Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-02-21
Ayoice from the Gallsws,

have been requested By several
persons to write full sketch of tho
events of my life, which for certain
reasons best known to myself, have
refused to do So But | can say to the
world my life has been a bad one, es-
pecialiy .or man of my age. Tam
only twenty five years Of age; was
; brought up by pious, christian parents:
my father died when / was about L
years old. never began to be intem-
perate until my father died. | then
began to associate with bad company.
and, as matter of course, / began to
drink little, as all drunkards begin.
When l first began to drink it was ap-
parently hard to learn, but | lived
with an uncle who used it, and soon
learned the habit. / never became
the slave of intemperanee until / was
y or . years Of age, then became a
complete drunkard. become involv-
ed in trouble and resorted to spirits as
cure. My life has been burden for
three years. The cause Of this trouble
concerns no man but myself. | will
say 1T was not on account of any
crime by drinking. To drown this
trouble found myself in the strong
chains OF Intemperanee 1t was now
that l began to be a desperate, bad
man. | would drink, fight, swear,
frolic, dance and associate with the
worst of companions aud dissipated
persons of all kinds, and at the same
time could associate with good, respee-
tables. l have been told that / would
i be hung if L kept my course. ] have
been begged and appealed to abandon
spirits. My mother has taken hold Of
me when In the act of drinking. telling
me IN flood of tears, that it would ruin
me temporarily and eternally. I have
at times promised my friends to quit,
but L soon forgot nv promises. |
finally left my mothers and seldom
ever went home. All cared for was
spirits; that | must have; all the ap-
peals of my friends were dead to me
during the times of Drunkenness
[ cared but little what / did.
1t is the old saying that what was in
the heart, when sober comes out when
drunk. This was not the case with
me. | did things when drunk that [
was ashamed of when sober. For in
stance, | would lie down in the rain or
snow when drunk | would strip off
my coat, my shoes or boots and go
barefooted in snow and ice to neigh
boris house. | would strike the best
friend had, burn my elOthing-ride
into deep water and gullies, OF in any
kind of danger. 1t is well known to
those who are aquainted with me that
when sober | had common sensen
and good reason; / could outreason
anything but whiskey-that always
beat me.
L by no means excuse myself, and
feel that | deserve my fate, because |
knew that intemperance would ruin
me, and | often thought and wondered
what would be the result of my ways;
but, poor deluded wretch, in spite of
all my reasoning with myself, | would
swallow the water of death again. The
last few months of my drunkenness [
thought Of suicide / atone time took
my pistol to shoot myself; why l did
not do the deed | can't tell. Peace
was not tn be found; sleep was a
stranger. / kept up my habits of
drinking till was arrested on charge
of capital crime and placed in jail.
l was arrested ON the second day Of
May, 1871, remained in jail the spring
term OF the court at Charlotte, 1871.
then tried, convicted and sentenced
to death; placed in a dark cell to
await my execution. Now my feelings
can be more easily imagined than
explained. What had | come to
now? Doomed to die; not fit to live
nor prepared to die Who could help
me now? Will the liquor sellers come
now who have erammed my money into
their capaeious pockets2 Will they
come now? no indeed they are far
from it. Oh, you liquor sellers and
makers, you must answer for your do
ings, you can't escape the judgment of
God, Cursed is he that putteth bottle
to his neighbor' mouth and ma keith him
drunk. You may say my neighbor
sells, and have as much right as he.
You have no right to murder because
your neighbOr murders.
Young men shun grogshops as you
would den Of infuriated tigers. They
will ruin you as they have ruined me.
| know / am poor disgraeed, ruined
aud deluded wretch, but | feel for you.
have learned, when it is too late,
what you can never learn too early,
that small drinks are pioneers to beast
Iy drunkenness, and drunkenness is
the broad road to destruction. Tenn
poral and eternal intemperance is
mighty mad waging war against the
people of the world. King Alcohol is
the great commander, firing his missiles
Of death into the ranks of the people,
moving down thousands, yea millions
Of its population. His palace is built
Of SKULLS and cross bones, his driok is
the tears of widows and orphans and
bereaved mothers his music is the
weeping and groans of his victims. who
ire locked up In the dark dungeons.
While trying to write this in the dim
light of my cell, | am thinking of how
| came here. Oh, that | could take hold
If you and place you out Of the reach
IT the monster who is going to and fro
,ver the earth seeking whom he may
ievourl Oh, resist that monster and
that the way OF drunken
less is the way of sin, and the way of
IN is the way of death. Remember
ghen you look on this that it is writ
en- by one who has followed the road
# disobedienee and intemperance, and
ound the end to be despair and death,
& has wrODged me as it will you. /
lave found that wine is a mocker
md strong drink is raging and who
over is deceived thereby is not wise"
ura anouOh Nou vor,no mn, u.
ne, as one who wishes you well, beg
ou to pause and consider. Give itup
low before it is too late before you
re overwhelmed in the rayless gloom
f intemperanee and ruin; before you
lace that affectionate mother into
rlef and sorrow; before you break
be heart of that tender sister. 1 have
mother, three sisters and two broth
rs. How do they feel to-day? Con-
ider, my dear young man. Will you
lace your relatives in the same condi-
ion? You think not. Then obey
hat mother and shun whiskey drink
lg; remember when your dear moth
r givesyou counsel So has my mother
iven me counsel, but / would not
eed, and in consequence am ruined.
)bey your parents, shun bad compa-
y, and above all beware of strong
rink.
l will say, should this ever come to
ne eyes of the public, l thank all who
ave given me advice and pray God
hat He may bless them. / will re-
lember who they are. | will also say
nat have found peace with God, and