Omaha daily bee., 1889-02-17
IN PERDITION'S ANTE.ROOM.
A Nebraska Town Which Rivals the
Iniquities of Gomorrah.
HOW CONVICTION is CURSED.
Creatures which shame the Name or
Man aud woman-Mocking at
Decency-Littic Children
Taught TO Drink.
holism Rnmnnnt.

lpN, NCus, Fbb' tStEESN
spondcnce OF THE BEE. There has
been n great many hard things said Of
this place within the past few months,
but it is extremely doubtful in my
mind whether the truth has boon over
reached in n single instance.
While there are some very good, re-
spectacle and law-rcspccting citizens
residing within the limits of Coving-
ton, they are few indeed, and only re-
main because of their inability to dis
pose of their property ut suitable prices.
From the very moment the rumsellers
OF Sioux City became convinced that
they could no longer afford to fight the
prohibition laws of Iowa, thov removed
to this side. and buildings sprang up in
every direction and to-day the place
that for years has beer aught but q
sleepy, s~lumbering hamlet of n half
score of dingy, weather-beaten DWELL
ings, has some sixty or more good
appearing buildings, all occupied.
In one corner of several OF the sa-
looms are lunch counters, whore there
are usually congregated drunken men
and women of every age and color.
There are about the same number of
houses of ill-fame, among the worst Of
which might be mentioned the Boys
Home" run by Il notorious m
named Mag Willis, whose past history
in the city across the Big Muddy ia
scarcely equaled by the darkest dyed
sister of the demi monde. A large,
plainly painted sign hangs out across
tho walk in front of her infamous den,
Tho Boys Home In the lower story
of her place n saloon is run by her
"solid man. and The sights to be seen
there ut any hour of the day or night
canno be pictured by an ordinary pen.
Lounging about in corners and hanging
over the bar may be seen bloated, blear-
eyed buns whose last hope of reform
has been buried in the long ago, while
here and there will be observed a we'll
dressed youth, apparently being enticed
to enter for the first time the most
damnable den in which "a young man
may stumble.
The state of affairs in this town is
growing worse and more dangerous
with each succeeding day. Decent
people whe pass through here on their
way to or from Sioux City are subjected
to slurs and insults from the blasphe-
nous lips of b~razen-faced sirens of
every color and nationality and their
iecherous, incbriated companions, Of
which the drunken, degraded rum
sellers, who call themselves the 'busi-
ness men, Of the town, speak and boast
with supreme satisfaction.
Ills Cdl w Ictully cNpltiuSu lh
few lines, and perhaps will be OF inter-
est to readers who do not fully compre-
bend why Covington whisky-sellers
should be meaner than others engaged
in the same occupation.
I'll tell you: Almost every man to-day
doing business in this place has been
driven from low by the prohibition
laws, after having sacrificed almost
every dollar he possessed on earth in
fighting the measure.
This has developed in him all the
mcanness to which man is heir, and vir-
tually destroyed what few inclinatiOns
he may have once possessed for doing
| good instead of bad. He glories in vio-
lating the law, by keeping open on the
Sabbath and selling to the minors of
God-fearing people and see them reeling
homeward to sadden the hearts of indul-
| gent fathers and loving mothers who
would u thousand times prefer seeing
their boys lowered to their last resting
places.
Your correspondent was in one Of
these gin-mills the other morning when
a young lad, perhaps eight or nine
years of age, entered with a basket
handsome little fellow, and very talka-
tive, and soon made known his BUSH
ness.
The man behind the bar, a big
coarse-looklng brute, whose SCARED
| and uneven features made his swollen,
blood-shot eyes resemble two holea
burned in Il crazy quilt, offered to pur-
chase a dimes worth OF his corn, pro
vided the little fellow would take his
pay in drinks. The boy told him that
he did not drink liquors Of any kind;
that he gave his money to
his mother to help. buy bread
and clothes for himself and a little
sister who was three years younger
han himself. The saloon nan finally
bought two papers of popcorn and gave
the boy ten cents, who started on his
way oward the door. The bartender
called him back, and taking about three
tablespoons of whiskey, one of sugar
and perhaps twice as much hot water,
he mixed il up, and prevailed upon the
boy to drink it, telling him that it was
good for colds. In answer to the ques-
tions as to whether he liked it, the
little blue eyes sparklcd with Joy, as he
answered you bet" and departed.
The tiend in human form who admin
iStered the poison, explained his object
in doing so by saying:
you see the prohibition cranks and
church fanatics are doing all in their
power TO injure US, and unless we con-
tinue making %drunkards of the young,
they will soon have them all on their
SIDE, ana anutler tnllS. III Jnat boy
keeps on selling corn and backing
shoes on this side Of the river, it will
not be three weeks until he will buy
drinks of me. They learn easy when
young" ana he laughed heartily.
The blear-eyed scoundrel went on to
enumerate the many different boys
whom he had taught to drink in the
same way, one Of whom was the six
ycar-old boy OF a widow at lie Mars, la.
This one, he said, he taught purely
through spite. The mother Of the little
fellow had prosecuted him for selling
liquor TO her husband prior to his
death, and he punished her by teaching
her child to like the taste Of liquor, and
at fourteen years of age ne was a con-
iirmed drunkard, and at seventeen he
died.
] asked him il he was not afraid that
he would get into trouble by furnishing
liquor TO children.
"Who am | afraid OF in this placer"
he asked, with a contemptuous sneer.
And echo answered, "Who?"