The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-02-12
Drunk without Liquor.

II am afraid Tom has taken to drink
ing again." said well-known club man
to a Times reporter, as handsome man,
of middle age, staggered by them on
Chestnut street Saturday afternoon and
ignored his friends salutation. The man
was, to all appearance, very much under
the influence of liquor. He threaded
his way with difficulty through the
crowd of promenaders, and at times
lounged heavily against passers by.
"You are much mistake" "retorted q
young doctor, mutual friend of the
speaker and of the man who had just
passed. TON is simply suffering from
one of his semi.annual attacks. ! admit
that be seems to be drunk-and to all
intents and purposes he is so-but it is
not from the effect of liquor. His is one
of the most curious cases known to the
profession in this city, although there are
many similar cases on record. You
know that Tom was for years very
heavy driDker. He began drinking long
before he was out of his teens and until
he was nearly thirty years old his life
was almost continuous debauch. He
was one of a crowd of young bloods, all
If whom received handsome allowances
from their wealthy fathers. They were
all hard drinkers and some of their de-
bauches were simply appalling"
"They were my seniors, but 1 can re>
collect one of their adventures that
scandalized West Philadelphia for a time.
A sister of one of them was married one
night. The banquet was spread in the
dining. room, and while the ceremony
was in progress in the drawing.room
Harry-tbat was his name-admitted his
friends through window. They gath
cred up the wedding feast in the table.
cloths, carried it 10 two carriages in wait.
ing end after securing case or two of
wine drove away. They drove directly to
Mount Moriah Cemetery, spread their
feast id the family lot and ate it there at
midnight. Even the hack drivers were
Mortified and drove back to the city
without them. The family supposed that
they had been plundered by thieves and
notified the police, who recovered the
family plate in the cemetery next day.
In this way the story leaked out
"This capped the climax and Toms
father kicked him out of the house and
cut off his allowance. Then he drank
harder than ever and got down pretty
low. Three years ago he took the pledge
and to my certain knowledge he has
never taken drop since. And now for
the point of story. Three months after
swearing off he was taken violently i'll.
The symptoms were those of man suf.
fering with delirium tremens. Within a
few hours he became so violent that four
men were unable to hold him and it was
necessary 10 put him in a strait jacket.
He yelled constantly for brandy and
when small dose was profered him he
dashed it away and screamed: No /! no |!
Give me bucketfulp 1t was necessary
to keep him under the influence of a mar
cotic for days, but during that time he
never tasted a drop of liquor. He finally
left his bed, haggard and emaciated, and
with the most intense adherence for
liquor of all descriptions. The next at
tack came in four months, but it was less
severe than the first.
"Since then he has had two attacks, at
Intervals of six months. During the
last one he lost twenty pounds within
one week. During these spells he is like
man crazed with liquor and he tells me
that the sensation is precisely the same.
The only physician who thoroughly uu-
derstood his case was my preceptor, who
is now dead. 1t was while under his
tutelage that I became so we'll acquainted
with this case from its medical stand
point"