech Van Pelt made one astonishing statement That the liquor dealers in Cincinnati had offered to supply him with liquors free of cost for one year if he would hold out. ...
 A correspondent from Shelbyville, Ind, says: On Wednesday, at the saloon of George Deprez, while the large number of women were engaged in prayer and singing, a noval and pe- cuEar emotional incident occurred. MT, Deprez had, as has been his custom up- on every occasion except the first visit of his lady friends, politely opened the door of his establishment and welcomed in the crusaders. There was the GUS tomary singing of hymns, succeeded by frequent prayers. In the interim between these one of the ladies address ed the remark, kindly, to the proprie- tor, " MT. Deprez, you are too intelli not to acknowledge that selling liquor is great wrong P MT. Deprez made answer by saying, unexpectedly:
 Madame, do not lay much claim to being gentleman so long as I am engaged in th1s business and if I should be the very first to quit it to oblige the ladies of Shelbyville, it wouldn't surprise me-" '.
 This was gratefully accepted by the prayerful people as a great and prom ising concession on the part of Deprez. While these interesting matters were transpiring in Deprez's saloon there were present two deeply attentive spec tators leaning against the tall bar in the rear of the room. These men, James Thomas and one Lacy, were moved by the spectacle of the pleading women to ask for their prayers, and they were given with deepest pathos and sympa- thetic eloquence. Thomas and Lacy knelt during these solemn scenes, and when they were concluded these men were overcome with remorse. Jim Thomas came forward to say, in grief heavy words, "I am not sure all of you know me, though some of you possibly may"
 To this several responded, "We know you, MT. Thomas, and our sorrow is all the keener." 'r-.
 "Well, then," he went on to say, "you remember me when I was a pros porous and well-to do merchant in your fly in my own pleasant heme. And now you look upon the wreck that I am - another warning against intemperance. me, and are broken and scattered-m children, God knows where All my property has gone. I am in poverty, in disgrace, and confirmed drunkard. Oh, ladies, I hope you will all pray for me, and close up these gaping tempta- tions-these hundreds and thousands of saloons p ' i f.-- r
 So wholly had Thomas yielded to his enslaving vice that, when moneyless, this once respectable dry goods mer- chant had recently even cleaned the filthy saloon spittoons and swept the floors in order to obtain his grog. Eff teen years ago he was estimated to be worth $30, 900 to $40, 1000. The story of Lacy was also detailed, and in it's gen eral scope was similar to that of poor Jim Thomas. When this whisky saloon prayer-meeting concluded and the wo- men warriors against King Alcohol