The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-04-09
Stories of John Il. Cough.

stories OF John Is. Cough.
From the New York Star.
John B. Cough believed that his end
near, and he had made every
preparation for it. He had engage
ments until some time in March, and
he said that if he was spared to fill
them he would then b~idfareweli to the
lecture field. Only q few days before
he was stricken down he talked for an
hour on this subject with a Star Re.
porter. The writer had not seen him
for several years, and Mr.. Cough
asked if he appeared much older than
at their last meeting. When answered
in the affirmative, he said in almost
pathetic tones:
Eyes, my career is nearly run. |
fear when my engagements, which end
III March, are finished | will have to
give up"
you may live a longtimeyet if you
take sufficient rest" remarked the re-
porter.
REST is what would hasten the end"
he said, ''for it is the love | have for
my work that. keeps me alive. lido
not fear death; but do not want to
leave as long as / can hold my hand
against that diabolical foe, rum. If
my strength holds out, | shall make
other engagements, and when | die, |
hope it will be as the French sergeant,
at my post OF duty, and then | could
say to my old foe, Ihave surrendered
only to my God"
"4ou have made q strong fight" =
eyes, and my antagonist has been n
cruel one. For every blow / have
dealt | have received two. No mar
has had to endure more than |. Ihave
been slandered from the very day that
Ienlistedin the fight against rum up to
ed it and have never once
been disheartened. Thousands of
attempts have been made to black
mail me, but none of them succeeded.
] have no doubt but that plenty of
good people believe that | drank after
beginning my temperance work. But
| say now, realizing that my work is
nearly done, that / could not have
led @ more correct life than | have
since that time. Not long ago while
conversing with some friends, l was
seized with terrible pains i'll my left
side, and I screamed in my agony.
One of the persons present was a ply
stefan, and he advised me to take n
little brandy. refused and he said
there was certainly no harm in doing
SO, as it would give me instant relief.
I said | was satisfied that was so, but
that Ipreferred death. While it would
have been no harm to me, perhaps,
harm would have resulted to the
cause of temperance. People would
have said that John 3. Cough drank,
and it would have been added that ]
drink once in a while.
Another thing that ! have never
done is to break the Sabbath day. ]
have never Travelled on Sunday, and
have never hesitated in breaking ar
engagement rather than do so.
never receive visitors on that day, nc
matter who they are. Ii it is possible
l 90 to church twice, and always
walk; / would not think of riding
Now, don't understand that Think il
would be a sin to do so, but, as ! saic
before, l have to be careful, SO as tt
avoid giving the champions of rum al
opportunity to inJure my character
1t used to be no common thing for /
glass of whisky to be sen to myroon
at various hotels, and after | left tn
place it would be said that | hat
whisky sent to my room. Not lon
ago, at q hotel in an Indiana town
two theatrical people ordered a Negro
to carry a glass OF whisky to NJ,
room. In a few minutes he returned
to the bar with the empty glass an,
said that Mr.. Cough was yer,
much Obliged. The actors though
it was a good joke, and the.
other. In the curse of q few min
utes he again returned and said tina
Mr.. Cough again was very much oblie
ed. The third was ordered with tn
, same result. While the negro was bt
ingdispatched with the fourth, the TT
port was current that / was drinkin
whisky as fast as it could be sent t
me. This attracted quite a crowd t
the barroom. When the negro return
, ed he was so drunk that he coul
| hardly walk. He knew we'll that
would not allowh him in my room wit
whisky, SO he drankit himself.
"Once in % Pennsylvania hotel
{ man ordered the bartender to send
cocktail to myroom. Whenthe wal
: er arrived at mydoor with it | indi,
nantly ordered him away and the
followed him to the barroom. Di
you send that to me?' / asked the ba.
tender. He said he did, and l sait
, Don't you think you are a contemp
, ible cur?' He turned red in the fax
and pointed to the man that ordere
it. He was the proprietorofa saloon
$ and | simply asked him tit was ne
$ essary to answer my argument
e against intemperance by resortingt
such contemplate tricks as that. L
: could not answer me.
"Ihat story going the rounds OF tt
e press about Artemus Ward, Nash
4 and the Fat Contributor coming t
my room and ordering four cocktail
and Ward drinking two of them, t
give the impression that / drank on
n is not correct. They innocently can
to call on me one Sunday at the Tr
mont house in Chicago. l politely I
d auested them to leave, as | did notr
ceive visitors on the Sabbath. Thu
did so, but the Fat Contributor wei
and had it published chat Ibid recei,
them. Next day we all met at Il
it depot, and Anna Dickinson, who WI
lg present, excoriated the Fat Contrib
d tor, as did Artemus Ward.
IS Not long ago a basket OF wine W!
of sent to me c. 0. D. Fortunately, t
express agent a n temperance mi
If and a friend OF mine, and he told r
It about it. / sent for my physicit
3 and instructed him to get the wi
81 and send it to the hospital. Suppo
a / had innoeently paid the charges al
,e taken the wine out? 1t would ha