The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-09-11
WHOLESALE RUIN.
How. Women and Children Are Destroyed,
Body and Soul.

How, Women and Children Are Destroyed,
Body and Soul.
L. M. Hall, Superintendent of the
Women's Reformatory Prison, Sher-
born, Mass, has recently issued some
startling statistics gathered from many
years experience among the criminal
classes. We give the following ex-
tracts:
Out of az examination of 204 inebrf~
ate women, I have found that 12S be-
gan their drinking by the use of beer;
81 by drinking whisky Gas punch at
first, usually); 20 began with wine; 8
with gin, and IL could not remember
what beverage was first used. These
young girls, mill and shop girls, largely
began by going to some so-called refresh
debutante usually began by slipping q
a little tonic (made of hops, sugar and
water, charged with carbonic-acid gas
and colored with burnt sugar.; beer
soon followed. and soon rioting, other
kinds of intoxicants. reckicssness and
crime; and what was an innocent fool
ish girl yesterday, is to-day branded
criminal, and all for glass of beer
Beer as the trap which the drunkard-
maker sets for the feet Of the unwary.
And he usually makes sure of his prey,
because of it A glass of raw whisky
would have presented but slight attFac-
ton to these over-worked, half-fed
girls, had it been offered them at first.
After that sleeping devil, the appetite
for intoxicants, had been aroused by
beer, it became altogether a different
matter, and at last, in many cases,
chloroform or peppermint oil was
added to the drink of these maddened
creatures, so furious had the appetite
become for something stronger.
1t may be of interest to note that
of the 204 inebriate women, 126 had
been guilty of other crimes, and yet in
but IL instances did the first commit
ment of crime ante-date the habit of
drinking.
Several hopeless drunkards, far Como
toward insanity, had never drank any
other intoxicant than beer.
One hundred and thirty-two were
committed to the prison for drunken
ness; So for oflenses against chastity
and public order, and 16 for crimes
against property. Their ages when
last committed averaged 304. Sixty
five were between so and Al years of
age, 40 between % and 81 years of age,
81 between 20 and &c years of age, 80
between 10 and q. The remainder
were over Al wears of age.
Many of the older ones could not
tell how many sentences they have re-
ceived, showing the absolute useless
ness of Furnishing these poor creatures
while the temptations are left in their
way.
To show the effect upon the children
of inebriate parentage, l collected the
following:
Of111 inebriate mothers, 80 of whom
had inebriate husbands, 40S children
were born. Of these 227 persisted in in
fancy and early childhood, and of the
survivors many are doomed evidently
to an early death. In many cases the
death of these children was indirectly
due to the inebriety of the parents, as
cold, deprivation, etc. Ages:-27 of
the 204 women began to drink intoxi-
cants before they were 10 years of age,
IL bstween the ages of and Is, "a be-
tween IA and q, 81 between 20 and &c,
80 between 25 and 81, 10 between 80
and Il, 3 between 40 and 81.
Average age 1S3 years. More than
one-half had formed habits of intem-
perance before they were q years of
age, and more than one-third at the
giddy age of from 10 to 20 inclusive.
One hundred and thirty-two began
to drink socially and with female
friends