West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1884-07-30

laughed at her. The church has
but little influence upon such men,
not enough to save them, nor to
keep them from killing others.
"What is the drunkard-maker a
murderer ?" Certainly he is. Joseph
Cook says it is a very easy thing
to prove that the saloon-keepers of
this country are murderers. Do
they not every year send down to
a drunkard's death 10000 souls?
LICENSED MURDERERs.
I am reminded of an incident re-
lated by John B. Cough. The son
of a poor old crippled widow in
New Albion became Incorporate.
One day he signed the pledge, and
her heart was glad. He said to
his mother, "Dear mother, | am
going to get out of the way of
temptation. | know my own
weakness. / am not going to stay
among the boys. I am going off"
He was gone two years; good things
were heard of him; then came a
letter to his mother that he was
coming home to spend Thanksgiv-
ing with her. The mothers heart
thrilled with joy. "My son Fred,
erick is coming home to see his old
crippled mother, to spend thanks
giving with her." He came home
the night before thanksgiving, put
up at the tavern, expecting when
it was little dark to go around to
the back door and surprise his
mother. But the tavern-keeper
lured him to drink one glass of
whisky, then another and another
and another. And about mid
night Frederick staggered out into
tie barn, and was found there in
the morning-dead! He was car
ried over home by the tavern-keep-
er-''her boy Frederick" was, "who
was coming home to his poor Grip
pied mother to spend thanksgiv-
ing" When he came the mother
said to the tavern-keeper, "Mr.
Parsons, you have been selling my
boy liquor" Mrs. Faulkner" said
he, II did not know it was your
son." "You did; you knew that
was Frederick Faulkner, the only
son of a poor crippled widow, and
you killed my boy" The widow
said to Mr.. Cough: GOOD forgive
me, laid my hand on the dead
face of my boy, and [ lifted my
finger and cursed him." The wo-
man was right; he was murder
er. And there are more than 1884,
600 licensed murderers in this
Christian land to-day. Cri minals
and criminal makers. The man
who sells whisky may increase
revenue; he may be a jolly good
fellow as the world goes; he may
help in public improvements; he
may give something to the support
of the gospel, and attend funerals.
But he is the meanest man in the
world. The man who can com
scienceless, cold blooded, heartless-
ly sell his human brethren whis-
KY to bloat their bodies, to deaden
their sensibilities, to steal away
their brains, to poison their hearts,
blast their happiness, to starve and
degrade their children,to kill their
wives and mothers and daughters,
to turn home into a dwelling place
of devils, to make them drunkards,
and to damn their souls,-I say the
man who can do this for "few
dirty dollars" is the meanest man
on top of ground. To all human
appearances he is beyond the reach
of the gospel. Nothing but the
strong arm of the law can protect
homes from him,
The church finds herself able to
do but little for another man-the
hahtuaL drunkord. His mind
is befogged and his heart befouled.
He used to 60 to church and Sunday
school, when he was boy: but he
has long since hid himself from
their pure influence. All things
are possible with God, but to hu-
man eyes there seems ne good pros
pect of his conversion. Poor, pitt
able man, he feels out of place in
an assembly of | innocent bright
eyed boys and girls and worshipful
old people. His drinking associ.
II l;,,o 1f