Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-02-05
JESSE WHITES FIRST DRINK.

81 am sixty years old and never got drunk
till day before yesterday" remarked Uncle
Jesse White, as he sat on salt barrel in
front Of grocery store. 81 have lived in
Arkansas for forty years-cum here from
East Tennessee-and the thought that l got
drunk in the evening Of my life,' when can
just see my gray hairs shining in the twilight,
is enough to make me throw myself into the
river" q
"Tell us how it occurred, Uncle Jesse ?"
asked bystander.
"Well, some time ago, up in my neigh
borhood," and he stopped talking and drew
his pipe vigorously to see if the fire was out,
"a Good Templar's Lodge was organized.
All the young people in the community jined
and pretty soon they come after me. My son
Ike was the leadin' man, and he says to ME,
Pap, want you to jine this thing Ike
says /, 4 don't know the taste of liquor and l
don't see the use of jinin.' Pap says he,
we want your influence. We are gwine to
vote on local option law pretty soon and we
want you publicly identified with the work
Then my daughter Susan, she come around
and begged me to jine. Susan says |, you
never seed your old father take drink.
No, pap says she, but we want you to help
us frown down the curse Of intemperance.
Next our parson come round and sot my wife
on me- and when they all got to drummin' |
had to jine LINED on Friday night and on
the following Saturday [ got on the boat
to come down here. Somethin' allied me.
somethin' kept sayin' Jesse White, you aint
free man. 1t bothered me, and when |
saw one of the deck hands turn up ajug, down
I walked and looked at it, took hold of the
corn-cob stopper, walked away and smelt my
fingers. went up on deck and sat down in
front Pretty soon two men come out and
sat down. After awhile one of them remark.
ed: The Governor of North Carolina said
to the Governor of South Carolina and
without finishing the sentence, both men
laughed and drank out of big black bottle.
Thar was somethn' in that governor business
that took me- I had heard my father talk
about it and laugh. I had heard it, but no
one had ever been positive what it was that
the Governor said, only that the time be-
tween drinks had been rather long. Pretty
soon one of the men reached down, took up
the bottle took out the cork and said: The
governor Ol NOTLu CaIOllud salu w tuS
Then both men laughed and drank. nev-
er felt so curious in my life. Hooked around
at the trees on the bank, and at women who
waved their handkerchief at US as we passed.
These governors had ring about them that
tingled through my old blood. Just then
one of the men turned, held the bottle TO-
ward me, and said The Governor Of
North Before knew it 1 had hold Of
the bottle. l turned it up and drank. All
thought about was the governors, and when
the shadows of Ike, Susan the parson and my
wife fitted through my brain, the two govern
ors, tall and grand, stalked right up and ran
over them. The Governor of North Caro-
lima and | had taken another pull and a
long one 1 begun to see the Governors in
their true light. thought that they were the
the best fellows in the world. The boat seemed
to be runnin' mile minute, and l didn't
care what she did so long as the governors
kept remarkin' and l kept pullin,' and by
the time l got to Little Rock [ was drunk as
an owl. Oh! T was drunk as mule-a
mink. got off the boat and yelled: Hoo:
! rah for the Governor of North Carolina and
the first thing knowed 1 found myself in
sort of prison. First time | ever was locked
up boys. First time ever was drunk, and l
am sixty-odd wear old,"-LittLe Rock Gazette