The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-07-05
Temperance Reading.
DRAGGED DOWN BY RUM.


dow, blank blank you," sad the bar
keeper of Chatham square saloon to a
poor specimen of humanity who was
stealthily trying to ease his appetite
with some musty cheese and crackers
on the free-lunch counter.
The wrathful bar-keeper's face wore
a villainous yet sleek expression. The
poor, hungry tramp meekly limped to-
ward the door, with his head bowed
down, and said nothing. He wore a
| seedy suit Of black, well-worn SLOUGH
hat covered his head, and the heel of
his left foot protruded from an excuse
for shoe. There was something in the
mans appearance which betrayed the
| thought to the reporters mind that the
tramp had seen better days. He was
certainly a hungry man, and the re-
porter followed him from the saloon
and ventured to address him.
Would you like \ drink?' said the
reporter to the man whom he saw a
minute later looking the very picture of
misery in Oliver street.
That | would, SIR he replied.
This was furnished him at neighbour
ing saloon. The poor devil swallowed
three fingers ,of whisky at gulp, almost,
and turned like tamished creature,
as he was, to bowl of pigs feet, which
constituted the solid portion of free
lunch provided in most the downtown
rum shops.
THE CURSE OF RUM.
''Oh, yes he said, in reply to the
reporters remark, give seen better
days, sir, and rum has brought me
down. 1t is a disease with me, | fear
which can not be cured this side of
eternity. l am now in my fOrtieth year,
yet one foot is in the grave"
"But what's the USE" he said, after
pause, 'to tell you who l am or what
I've been. "You wouldn't believe me-
I've been able to get rum when [
couldn't get bread. You see this scar
on my jaw, don't you? A bullet from
Confederate sharp-shooter made that
at Gettysburg, and came SO near cut
ting my windpipe that | couldn't con-
slider it a joke by any means This scar
on my right hand was made by saber
| carried a sword then and wore epau-
lettes on my shoulders. | set up NV
shingle in a law office in Denver, Col.
after the war, graduating under old
Prof. Wedewood at the Columbia Night
Law School at Washington, paying tor
law lectures while 81, 700 clerk in the
War Department. | was q hail fellow
will met in those days, and had $4,000
or So
ALMOST A CONGRESSMAN.
"Well,' with sigh, 81 was ambi-
tious, and asked for a foreign consulate,
not being satisfied with Law, though [
had a good practice for young man.
| refused, while Chairman OF a Repub-
lican Convention, to run for Congress,
as felt a warm friendship for Colonel
-, who had been delegate in the
House from Colorado when Territory,
and he promised to get NE foreign
post. Tampco. Stettin and othUr
places We're too small for me, so |
cation to Constantinople. [ had been
a very temperate fellow until | was
twenty-three years OF age-in fact, dur
ing the carnage of war / had not even
tasted anything in the way of rum
stronger than cider. | remained about
Washington year and half, and in
the meantime was dazzled with the
gayety of the capital. My associates
and friends were as numerous Us but
tertlies in flower garden, and l began
to like champagne. [ spent in fifteen
months in Washington every dollar |
had, and yet received no commission.
One day a Senator informed me candid
ly that the Constantinople place had
been promised to a Maryland chap,
whose father had made a fortune run
ming the blockade and sympathizing
with the rebels during the war;. The
Secretary OF State would not appoint
yo'G because on two or three occasions
when you called to see him he smelt
whisky on your breath, was told
"-i did not feel in the mood to &C
cept Government clerkship again, SO
L went West and fell back on the law
But l neglected some of my clients,
and rum got the mastery for II year or
So | struggled in the mines of Nevada
doing the law work of some of the
claimants there. fell in love with the
daughter of an English miner and
happily for her married her. The
father idolized the girl, and set us up in
| life in San Francisco. For four years
| lived as happily as a prince, but for
the life of me | couldn't give up drink.
| A beautiful child was given us, and one
| night i'll a drunken, maudlin condition,
/ woke up to find my wife. and child
| gone--tled from me forever. | fled to
England, but could find no trace of
| wife, child or father-in law in the great
city of London. Great God, what
hell on earth I've endured since!
worked for time as "a common laborer
in Chicago. | tried to reform, time and
time again, but | saw most OF the pro-
fessed Christians were only arrant hyp-
ocrites All my friends of former days
turned their backs upon me, and most
of them would not recognize me. Some
of them would pass by on the other
side when they espied me. | couldn't
even get messengers place in any de-
partment at Washington. resorted
to every device to obtain drink. except
to steal. A thousand times have
thought of suicide, yet l never had the
courage to attempt it. I've slept in
Railways and the parks and in cheap
lodging houses for two years past; have
suffered terribly in snow-storms, yet
live. Sometimes I've put in ton of
coal for a quarter, or swept out the
saw-dust of liquor saloon for bite
| tf, cot and drink | an, bavond 20