Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-01-20
DELIRIUM TRENENS.
A Terrible NIght-Luther BensOn's
Struggle For Life After One Of His
Debauehes.


A Terrible NIght-Luther BensOns
Struggle For Life After One OF His
Debauehes.
Cambridge City Qnd.) Tribune.
1 had felt the tremens coming on for two
or three days. was just standing on the
verge Of a mighty precipice, unable to re-
trace my steps, and shuddering as in
voluntarily leaned over and looked down
into the vortex. That was to my wild ard
heated IMAGINATION a literal hell which
opened up before me, and as l looked
down into that awful lake Of fire, l
could see the lost wTithe, and
hear them howl in their awful
orgies. The vail, the curses, and the awful
and unearthly ha! hal came fearfully clear
and distinct from that hOuid pit Of FIRE that
came up before me. l had got in that con-
ditiOn that my stomach would not bear one
bite Of food or drop of drink. 1 had been
repelling from my stomach for three days
every drop that drank, so that was get
ting terrible weak and nervous. l went
into the bar-rOOm and asked for drink,
and as l tremblingly poured it out, snake
shot its head up out Of the liquor, and with
swaying head and glittering eye looking at
me, licked out its fOrked red tongue, and
hissed in my face. l felt my blood run
cold and cUrdle at my vely heart. l left
the glass untouched and walked out on the
street. By a terrible effort Of my will L, to
some extent, shook of the hOrrid phantom.
l thought that if could only get some stim-
ulants to Stay on my stomach l might eS-
cape the terrible tOrments that were gath
ering about me. And yet, at the very
thought Oftouching the accursed stuff again,
1 could see the head of that same snake
again, and hear ten thousand Kisses all
around me, and feel serpents crawling
and Shining through every vein Of
my body. All this time l was burning
and scOrching to death for whisky. At that
time / would have marched across a pow
der mine with a lighted match touched to
it. ! would have fearlessly marched before
exploding cannOns 70 get whisky. But
snakes were a new torture to me. /
feared them more than any or all other
warnings that 1 had ever had; yet my thirst
was so intense and my sUterings so terri
bic that 1 resolved to try once more and get /
a drink of whisky, and see if it would not
steady and strengthen me so that l could
get home before I died, for 1 felt death in
all my tortured body, and some invisible
told me that there was for me no
escape from death. walked into a saloon
and called for whisky. l was afraid to
touch the bottle, and stood back, while |
the murderer behind the bar poured out |
the damnatiOn, and again that whisky
TUNED to living, moving snakes, and they |
craWled around the glass, and on the cOun- /
ter, Kissing, writhing and squirming. Then,
in one instant, they all COiled about each
other, and matted themselves into one |
snake with a hundred heads, and from
every head forlled tongues and glistening
ewes hissed and cleaned at me. rushed !
from the saloon and started, did not know |
or care where, so that might escape my |
tOrmentOrs. / had only rushed along a |
little way, when a dog as large as calf |
Jumped up before me, and, with raised /
bristles and shining teeth, planted |
itself in my path. l picked up a |
stick about three feet long, thinking |
10 defend myself Just as soon as 1 took |
The stick in my hand it turned to a snake. |
[ could feel its shiny body Writhe and |
squirm in my hand, and in trying to hOldit |
10 keep it from biting me, every hngernail /
cut like a knife into the palm Of my hand, /
and the blood streamed down over that |
stick, which, TO me, was a Writhing, bloody /
snake. He'll Is a heaven compared TO what /
/ suffered at that time. at last / dashed /
the accused thing from me, and ran as for /
nv life. l got to the Little Mama depot |
and took the cars. At that time did not |
know where was. went about ten miles !
above Cincinnati and left the train. At |
times, for awhile, l could reason and un- |
derstand my situation. / soon found out |
that was in a town where a young man |
lived who had been my companion and /
schoOImate in the city. l went to him and |
told him my condition. He did everything /
for me that could be done for one in that |
condition. But as night came on my tCE- |
menters returned in ten thousand hideOus |
forms, and drove me raviDg mad. 1 went |
to a hotel, where they pursued me, to lie |
down. Just as soon as / touched the bed, |
[ reached my hand over and it touched q /
cold, dead corpse. The room lighted up |
with a thousand bright lights, and that |
dead body now appeared TO me like moth |
inc that had ever been visible in human |
shape. 1t opened its glazed, dead eyes, |
and stared me in the face. Then its whole |
face and form turned to a demon, and its /
wild ewes cleaned at me, while its whole /
form was full Of passion, ferceness and |
frenzy. l Jumped from the bed, and as l /
shrank back from the lOathsOme monster, |
in my nom turned to living /
devils. Chairs, stand, bed, and my very |
clothes took form and became living demons |
that crawled and sat about me, some /
Kissing and others cursing at me. Then /
all at once there appeared in the corner a /