Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1877-10-25

ATHRILLING STORY.

| At a certain town meeting in PENN
sylvania the question came up whether,
any person should be licensed to sell
rum The clergyman, the deacon, the
| physician, strange asit may now appear,
all favored it. One man only spoke
against 1t because of the mischief it did.i
The question WAS about To be pat, whens
there arose from one corner of the room :
a miserable yoman.--She was thinIy
clad, and her appearance indicated the
utmost wretchedness, and that her
mortal carer was almost closed. After
a moments silence, and all eyes being
fixed upon her, she stretched her at }
tenuated body to its utmost height, and :
then her long arms to their greatest
length, and, raising her voice to shrill
pitch, she called to all to look upon her.
"Yesw she said, "look upon me, and
then hear me. All that the last speaker
has said relative to temperate drink {
ing, as being the father of drunkenness,
is true. All practice, all experience,
declares its truth. All drinking of all
coholic poison, as beverage in health, j
Is e.rceSs. Look upon me! You all .
know me, eF-0Bce dids-You all know
| was once The mistress of the best farm
in the town; you all know, too, had :
one Of,the best-the most devoted hus-h
bands. You all know bad fine, noble !
hearted, industrious boys. Where are :
theynOw? Doctor, where are they new?s
You all Know. You ali know they lie :
In row, side by side, in yOnder church, /,
yard; all-eyery. one Of them-filling
the ,drunkard,s grave! They were all
taught to believe that tenn mperate drink
ing was safe-that excess alone ouk ht !
to be avoided; and they never acknow-
lodged excess They quoted you, and !.
you, end you(pointing with her shred
Of finger to the minister, deacon, and |,
doctor), as authority. They. thought
themselves safe under such teachers.
But saw the gradual change coming
over my family and its prospects with
dismay and horror. 7 felt we were all
TO be overwhelmed in one common
ruin. j tried to ward of the blow; I
tried to. break the spell, the delusive,
spell, in which the idea of the benefits
of temperate drinking bad involved
my husband and sons. / begged, /
prayed; but the odds were against me.
"The minister said the poison that
was destroying Dy husband and boys
was good creature of God; the deacon
who sits under the pulpit there, and
took our farm TO pay his rum bills, sold
them the poison; the Doctor said a
little was good, and the excess only
ought to be avoided. Ny poor hus-.
band and my dear boys fell into the
snare, and they could not escape; and
one after another WIS conveyed TO tho
sorrowful grave of the druakard. Now,
look at me again. You probably see
me for the last time. My sands have
almost run. have dragged my ex-
hausted frame from my present hCme
your poor-house-to warn you all; to
warn you. deacon! to warn you, false
teacher of Gods word!" And with her
arms flung high, and her tall form
stretched to its utmost, and her voice
raised to an unearthly pitch, she ex-
claimed: .I-shall- soon stand before
the judgment seat of God. Ishall meet
you there, you false guides, and be q
witness against you alllo --.--sss
The miserable woman vanished A
dead silence, pervaded the assembly;
the minister, the deacon, and physician
hung their heads; and when the presi-
dent of the meeting put the question,
''Shall any licenses be granted for the
sale of spirituous liquors?' the unani
nous response was NO." ...,.. ~ =.
!