The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1886-06-10
CLARKE TRIES PROHIBITION
TWO YEARS AND GOES
TWO BETTER.
But Adams Still Cllngs TO the Rum
Pend Which ls Devour1ng Her
Children and Her Sub
stance.
Last Tuesd avs Local Option Elee-
tion-CIory Enough for One Day:

Special TO Y. o. Picayune.l
MERIDIAN. Miss. June 8.-The
contest here, which for bitterness
las excelied any campaign ever
waged 10 Mississippi. closed to-
night, and Lauderdale county, BY
lis majority, wants prohibition.
Ever since the election was order
ed, forty days ago, both sides have
been tireIess workers, and nothing
vas left undone. Every man. woman
and child became enlhused on one
side or the other, and there can't a
man say that be had no feeling 10
the matter. The excitement all
along mas been intense, AID
TIE PEACE OF TIE COUNT MESAcED.
War clouds have been hanging
threateniEg.y over Us.
Every one gives 3 sigh Of relief
Low that the election has passed
away witho1; D.ondshed, which
seemed almost impossible 70 avoid.
Long before Q o clock. the hour Of
opening the po..s this moruin-.
crowds were seen moving rapidly
towards tie courthouse, and nv
O'Clock there vas crowd around
the gale packed as thick.y as sar-
dimes.
The brick wall surrounding the
courthouse was soon
TORN DOWN BIZ THE EXCITED CROWD,
each anxious 10 vote and get away.
About 10 o'clock, Col. L. a.
Ragsdale, who has been confined TO
his bed for the past two months at
the point OF death, was driven to
the polls attended hy a physician,
and cast his vote for prohibition.
He is tue largest land owner in East
Mississippi, and his presence inspir,
ed the temperance workers
BY II O'Clock il was impossible to
get within 100 yards of the polls.
a hard rain began falling, but this
didn't quell the excitement, and men
who had been standing for an hour
waiting their chance held their
places. 1t was insuIerably VAIN.
and several tainted aud had ~ be
carried out.
The officers stood ready 10 quell
any disturbance and attempted TO
break the blockade, but were power,
less.
BY noon the vote stood almost
even, and when the Picayune
branch office began bulleting
SPECIALS FROM OTHER BOXES
IN the county, they were immediate,
~ surrounded by an anxious peo-
pie.
The advices on the first report
were favorable to prohibition 1t
was evident by 2 o'clock that
Waterloo awaited whisky in this
and Clarke counties. The ants
then began working in earnest.
The negroes were punched together
and placed in line, but they conldn't
move fast enough, and when the
hour for closing arrived at least 80
were turned away.
When the polls closed the whisky
side claimed majority in the city
of 400 and that they had carried the
county, but when at 1855 the Plea
yune bulletin announced a total vote
OF 1l76, giving whisky a majority
of only las in the city, a mighty
shout went up from the Prohibition
lists, which made the whisky men
turn pale.
Couriers began arriving from inte-
rior boxes, each one with favorable
reports for Prohibition. Outside
boxes give dry from 200 to 300.
The whisky men concede now on-
ly 100 votes, but from the best in
formation it will reach near 200.
The most perfect order was pre-
served at the polls all day. No
drunkenness or cursing and not a
single luss, and every one seemed in
good humor. Nothing short of
riot was expected, and when it
closed without having a single thing
to mar the pleasure, all felt relieved.
Ladies occupied the Calvary Bap-
tist church all day and served lunch
es to the tired workers on the lawn
outside. Inside people were Offering
mp PRAISES TO GOD.
All the church bells rang out every
few minutes.
There are many prayers offered to
God tonight and heads bowed down
in humble gratitude for Kidding
Lauderdale OF the whisky traffic.
Men, women and children shed tears
of JOY when the result was amour
ced.
Clarke county gives Prohibition
$50 majority. She has had Probibi-
tion two years and wheeled in line
again.
Bets were freely made to-day by
the whisky side that Clarke would |
go wet and contrary reports made |
the whisky men wild. The tele-
graOh Office was besieged with mes !