West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1885-12-02
The Curse of Volcano Junction.
Is there No Relief for these Outraged
PeopleP
VOLCANO JUNCTION, w. VA, !
Nov. "a. 1885. [

ED. FREEMAN: Your readers will
doubtless remember something of
the attempt made by several hun.
dred of the best citizens of the two
counties that meet at this point,
over a year ago, to get the Wood
County Commissioners to refuse to
grant license to James Kelly to
sell whisky at this place, and how,
in the face of all the protests that
were filed before them, the Com
missioners deliberately granted the
license to deal death and damna-
ton to the people here. They may
also remember that shortly after
the license was granted, the Lord
took In hand what the men failed
to do, and destroyed the cursed
ranch by fire, together with it's con-
tents. Temperance men then went
to work and purchased nearly all
the Wood county land adjoining
Volcano junction, and we hoped
that our community would never
again be cursed by a saloon. A
small strip of the West Va. Oil and
Oil Land Co s land runs across the
line into Wood County, and this
was leased and saloon put up
there, about six or eight months
ago, by a drunken Irishman, who
calls himself the "Boss O. Taitt
Run" The incalculable damage
and baleful effects that this rum
hole is bringing on the community
can scarcely be estimated. The sa-
loon is situated within so yards
of a school house, and children who
60 to school there are compelled to
listen to the vile oaths and curses
of drunken men day after day,
when they should be learning only
what is noble and pure. Last Sat-
urday a little eleven-year-old boy
was enticed into the saloon and
made so drunk that he had to be
carried home. Saturday night q
man got drunk at the saloon, went
home, caught his poor, half-starved
and heart-broken wife by the hair
and gave her a severe beating.
Another man, whose family at
home needed bread, got drunk and
lay out all night in the rain. A
short time ago, in fight at the sa-
loon, one man was severely beaten
and another scratched up. The sa-
loon has already ruined number
of otherwise excellent young men.
A short time ago the engineer of
the Laurel Fork railroad was dis
charged for getting drunk at this
saloon, and others are being rapid
ly drawn to their ruin. The sa-
loon is fraud on the people. 1t is
located in Wood county, but nearly
all its patrons come from Richie
county, where no license can be
obtained. No honest County Court
would grant such a man license to
sell whisky one hour. The law
says none but temperate men shall
sell whisky. This man gets beast.
ly drunk three or four times week
and beats his wife and family. The
law says he shall not sell whisky to
minors, but he sells whisky to mi.
nors right along. The law says he
shall not sell whisky to drunkards,
but no matter how low down man
may have got, he can always get
whisky at this saloon. The law
says that saloons shall not be kept
open on Sundays. This saloon
cares nothing for that law. In fact
he violates repeatedly all the laws
that are supposed to restrict a ga.
loon-keeper in selling whisky. Re-
spectacle people are afraid to pass
the saloon at night, on account Of
the dangerous character of the men
who prolong their orgies to a late
hour every night. We hope the
time may soon come when this
accursed den, along with ali Others
in Wood county, may be swept
from the face of the earth by the
votes of an outraged people.