The Hartford herald., 1875-04-28
HEIlIsn HORRORS,
A Terrific Struggle with the DeIirium
Tremens.
Cambridge City Qnd.) Tribune.

| Cambridge City Qnd.) Tribune.
| Ihad felt the tremens coming on for two
or three days. Twas just standing on the
verge of a mighty precipice, unable to re-
trace my steps, and shuddering as invol-
unfairly leaned over and looked down in
to the vortex That was to my wild and
heated imagination q literal hell which
opened up before me, and as looked down
into that awful lake of fire could zee the
lost writhe, and hear them howl in their
awful orgies. The walls, the curses, and
the awful and unearthly hal hal came fear
fully clear and distinct from that horrid
pit of fire that came up before me. had
, got in that condition that my stomach
would not bear one bite Of food or drop of
drink l had been repelling from my
stomach for three days every drop that I
drank, 90 that was getting terribly weak
and nervous. / went into the bar-room
and asked for a drink. and, as trembling-
ly poured it out, snake shot its head up
out of the liquor. and with swaying head
and glittering eye looked at me, licked out
its forked red tongue and Missed in my face.
felt my blood run cold and curdle st my
very heart. l left the glass untouched
and walked out on the street. BY terri
Bile effort of my will, !, to some extent,
shook of the horrid phantom. / thought
that if | could only get some stimulants
to stay on my stomach | might escape the
terrible torments that were gathering
about me. And yet. at the very thought
of touching the accursed stuff sgain,
could see the head Of the 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 j would
have marched across a powder mine with
q lighted match touched to it. ! would
have fearlessly marched before exploding
cannons 10 get whisky.
But these snakes were q ew torture to
me. ! feared them more than any or al
other warnings that had ever had; yet
my thirst was so intense and my suffer-
ings so terrible that resolved once more
to try and get drink of whisky, and see
if il would not steady and strengthen me
so that l could get home before died.
for l felt death in all my tortured body,
and some invisible something told me
that there wac for me no escape from
death. / walked into q saloon and called
for whisky. / was afraid to touch the
bottle, and stood back, while the murder
er behind the bar poured out the damDa>
ton. and again that whisky turned to liv-
ing, smoking snakes, and they crawled
around the glass, and on the counter, his
sing. writhing, and squirming. Then in
one instant they all coiled about each 9TH
er, and matted themselves into one snake
with q hundred heads. and from every
head forked tongues and glistening eyes
hissed and cleaned at me- l rushed from
the saloon and started; did not know or
care where, 90 that / might escape my
| tormentors. l had only rushed along a
little way when q dog as large as calf
jumped up before me. and with raised
bristles and shining teeth, planted itself
| in my path. picked mp q stick about
three feet long, thinking to defend myself.
just as soon as took the stick into my
hand it turned TO q snake. could feel
its Shiny body writhe and squirm in my
hand, and in trying to hold it up to keep
it from biting me, every inger-uail cut
like knife into the palm of my hand,
and the blood streamed down over the
stick, which was to me writhing bloody
snake. He'll is heaven compared to what
| | suffered at that time. At last dashed
the accursed thing from me, and ran as
for life got to the Little Miami depot
and took the cars At the time did not
know where l was. l went about ten
miles above Cincinnati and left the train.
At times, for awhile, / could reason and
understand my situation. I soon found
that was in town where young man
lived who had been my companion and
schoolmate in the city. went to him
and told him my condition. He did ev-
erything that can be done for any one in
that condition. But as night came on my
tormentors returned in ten thousand hid
eeus forms, and drove me raving mad. /
went to hotel, where they pursued me,
to lie down. Just as soon as l touched
the bed, / reached my haud over and il
touched q cold, dead corpse. The room
lighted up with a. thousand bright lights,
and the dead body now appeared to me
like nothing 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 10 q de-
mon, and it's wild eyes cleaned at me
while its whole form was full of passion,
ferceness and frenzy.
Jumped from the bed, and as Ishrink
back from the loathsome monster, every
thing in my room turned to living devils.
Chairs, stand, bed, and my very clothes
took form, and became living demons
that crawled and sat about me, some hiss
ing and others curslng at me. Then all
at once there appeared in the corner q
form larger and more soul sickening than
all the others. Its appearance was more
CHASTITY than any description had ever
read about witches aad old hags This
mixture of devil and human. marched
right up to me with face and look that
will haunt me to my grave 1t began by
making threatening gestures, and all the
time talking to me, saying it would thrust
it's fingers through my ribs and drink
my blood. Then it would stretch out its
long, ,bony skeleton fingers, that looked like
sharp knives, and hal hal Then it said
it would sit upon me and press me into
hell. That it would roast me with brim-
stone and dash my entrails into my eyes.
Saying this it sprang upon me, and fol
what seemed to me an age, fought the
unearthly thing. At last it said, LIE
me CO." and when l did it glided TO the
door, and giving me one deadly look, II
said, II will soon be back with all the lie
gions of hell, and then will be the death
of YOU; you shall not be alive one hour.
left my room and went out into the night
Just as soon as touched the street | pu