The freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1886-18??, 1888-05-16
THE MYSTERIOUS WOMAN.
How She Defeated, License In a
PennsyIvania Town.
POINT MARroH, Pa April 80


POINT MARlox, Pa. April 80
EDITOR FREEMAN:
| At a certain meeting in this state
the question came up whether any
person should be licensed to sell
rum. The Clergyman, the Deacon
and Physician, strange as it may
appear, all favored license. Cne
man only spoke against il, because
of the mischief it did. The ques-
ton was about to be put when all
at once there arose from the corner
a miserable woman. She was thin
ly clad, and her appearance incica-
ted the utmost wretchedness and
that her mortal career had almost
closed. After a moment of silence,
during which all eyes were fixed
upon her, she stretched her oody to
its utmost height and then her long
arms to their greatest length, and
raising her voice to shrill pitch,
she called all to look upon her.
"Yes," she said, "look upon me and
then hear me-" "Al! that the last
speaker has said relative to tenn,
perate drinking as being the father
Of drunkenness is true. All practice
and all experience declare it's truth.
All drinking of alcoholic poison as
beverage in health is excess.
Look upon mel You all know me, or
at least, once you did. You all
know that l was once the mistress
of the best place in this town; you
all know too that had one of the
best and most devoted of husbands;
you all know I had five noble hear.
ted industrious boys. Where are
they asows Doctor, qUsere are they
mosof You all know; you know
they lie in a row side by side in
yonder church yard, all, every one
of them, filing the drunksrd's grave.
They were all taught to believe
that temperate drinking was safe;
that excess alone ought to be avoid
ed, and they never acknowledged
excess. They quoted yow, and you,
and yo~," pointing with her shred
of finger to the minister, deacon
and doctor, as authority. "They
thought themselves safe under
such teachers. Bat with dismay and
horror, I saw the gradual change
coming over my family and pros
poets. felt that we were all to be
overwhelmed in one common ruin,
l tried to break the spell, the de-
lusive spell, in which the idea OF
the benefits of temperate drinking
had involved my husband and sons.
l begged, | prayed, but the odds
were against me. The Minister
said the poison that was destroying
my husband and boys was a good
creature of God; the Deacon, who
sits under the pulpit there sold them
the poison, and took our home to
pay the bills; the Doctor said
little was good and excess only
ought to be avoided. My poor
husband and boys fell into the
snares and they could not escape,
and one after another they were
conveyed to the sorrowfull grave of
the drunkard.
Now, look at me again. You prob
ably see me for the last time; my
sands have almost run. I have
dragged my exhausted frame from
my present home, your poorhouse,
to warn you all /; to warn you, Dea-
con to warn you, false teachers of
Gods wordl' And with her
arms flung high and her tall frame
stretched to its utmost, and her
voice raised to an unearthly pitch
she exclaimed, 81 shall soon stand
before the Judgment seat of God,
| shall meet you there, you false
guides, and be a witness against
you ALL
The miserable woman vanished.
a dead silence pervaded the assem-
oily the minister, deacon and ply
stefan hung their heads, and when
the President of the Court put the
question, Shall any licenses be
granted for the sale of intoxicating
liquors? the unanimous response
| was NO! BLUE RIRRoN.