The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1884-02-22
ANNUAL swEAR-oFFs.
How People Make Good Resolves b
Afiidavit Before MAGISTRATES.

Amdavft Before Magistrates.
II tell you what, business has been
at Its best to-day remarked esquire
He. Reece as he rolled back with a
yawn In bis easy chair. A quill was
| perched behind his ear, and his hand
was all danhed with ink, showing the
reckless manner in/which he had been
handling the pen.
"Affidayits are the whole business
now, " continued the Squire. IL guess
have made out no less than ten To-
day. You see the first of the year Is
the popular time for various reforms.
1t has got to be The fashion, you might
say, and every fellow who has any fault
or vice OF any description swears that
he will begin a new leaf with the new
year.
You would he greatly surprised at
the number OF people have put upon
oath Of reform In the past few days. /
have been very busy this morning, and
ii will increase with each day as the
new year advances.
DO arc the people who swear offp"
Tho najpist: of flsase whocome be-
fore me con such errands are Inen adj
i
have hadosuch a rush of this kind that
for their accommodation 1 have had
several thousand oaths printed. Some
times, you see. there are three or four
men in the office ut the same time, and
II | had to write out each oath it would
consume too much time. The printed
oaths answers just as well. The blank
space, stating time for which the atfiant
wished TO abstain, is all that has to be
filled out. The date is affixed. together
with his and my name. He is then
sworn to the affidavit, and the whole
thing IS over in less time than it takes
10 tell it. This can be done so quietly
that the room might be full of people
and net one Of them would know what
had transpired. The majority OF these
fellows are regular customers. When
they come in they call for one of those
red tickets and all is understood, while
an outsider is none the wiser.
.'But this is not the only kind of re-
form that brings trade. Men come
here to put themselves upon oath of
abstinence from all kinds of vices. /
have made ont afli !avits for all kinds
OF queer vows. Nor is the business
confined to the trifling classes. Some
names are signed to these little red
tickets, that would create a tiutter in
society if they were known. l have
sworn some of our best and worthiest
citizens spon just such cases. A very
prominoIt business man of this city
had me ID make him out an affidavit,
stating he would never engage in a
game of \car,!s or chance of any kind
whiic he 'remaincl in Kentucky. He
had lost very Large sum of money at
y game of POKER, and this is what
brought him TO me. He told me that
he wanted to limit his oath only to
Kentucky, as he could not confine his
conduct in such narrow bounds when
he left the State"
SOME FUNNY STORIES
mot long ago very prominent
drummer from Chicago had me admin
lister him an oath that he would never
be seen again in this Stale. He had
gotten drunk and was robbed. There
is always some reason for these un-
rruSoni,bis es:ses.I never 2ssll forsat
the nice young nan that came here one
day and swore he would never visit nor
speak with q certain Young lady, who,
by the way, is prominent in social cir
Giles. The young lady, by some means,
had been notified of the piece OF con-
duct, ana she entered and made 81 SINH
lar oath, only adding that she would,
on no condition, ever be seen within
speaking distance of him. They were
both earnest in what they swore to,
but il was done in the heat OF quarrel,
and two days hal hardly passed before
they We're avain rs thick n ever.
"Just :oout tbs time last year q
young w:cn4u n =: lrr- flowing black
vel! came i..:o the !iiro. 4 young man
OF tlorid complexion leaned on her arm
The uneasy and excited look in her
eyes and the tremor OF her lips bespoke
the :rouble. He Was just recovering
from Il p;'otTacied trunk. and WAS suf-
fering the reaction. He was in full
possessions of his facu!tieS-I never
swear ttem unless they are. He signed
one of these red tickets to keep sober
for twelve months. This morning they
returned. Hi, wife--for such she was
said
lie HAD KEPT THE OATH,
and wished 10 renew it again for 1884.
HOtilcfS nave come mere WIN SOnS,
sisters with brothers and lovers with
Swecthcarts. They find it TO be suc-
cess!ul in binding the atfiant, and this
mode OF reform is becoming highly
popular.
The day before yesterday one young
man swore that, beginning with the
first OF the year, and for twelve months
following. during good health, he would
rise at o'clock in the morning and re-
tire with the tapping OF the tirc-bells at
10 at night In this class of oaths
some specify certain time for certain
months, generally giving themselves
more latitude in summer than in winter,
while others MAKE constantly fixed
time. stating conditions of exceptions
in case of balls and dances"
The Squire charges IS cents per
swear-oif, and says his revenue from
this source annually amounts to hum
lreds of do!lars-one year reaching
$500 -LOaaacHle Post.