The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1877-03-23
fORtyTwO YEARS DRUNK.
Itow ''Oid tssriev Passed Away ard
was r""rnsa by ISL. boon 'om.

p~nni""s.
# i. good 10 speak we'll Of the dead,
but IL can't hurt old Charley RiptOn's
feelings 10 state that he was one of the
toughest old drunkards in Detroit. He
has been gathered in by death, and he
will hear not nor read not. His life was
az curious a. his death. lie lived as an
experiment. He wanted to sec whether
he could kill whisky before it killed him,
and when he found himself defeated he
owned up like a man and was ready to
die.
Think Of a man being more or less in
toxitated every day in the week for forty
two-years. That was old Charley's ex-
nerience as near az he could remember.
Not a man of his acquaintance ever saw
him have as much money as a dollar at a
time. and vet he managed to keep clothes
on his back, food under his jacket, and
TO find a bed. When men asked him
what he lived for, he answered 10
take solid comfort" Perhaps he had 1t.
No one ever sag him angry; he never
made a complaint, he was never worried,
and it wasn't half the time that he could
tell the day of the week.
Well, after fighting whisky for forty
two long years, old Charley laid aside his
battle.ax the other day. Nobody knew
that he was ill-nO M had a suspicion
that his time had come. he had been
given a bed in an old rookery on rank
lin street, and in the night he called out
that he wanted a doctor. One was sent
for, and when he had looked old Charley
over, he remarked;
You are going to die -,
"That's what | thought. !, was tne
placid reply, and before daybreak the
old man was a corpse. -,
When the news went out mat old
Charley WAS no more, a lot OF his old
whiskv.Ioving friends assembled to view
the body and see that it was buried at
the expense of the city.
"Ihe object OF the meeting, eA,,
claimed a red-nosed topper, as they stood
around the body, is to exhibit our re-
spect for the old man and pass him into
the %potter's field halfway white. II any
gentleman desires to make any remarks
now is his time: :,
There was a painful silence as the old
soakers looked at the body, and from 1t
TO each other, and finally a short man
with watery eyes began: en-,
"Ahl Old Charley was one OF the
incest of gentlemen! He hadn't a fault
unless it was keeping too sober. don
sunnose he'd have touched a drop oil
whisky if he'd owned a whole distlllery:
They saw that cold water killed him, ana
I move that we sue the man who gave IL
to him."
This speech brought tears TO the eyes
of a woman in the corner, ana the chail-
man emptied the ashes out OF MS pipe
and remarked that in the midst OF lie
he was in death. .c -;
cod Charley was a beautiful cltl'
zen" put in a man who used to drive
beer wagon. at was a tender sight to
see him smile when he paid his taxes and
GAS bills, and no man was more qulel
and peaceful. If the police dubbed him
he never said a word if the papers abused
him he only sighed and tell a falling
tear. @! | would that more OF us WEI,
iike'him. Ill give two shillings, when
get it, to help buy him a coffin with lou
diamonds in the end"
There was great signing IN groanlnt
around the room, and the chairman rap
nod on the window-sill and said:
&" We don't any of us begin to know
what a day nay net bring forth
When | hear these words around me
even wish that | was dead :"
1t was a long minute before the silenc
was again broken. a cross-eyed sokei
called General Beat" rose up in tn
corner and said
elbow lovely old Charley was ii
WAS a man who used to give thousands o
dollars to the poor and not blow about ]
or insist on having it published IN Tn
dailv papers. He was always trying U
see how much good he could do, and hoy
sober he could be. | don't think II
knew what the taste of whisky was. ii
was a great worker, a good man, ana
E move that we put up a monument 10 n
memory"
The chairman smiled as lie remembere
tbot the whole crowd couldn't raise
! dollar and a half to save their necks, ou
! it was a time to do the fair thing, ana II
/. locked around and said; :,
r CIVIL some gentleman second IN Il
t move that we purchase a monument !
o Brokeu-nozed Barney second ihe M
Q t,op, and it was put TO vote ana aoop'e
. and then the chairman SAID:
We'll, that's all; it is unde sn 0S,
d that the monument is 10 5 slo,oo'
:. and | s'pose we ought to wear Grape 9
ir orr elbows for thirty days. Yes, OF
a CHI Charley iey' in life was a flower Of beaat :
n and in death he was not divided. An
$ now we'll go out and play ~pigeon-hol
Is and try for a brief space to forget Oh
a sorrow Detroit Free Pres.