St. Landry democrat., 1885-08-29
The Curse of Drink.

luSUduCO VI JIG u6S Idud-
ton of a noted man through drink,
a cause that is bringing down hun
dreds of brilliant young men in
large cities
Since last Saturday the Aims
house has numbered among it's in
mates an old, gray headed man of
about IS years of age, apparently
in the last stages of chronic alco-
holism, and presenting i'll every
respect the appearance of complete
if not mental decrepitude.
Yet. if the story told by the aged
pauper be true, he has in times
past occupied a far different posi-
ton, his name being familiar
throughout the length and breadth
of the United States as that of the
inventor OF the Babcock Fire ex-
tinguisher. To an interviewer who
visited him at the Almshouse he
gave sketch of his life's history,
beginning with his birth III Roch-
ester, N. Y, in 1917, from which
place at the age Of 5, he removed,
with his parents to Mount Vernon,
Iowa, and later to Mansfield in the
same State. At the age of 81 he
graduated from the Pennsylvania
University of Medicine, but did not
practice, entering instead into the
mercantile business, at first in part
nership with his father at Indian
apolis, Ind, later on his own ac-
count in Dayton, Ohio. He was
very successful for eight years, but
in 1854 his good fortune deserted
and after suffering number of re-
verses he went into liquidation.
Going to Now York, he secured o
position as dry goods clerk and
remained there two years, during
which time he married. Going back
to Indianapolis, he purchased with
his savings an interest in his IA
theirs busin ess, and for six years
was quite successful. At the end
of this time reverses again assailed
him, and he retired from business
with but $4,000.
While in Indianapolis, however,
in 1860, he had patented the fire
extinguisher, which grew out of his
experiments in chemistry for which
he always had a taste, and after his
failure he endeavored to do some
thing in the way of disposing of it,
while acting as travelling agent for
some Cincinnati tobacco and liquor
firm, but met at first with but poor
success. However, about a year
later, he leased the right to manu-
facture and sell the extinguisher to
Peabody & Co., of Chicago, for five
years at $4,000 a year, and immedi-
ately thereafter came to San Fran
cisco. He ran the old Buckeye HO-
tel, on Market street, but being
burned out, removed first to Oak
land and afterWard to Petaluma,
where he kept a store for a while,
finally falling. He retrieved him
felt by successfully specializing in
Monterey lands with his annuity,
about this time lost his wife, which
bereavement Immediately preceded
the first step of his downward ca
reer, since it led him to try and
drown his sorrow in drink. Having
once entered upon the path of vice,
he pursued it to the end, spending
the proceeds of his annuities in
drink. Before entering upon the
downward course, however, with
the money derived from his land
speculations he purchased farms in
Yamhill county, Greg, for his
daughter and each of his three
sons, where, he believes, they are
all now living in prosperous circum-
stances though shame has prevent
ed him from applying to them of
late for assistance. He was first to
the almshouse three years ago, re-
naming for six months, and being
again sent out in July of last year.
Between times he has wandered
about the country and the writer
remembers seeing him in 1888,
wandering about the streets Of
Santa Rosa, Sonoma county, in the
lowest stages of drunken pauper-
ism. his arrest for yagrancy, etc.
being a regular weekly occurrence
for some months.