The Red Cloud chief., 1885-11-20
VICTIMS OF RUM.

VICTIMS OF RUM.
Wri;hing On Their Cots In lncontrolla-
BILE Agony. and Hnly >ui'iued by tn" u.
fStrait-Jacket, and anacle--Scencs al
Bellevue Hospital.
Down on the lower basement Of
Bellevue Hospital a long. low room ex-
tends from north To south. On either
side heavy oaken doors. in each OF
which is a small sliding wicket. giving
it a prison-like ar. To the right a
small office looks upon the corridor.
and here was found Mr.. Connolly. the
orderly in charge. lie is a slight. clean
shaven Gentleman. with tw;nkling gray
eyes that give no token Of the heart
rendin~scencs he has witnessed during
the nine Years he has presided over the
ward.
You want TO know treatment
of ~pati-n,s:?" he quericd. when asked
what ur>c he followed. ''Wcll. | had
better begin by telling you the story in
NV own Il 1t has never been writ
ten up ard !! am sure will prove inter-
csting.
1--WE are obliged to receive only peo-
pie sent from the station houses or the
police courts. Our patients are gener-
ally in apre,ty bad condition when they
arrive, and DER first care il to see that
they are Immediately bathcd. In all
cases this can not be done, but where
it is possible we do it,"
What are the worst cases?"
'.Bcer-drinkcrs. IL seems to me that
whisky does not make such a total
wreck Of a man Is the mllder stimulant.
Take the drivers of brewery wagons.
who continuously dabb!c in bsrr-hu-
man spon"eS, in fact. We ALWAYS cx-
%pcrience considerable difficulty in get
ting them on their legs
'Of course. the patients stomach i
d~iscrderri.. and unable t. retain any
solid nOuriShment. The constant Use
of liquor creates IN abnormal! action of
the nerves and Il craving for som thing
To quiet the unusual eNciteu cnt Lime
water and milk is the only thing that
will res. upon the stomach after 4 pro-
tractcd drbauch. To quiet the nerves
We administer bromide of potassium
ado YOU eyer give ,timuiantS?'
Mr.. Coni&llv SIN led ut the question.
"Eut vcry seldom. and only on Il
doctors prescription. They bee for I.
but we can no, permit them TO keep M
their spree. They come here - would
n ship t. n harbor until the storm
passes over.
Some Of the cases that come here
are quiet: others again require the
straiEht-iacket and So eral little appii-
auccs which we keep on hand"
Hardly had the words passed :he
speakers lips when Il kick sounded up
on the door. When il was opened a
tall. sira oht man with a high. whit
forehead stood upon the threshold. His
han + We're mauaclcd 10 n heavy bel,
which enciry led his waist.
MIR. Ccnnclly.' he said. as his fin
gers worked convulsively. Its time
tor nv medicine
The ORDERLY rose and took from his
cabinet = small val containing a dark
brown iiuiG. With trcmuIois lips. his
hands still bound. the patient swallowed
the draught and lett the room
II remember one case in particular"
resumed che orderly. He was a
eiergvmen in tn city. cnd had been
uttuhtu. " ttoEc lufB III seh
However. he was never really drunk
always had what the boys call "A quiet
load. This i, the kind Of = case that
bOth-rs us. Because yonr cool. self
contained men are neare the grave
than they think for.
'.Wcll. We got him tn bed. He hadn't
slept for more than fou- DAYS. and
when be- told me that ] knew his con-
dition Was precarious You see. when
. mau can eat or sleep it's time for
him to seek med cal attendance After |
awhile | was startled " the most Hood
curiling shrek ! ever heard. ran to-
nv patients cell and found him writh-
ing on his cot and twisting himself ints
e:ery conceivable shape. Two of L.
were Insufficient to hold him. ard n y
tervals be broke sut IN scream, int
would raise the hair Spon your head, |
sent \; once for = erither clergymas of
his. nut the attenri 10 >oo;he him ua-
futile. He rascd ami folmed and s~st
the air with his hands An iniccuso If
morphine was asd and asicr an h.le
he sank asleep under the iafu,-see Of
the hypho e
Three ,iaxs after we were sale 20
discharge hni cGrs-l- Before lr went,
| asked him in wnAt MS dreadful L.
~lnsions consisted. He told mr tha, be
imagined = huge dog. with sieaming
teeth. croaehed ~ the foot Of his bed
Every onee in . while the brute would
spring UPON HIM and bury ais fangs -
lis bre1i: then he shrieked"
do you eve have the Den retuny
"WAy, certainly: though ; man Who
comes here the third time suffering from
the uelirium tremens Is doomed There
is no help for him. because his system is
totally enervased aud the heart and
stomach unable to perform their usual
functions Our deaths average abou;
two per cent of the people admitted"
"TOeJ ars searched l suPposss'