Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-02-22
DELlRIUM TREMENS.
Luther BensOn's Struggle for Life After one of
His Debauches.

tor two or three days. | was Just
standing on the verge of an empty
precipice, unable to Eetrace my steps,
and shuddering as I voluntarily
leaned over and looked down into
the vortex. That was to my wild
and heated Imagination literal hell
which opened up before me, and as L
looked down into that awful lake of
fire, l could see the lost wrlthe, and
hear them howl in their awful
orgies. The wall, the curses. and
the awful and unearthly hal hal
came fearful clear and distinct from
that horrid pit of fire that came mp
before me. | had got in that condi-
ton that my stomach would not
bear one bit of food or one drop of
driok. | had been repelling from my
stomach for three days every drop
that | drank, so that | was getting
terribly weak and nervous. | went
into the bar-room and asked for
drink, aud as | trembliDgly poured
it out snake shot its head up out
of the liquor, and with swaying head
and gittering eye looked at me, lick
ing out his forked red tongue and
hissed in my face. | felt my blood
run cold and curdle in my heart. |
left the glass untouched aud walked
out upon the street. By a terrible
effort of my will, | to some extent,
shook off the horrid phantom. | felt
that if | could only get some stimu-
lants to stay my stomach L might
escape the terrible torments that
were gathering about me. And yet
at the very thought of touching the
accursed stuff again, | could see the
head of that same snake and hear
ten thousand Kisses all around me,
| and feel serpents crawling and SLIM
ing through every vein in my body.
All this time / was burning and
scorching to death for whisky. At
that time L would have walked across
a powder mine with lighted match
touched to it. | would have fear
Iessly marched before exploding can
mons TO get whisky. But these snakes
were new torture TO me. l heard
them more than any or all the other
warnings that / had ever had; yet
my thirst was so intense and my sui
feripgs so terrible that | resolved to
try once more and get drink of
whisky, and see if it would not steady
and strengthen me 30 that l could
get home before | died, for [ felt
death in all my tortured body, and
some invisible something told me
that there was no escape from death.
| walked into 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 whis,
Ky turned into living moving snakes,
and they crawled arouEd the glass,
and on the counter, Kissing, writing
and squirming. Then in one instant
they all cooled about each other and
matted themselves into one snake
with q hundred heads, and from
every head forked tongues and gilt
tering eyes Kissed and cleaned at
me. l rushed from the room and
started, did not know or care
where, SO that | might escape my
tormentors. | had only to rush
along little way whom dog as big
as calf jumped up before me, and
with raised bristles and shining teeth
planted itself in my path. | picked
up stick about three feet long,
thinking to defend myself. just as
soon as | took the stick in my hand
it turned to snake. / could feel
its shiny body writhe and sqairm in
my hand, and in trying to hold it to
keep it from biting me, every finger
nail cut like knife into the palm of
my hand, and the blood streaming
down over that stick, which, to me,
was q writhiug, bloody snake. He'll
was a heaven to what suffered that
time. At last l dashed the accarsed
thing from me and ran for my life.
| got to the Little Mama depot and
took the cars. At that time ! did
not know where I was. | went e.
hout ten miles above Cincinnati end
left the train. At times, for while,
I could reason and understand my
situation. I soon found that | was
in a town where a young man lived
who had been nay companion and
sohoolmate 10 the city. | went to
him and told him my condition. he
did every thing for me that can be
done for one in that condition. But
as night came on my tOrmenters re-
turned in ten thousand hideous forms
and drove me rsving mad. | went
to hotel, where they pursued me,
to lie down. Just as soon as touch
ed the bed, ! reached my hand over
and it touched dead corpse. The
room lighted up with o hundred
/ - E.hts and the dad bod Y