St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-07
DRINKS ON THE SLY,

Some Of the Devices That So-Called Tenn
perance People Resort to.
New York Telegram.
'sOur business does not come entirely from
people who drink, a..for good percentage OF the
money that goes into the till comes from
those who are supposed to be strictly temper
ance people, said the cashier in the bar
room of one of the large hotels that fac
Madison square. elbow 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-ribbon man. There was
Boston clergyman stopping here last week.
Of course he does not Enthusiastically not!
But every morning, at breakfast, we sent
into the dining room glass of settler LEM
onade for him, which he drank to ''wake his
stomach up,'' as he told his friends at the
same table. One-quarter of that glass Of
lemonade was pure Holland gin, which, be-
ing 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 for some fifteen years, and there was
an understanding reached between US long
while ago.
'There is the wife of naval officer Of
high rank who 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 animated and en-
tertaining she is after dinner than before it.
She becomes then really brilliant talker.
The true reason is that there is 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 sudde My and nodding his
head toward the door of the room. 'Now
you'll have practical illustration of what
say.'
As he spoke three gentlemen strolled 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.
s'You keep it up better than I thought you
could, Aleck," said one Of the whisky drink
ers to the third man, as he came up to the
cashiers desk to pay the check. 'Pm
blessed if didn't think Billy would win in
side of two weeks"
tI'm going to win that bet, and don't
you forget it, said the third man, compla-
Gently. tThere's only month yet and then
the times up.''
ssThe man who drank the ginger ale,"
said the cashier, when they left the room,
lis 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 day he comes in and takes
bottle of Belfast ginger ale with some of his
friends. The bar-keeper over there will be
$500 richer when the custom house man
wins the bet.''
"Whyg" asked the reporter, doubtfully.
Don't you sees" said the cashier, in dis
gust, ''the bar-keeper has a peculiar box
from which he takes those bottles of ginger
ale Each bottle in the box has been very
carefully opened so as uot to destroy the tin
foil capsule over the cork, and has been fixed
with old swhiskey-one-quarter whisky,
three-quarters ginger ale. Do you tumble
now?
s'There was one old fellow, retired mer-
chant aud pillar of a Fifth avenue church,
who stopped here last winter who always at
his mealsihad lemon sent to him in 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. lie sucked
the Juice from the lemon after he had fin
ished eating, and everybody thought he took
it to help his digestion. So he did, but the
lemon was about half full of the 'old stuff
so that he got good whisky sour every
time. could go on for an hour telling you
of games like these. 1t seems to be mania
among great many people to hide the fact
that they drink anything: and they will go ct
any amount of trouble to deceive theIi
friends and acquantances. But we who arc
behind the scenes, as it were, know ar
about it. OF course we never give it away,
for it's worth good deal Of money to US.