Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-22
DRINKS ON THE SLY.
Some of the Devices That So-CalIe
Temperance People Resort To.

Aelo YORK telegram.
Our business does not come entirely
from people who drink, for good per-
| centage of the money that goes into the
| till comes from those who are supposed
to be strictly temperance people," said
| the cashier in the barrOom of one of the
large hotels that face Madison square.
''HoW do they do itS Oh, it's easy enough
for a man who wants his bitters to get
| them right here, even If he is an avoWed
| blue-rlbbun man. There was a Boston
clergyman stopping here last week. OF
course he does not Enthusiastically mott
But every morning, at breakfast. we sen
into the dining-rOom a glass of selIzer
lemonade for him, which he drank 20
wake his stomach up as he told his
friends at the same table. One-quarter
Of that glass of lemonade was pure Hol-
land gin, which, being white in color
could not be detected even by the person
sitting next TO him. Yes, Of course we
knew the gin was in it, for he has been
stopping at this hotel when in the city tor
some fifteen years, and there was an un-
Outstanding reached between US a long
while ago.
linen there is the wife of a naval Off
Ger of high rank VINO always stops here
While her husband is on one of his cruises.
With dessert at dinner she has two small
cups of very black coffee, and her friends
always speak OF how much more animate
and entertaining she is after dinner than
before it. She becomes then a really
brilliant talker. The true reason Is that
there was stiff pony of the best French
brandy in each one of those little cups of
black coffee.
"Now look there; watch that" said the
speaker, stopping suddenly and Rodding
his head toward the door of the room,
NOW you'll have practical illustration
OF what l say.''
ho 10
in and walked up to the bar. Each one
of them wore silk hats and large diamond
solitaires in their shirt fronts. They each
ordered drinks, two taking whisky and
the third bottle of ginger ale.
"You keep it up Better than l thought
you could, Aleck," said one of the whisky
drinkers to the third man, as he came up
to the cashiers desk to pay the check.
''Pm blessed if l didn't think Billy would
win inside of two weeks"
''I'm going to win that bet, and don't
you forget it, SAID the third man, COM
placentiy. "There's only month yet
and then the times up"
"The man who drank the ginger ale,"
said the cashier. when they had left the
room, sis in the custom house, pretty
Near the head of it. He made bet of
$4,000 two months ago with one of the
leaders of the County Democracy that he
wouldn't drink drop of anything for
three months. Two or three times a day
he comes in and takes a bottle of Belfast
ginger ale with some of his friends. The
barkeeper over there will be $500 richer
when the custom house man wins the
bet"
"Why?' asked the reporter, doubtfully.
"DOn't you seeY said the cashier in
disgust; "the barkeeper has peculiar
box from which he takes those bottles of
ginger ale. Each bottle In the box has
been very carefully opened so as not to
destroy the tintOil capsule over the cork
and has been fixed with old rye whisky
One-quarter Thisky, three-quarters GIN
ger ale. DO you tumble now"
'There was one old fellow, a retired
merchant and pillar of a Fifth avenue
church, who stopped here last winter,
who always at his meals had lemon sent
to him in a small glass. One end of the
lemon was nicely sliced off and the lemon
was carefully set up in the glass on the
other end. He sucked the juice from the
lemon after he had finished eating and
digestion. So he did, but the lemon was
about half full of the old stuff so that
he got a good whisky sour every time.
l could go on for an hour telling you of
games like these. 1t seemed to be mania
with great many people to hide the fact
that they drink anything and they will go
to any amOuntof trouble to deceive their
friends and acquaintances. But we who
are behind the scenes, as it were, know
all about it. OF course we never give it
away, for its worth good deal of money
to u.s."