The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-12-22
A LIFE RUINED.

What y Once Promising Physician Did to
Embrace That Demon Which Already
Had Wrecked His Prospects-An Cocoa
siOnal" Drinker. -
There is not day in which the tele.
graphic columns of the daily press do
not contain cases of murder and other
crimes, of which rum is the exciting
cause. These lamentable examples
arc SO common that they hardly excite
remark. But there was one case of at
tempted murder in Brooklyn, N. "
lately that perforce arrested the atten-
ton Of every reader. The brief facts
of the Geographic account were these:
On Sunday evening the night clerk
Of Brooklyn drug store was aroused,
after midnight, by some one at the
door. He arose from bed and went to
attend TO the call. The man demand
ing admittance was DR.. Edward
Blakeny. He made a savage assault
upon the clerk with knife, intlictiny
severe wound, and, leaving the Young
man sense!ess and bleeding upon the
floor dead. as he supposed he rushed
to the rear of the store, with whose in
ternal arrangements he was familiar,
and Selling jug of whisky kept there
for medical uses, drank nearly quart
OF the internal fluid. Hugging the ves-
sol in his arms, he staggered into the
night drinking as he went, and wan
dered about the streets in his stocking
feet A policeman. seeing the door
open. entered and found the wounded
clerk upon the floor. The young man
was taken to the hospital, where he re-
lated the circumstances. Blakeny was
found lying in the street, dead drunk,
and battered and bruised by falling
upon the stones. He was taken to
prison. where he is held on a charge
OF attempting murder, upon which he
will be tried as soon as his intended
victim RECEIVERS sufficiently to appear
against him.
The life story Of Dr. Blakeny is one
that can be studied with profit BY
every one. especially by every young
man. Some years ago he came from
Europe to Brooklyn, poor young
man but with talent and energy. So
great was his skill that he rapidly Sc
cured an enviable reputation in his pro-
fession. The road to wealth was open
to him, for he speedily secured lucra-
tive practice. His personal qualities
were such as to command public conf.
dence, and to gather about him wide
circle of friends. No man. starting out
in life. ever conquered more rapidly
the obstacles in his way. and reached
more quickly the straight road to fame
and fortune.
But he was one of those men who
occasionally take drink" He took
glass of wine to refresh himself after
difficult operation. or laborious
round of visits. He drank with his
friends, out of conviviaiity. 1t was all
in good fellowship; the wine stimu-
lated his faculties and gave vivid ex.
preston to his brilliant conversation.
He had hosts Of friends; men were
proud to be numbered among the init.
mates Of the rising and talented Young
physician. So it went on-not long in
actual space Of time-until the drink
habit was fastened upon him; that
raging, burning, horrible thirst for rum,
which has drawn una,oounted thou
sands down to death, which is the near.
est human realization of the pangs of
eternal damnation, became his master.
Rum soon began lat times to get the
better of DIR. Blakeny;" that is, in
plain English, he got drunk at inter-
vals-intervals which steadily short
ened their duration. and the drunken
fits rapidly became more frequent.
Then the kindest offices of considerable
and hopeful friends were enlisted to
rescue him as he tottered amid the
ruins Of his own manhood. The lead
ing medical practitioners of the city Of