River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-05-19
What the Drurkard Barriers AWAY.
BY J. b. COUGH.


petite for Intoxicating liquor, when it
becomes master passion; one of the
most fearful that man WAS ever sub.
ject to. Tt is SO among the high as
we'll as the low, as we call them, and
the illiterate, those whose first words
they heard were words of blasphemy,
whose first words they uttered were
words of cursing; it holds the man a
slave who stands in front of the coun-
ter and pleads for drink.
"Give me drink! 1 will give you
my hard earnings for it. Give me
drink! I will pay for it. I will give
you more than that. l married IL wife;
1 took her from her girlhood's home,
and promised to love her, and cherish
her and protect her-ah! all! and 1
have driven her out to work for me,
and l have stolen her wages, and
have brought them to you-give me
drink and will give you them. More
yet: have snatched the bits of bread
from the white lips of my furnished
child will give you that if you will
give me drink. More yet: will give
you my health More yet: will give
you my manliness. More yet: / will
give you my hopes of heaven-body
and soul; will barter jewels WORTH all
the Kingdoms of the earth-for what
will man give in exchange for his
SCULPTOR dram. Give it me!'':
At seven minutes past two, Friday,
Feb. 25, 1881, a young man Of thirty.
two years swung from the gallows into
eternity, for the murder of his young
and beautiful wife. He had been care.
fully reared in the family of Gen. P. Z.
Pitkin. She was the cherished daughter
of wealthy merchant, from whom she
inherited a large fortune. In 1871,
when he was twenty-five and she eIgh-
teen, they were married. Five years
passed away, and all her fortune had
gone for drink, her gasping body lay
stretched upon the floor. while the pur-
pie blood oozed from two mortal
wounds; and he, her promised protector
in chains and letters was on his way to
prison. Five years more of tireless
effort to avert the doom, and he stands
upon the gallows' drop. ''The murder
was not premeditated, were among
his last words. When the last appeal
for his life was made, Judge Pierpont
said: SIX The conclusion is that
these acts, if insane, may appropriately
and justly be attributed to other causes
like drinking. [IIe] being known to be
man addicted to intoxicating liquors,
the acts were such as drunken men
commit, and insanity does not arise"
ga temperance sermon? IT'S lying there,
With crimson seal on the flooring bare,
Written dark and deep on the battered clay.
What more could the voice OF the preacher say
Than the helpless hands of a murdered wife
Cut deep, where they fought with the fren-
zied knife?
"Little fingers frail, that were softly kissed,
Ere loving hand grew drunkard's fist:
They are cold-so cold-with their bloody stain,
They can never plead for their life again;
But for other lives praying loud, they call,
Lifted up to God from their ruddy pail.
"Little dainty feet that were wont to pass
By the Indigenous sweet, through the mead
ow grass,
In the shabby shoes of drunkard's wife
They have tireless toiled on the road of life
To the crimson door with its faded stain,
Out of trials keen, out of want and pain.
"Pallid, parted lips. And they used to know
Merry, girlish songs in the Long Ago.
They have learned ,alas! how the watches sigh.
How the hungay moan, how the fearful cry,
Till the mouth is set with it's lines OF care.
Is there better preaching than this elsewhere?
"Doth the circle small of goblets brim,
Grave and gallows hold in its shining rim?
Can the liquid fire, with its glowing spark
Steal the light away from the homestead dark?
Ask the solemn face, hunger pinched and
white,
Can felon's death yonder treason right"
Execute the penalty, while good, re.
spectacle, intelligent citizens institute
and sustain by their votes, the saloon
to promote this very state of things!
80 Lord, how long! how long!''
1t has been asserted that if women
should vote at the polls on temperance
questions they would be divided like
the men; but practical commentary
on such assertion occurred in the city
of Rockford, ILL.,, last week, when 1922
women voted, and out of the number
only twenty-four voted for licensing
the liquor traffic. How shall we &C.
count for the One-sidedness of this
vote?
MONEY TO LOAN.
The undersigned will negotiate loans