The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-04-04
NOT so BAD.
Where Whisky Will Land a Man
Of Bright Talents and Good
Heart.

Reader. OF the BAzoo will recollect the
case oil j. Il. Jennings. an able young law
yer of O~ceOla. who was sent To the peni-
Tertiary from that place about two weeks
ago Jennings tried the experiment which
80 manv men have failed in, and that was
trying to ge; the best of whisky. He went
ON until the red liquid had totally ruined
him, his character. integrity, reputation
and moral qualities. He became swind-
Ter and beat. Finally under the pre-
tense that he had reformed for good, and
would drink no more. he induced the cir
cult clerk of -. Clair county To lend him
forty-twO volumes of the Missouri reports.
saving that lac wanted to refresh his mem
DRY n 10 the Law and prepare himself for
active practice. In common with every
body In Osceols, the clerk desired To help
i'm every possible way man who was try
ing To get up again i'm the world. He ac-
cordingly lent Jennings the books. and
that worthy took them To his office. His
first essay towards refres hing his memory
consisted in removing the name of the clerk
from the backs 0f the books. and putting
his own in its place. The demon Of drink
had got possession OF him again. and his
design was to take the books to st. Louis
and there sell them at second hand, such
books being always staple and OF ready
sale. He went To ST Louis, sold the books
and realized quite sum of money. He
went on a prolonged drunk, and was final
ly arrested and indicted for his crime. He
was tried, convicted and sentenced to tie
penitentiary for three years. He was
guilty Of numerous other swindles. which
will now, OF course, 60 unpunished.
But Jennings had a good heart after all.
and more than common intelligence, rs
the subioihed letter to the people of Osce-
ola, and the poetry which follows il, will
show. No better temperance lecture than
that afforded by the history of jennings
could possibly be devised.
The following are the letter and the
poem to which reference has been made
The letter is the last he ever wrote and
awaiting the trip TO Jefferson City in pur-
suance of his disgraceful sentence:
JENNINGS LAST LETTER
When this letter is read by your manv
readers | will be dead I'm Law and dead to
the world. This is Sunday night. and
dear old mother has been with me all day
long. We have been trying To school our
selves up to the point that we might part
without emotion. But when the hour
camr-"h, who can tell the anguish Of that
parting. Together We hav. trod the wine
press Tor twenty -ivr wears. She mas Just
gone tottering away from her boy with
great pain strainin: upon her heart strings.
The warm ks, Il still upon my lips. The
only kiss lcil me oh my departure To con-
vict's cell.
My memory sweeps back tonight
through the circle of wears To boyhoed's
home when that now wasted and trembling
form oi my mother toiled over the
mountains OF Nirginia-up and down
rugged heights-through the deep SHOWS of
winter Ia find warmth, shelter and food for
her hungry boy. Ii your readers could
see her as j have seen her out in the storms
of winter and then could trace our life
lines OH up To the present they would be-
gin TO understand the great south he
roic self sacrificing spirit Of she who has
been SO unfortunate To call me her son.
Oh! mother, can ever see the day when
can make you happy? l have brought
you nothing but sorrow all my life. And
yet God knows | love my aged mother
with an undying affection, and if ever /
get back will prove myself worthy OF
her love
/ hereby tender my hearts grateful
thanks to those whole-souled friends who
aided me in my trial. MAY God bless them
all. Let me in specia. manner thank my
attorneys, Messrs. Lucas, Station, Mead
and Neal with full heart. I make
this public acknowledgment To those big
hearted, Philanthropic men who worked so
nObly without fee or the hope OF reward.
They will not like for witness when we
all meet before the bar of final judgment
l do hope that nv life may be spared that
| may be able tn at least i'm a small way re-
munerate them financially, To show nv
gratitude. And there Is Tom Emerson, the
jailer, who has ever been 80 courteous and
kind and patient with his nervou. prisoner,
and always feeding on the best his own
table contained, that l feel like saying
grand old Tom, may that big heart never
knew SORROW: for better heart don't beat
than yours. He has been kinder To me
than my own brothers.
Now, dear friends, must bid you a long
farewell. In few DAYS more and J. Il.
Jennings, with all his faults and follies,
will be forgotten amid the scenes of active
life. But, dear friends, in this nv last let
ter for the public, permit me to commit to
the care OF the christian ladies of Osceola a