The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-07
TRIcKED BY A BARKEEPER.
a Young Mans First Experience in a
BarrOOm.


81 don't drink now, but I had to then,
because l was sick. My physician recon-
mended it," remarked neatly dressed
young man standing in one of the hotels tie
other afternoon.
MY first experience in a barroom will
bear relating. 1t was one night about II
o'clock, when | finished work, and | con-
cluded | would stop in at the saloon near my
boarding place and get bottle of good
whisky and take it to my room, so that |
would not have to go to the bar for it. On
reaching the place l pushed open the blind
door, and entering, found six young men
| engaged in throwing what [ have since
! learned to be dice. As soon as | entered
they rather confusedly pushed themselves
away from the table. and all of them eyed
me. Presently one of their number, a very
neat young fellow, with ahandsome nous
tache and hair parted in the middle, stepped
behind the bar, and, in a very polite man.
ner, asked me what | was taking" To
tell the truth, l didn't hear him. The
pretty bottles and handsome glasses on the
shelves had attracted my attention. | stood
gazing at them, for l always loved pretty
things when he briskly repeated, WHAT
are you takingp
1.-THE young men who sat around the ia
BILE began to move about and scrape their
feet, and a whisper went around, he's
green
II was, there was no mistake about it. l
knew it, but finally Numbered out to the
| bartender what I wanted, and jerking
down pretty bottle, he said: You don't
| want anything better than this, my friend !;
| if you do, you will have to get out of this
| town to get it. | asked him the price of it,
| and laid down five dollar bill ON the coun-
ter to pay for it.
Taking the bill up he said: Thank you,
| and you will find this to be all right; but
| first let me uncork it and let you smell of
| it. If you are good judge of liquor you
| will know what it is Here he wlnked at
his companions at the table. A ripple of
| laughter followed. I told him that | was
no judge of liquor and that would leave it
to his good Judgment. | told him that |
wanted good whisky At that moment
gentleman stepped up to the bar and called
for something that sounded like whisky
sour.
Putting the bottle down on the counter.
| he laid the bill which l had given him
| there also, and fixed up something in
| long, funny tumbler. | never saw any
thing like the tumbler before The Gus
toner, tidily dressed man, finished it and
left the room. l kept looking at the glass,
and was almost in the act of asking the bar
| keeper what he would take for it, when he
suddenly pushed the bottle that | had
There's your whisky. Did you pick up the
billT AS quick as lightning it entered my
head that he was after swindling me out of
the bill. l had often read of similar cases,
and, as if by intuition, that thought was
uppermost in my mind.
"No." | replied, and stood almost as
| founded. There was profound silence in
the room. You could have heard pin drop.
| 'Well, said the clerk, "the gentleman who
drank there minute ago took your money,
that's all there is about it,"
| 'Well, | hope | will never feel again as |
did at that minute. All my past life sprang
up before me. My sainted mothers bless
ings and warnings of the barrooms stung
me. She was not there then. There was
no body but myself. Twas alone. Finally
| recovered | was not mad. | was simply
bewildered. Turning to him | asked him
must lose the money. There is moth
ing else left for you to do my
friend, said he, smiling tiendishly.
An right l replied and pushing
the tottle that | had purchased
from him back to him, l turned and step
ped out into the street aud walked toward
my boarding place The tears filled my
eyes, not because had lost the money. l
had sloSt larger amounts many a time
| before, but it was the cowardly manner the
man had Of stealing it that hurt me.
Again my moth er's warnings came to me
and all alone in the dead of midnight,
knelt on tie streets, and the pledge that |
| took there will never be broken as long as
| live
| 81 had gone perhaps a hundred yards up
| the street. when suddenly the hurried foot
steps of some one behind me attracted my
attention. | stopped and listened. The
| footsteps drew nearer and nearer, and l dis
| tinctly heard the man who was running,
mutter, % Godr % GodP He turned
the corner before he got to where l stood
and saw no more of him.
I'm moment more two policemen ran
| hurriedly up to me and asked had I seen
anybody on the street there | pointed to
where saw the person turn the corner, and
| they hurried off after him. Shortly after
ward was summoned to appear in court
| against young man, formerly bartender,
who was charged with defrauding people
out Of their money. When | entered the
court room who did | see perched i'll cor
ner of the room, handcuffed, but the young
fellow who had taken my money.
| well, that young man went up; l don't
remember his time now At any rate he
didn't trouble the people again.
How did the police get on to the schemep
| the young man was asked
Eyes, | forgot TO tell you. The man that
! came in and got tle whisky sour while |
was buying my whisky Right was a de-
| tective. He had been shading this bar
tender for quite awhile, and when he left
! the room he watched the proceedings
through the window, and within an hour
after | left he told me the bartender had
'scooped' half dozen others out of their
money as he did me.n