The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-01-30
JESSE WHITES FIRST DRINK.
The Mysterious Power Of the Gov.
ernOr of the CnrOiinas.
From tine I little Rock GaZeite


From the little Rock Gazette.
81 am GO years old and never got
drunk till day before yesterday" re-
marked Uncle Jesse White, MS he sat on
salt barrel in front Of grocery store.
81 have lived in Arkansas for 40 year
cum here from east Tennessy-and the
thought that 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 in the river. "
"Tcll us how it occurred, Uncle Jesse, "
asked n by-stander. "Well, some time
ago, up in my neighborhOod," and he
stopped talking and drew his pipe vigor-
ously to see if the fire was out, ga 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 /, i don't know the
taste of liquor and don't zee the Use of
iincn.' Pap says he, we want your
influence. We are gwine to vote on the
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 jinc.
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 around and sot my wife
on me, and when they all got to drum
min / had to iinc. jined ON Il Friday
night, and on the following Saturday I
got on the boat to come down here.
Somethin' allied me. Somethin' kept
sayin' jesse White You amt free man.
1t bothered me, and when l saw one of
the deck hands turn up a jug, down |
walked and looked into 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 remarked: THE gov
elnor of North Carolina said to the gov
crnor of South Carolina and without
finishing the sentence, both men laughed
and drank out of big black bottle.
Thar was somethin' i'll that governor
business that took me. | had heard my
father talk about it and laugh. had
often heard it, but no one had ever been
positive what it was that the governor
said, only that the time between drinks
had been rather long. Pretty soon one
of the men reached down, took up the
bottle, took ont the cork, and said: THE
GOVERNOR of North Carolina said TO the
- Then both men laughed ana drank
| never felt 30 curious in my life. l
looked around ut the trees on the bank,
and Mt women who waved their handker-
chiefs ut liz rs we passed. These gov
errors had n ring about them that tingled
through my old blood JUS then one Of
the men turned, held TIE bottle toward
me, and said: The governor of NORTH
Before l knew it l had hold Of the bottle.
] 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 governors, tall and grand, stalked
right up and ran over them. 'The gov
ernor OF North Carolina and had taken
another pull and long one. Ibegan to-
see the governors III their true light. /
thought they were the best fellows in the
world. The boat seemed to be runnin'n
mile minute. and ] didn't care what she
did so long as the governors were with
us. Well boys, the governors kept re-
markin' and l kept pullin', and by the
time l got to Little Rock / was drunk as
an owl. O, was drunk as mule--a
mink. / got off the boat and yelled:
Hooray for the governor of North Caro-
lina,' and the first thing knowed
found myself in a sort of prison. Fust
time l over was locked up, boys. Fust
time ] ever was drunk, and / am GO-odd
wears old"