Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-01-31
SHE WED A DRUNKARD,
And Her Awful Story is n Warning 20
Girls.

and spoke as follows: "darried to 3
drunkardI Yes, was married TO a
drunkard. Look at me! / am talking
to the girls.p
We all turned and looked at her,
She was q wan woman, with dark, sad
eyes, and white hair, placed smoothly
over brow that denoted intellect.
when married q drunkard l
reached the acme of Misery she con-
tinued. ~ was young, and oh, so hap
py! married the man l loved, and
who professed to love me. He was a
drunkard and knew it-knew it, but
did not understand it. There Is not q
young girl in this building that does
understand 1t, unless she has q drunk
ard In her family; then, perhaps, she
knows how deeply the iron enters the
soul Of woman when she loves and is
allied to drunkard, whether father,
husband. brother or son. Girls, believe
me when 1 tell you that to marry q
drunkard, to love drunkard, is the
crown of all misery. 1 have gone
through the deep waters and know. 1
have gained that fearful knowledge at
the expense ofhappiness, sanity, almost
life itself. Do you wonder my hair is
white? 1t turned white in q night
'bleached by SORROW as Marie Antoin-
cite said of her hair. I am not 40 years
old, yet the SHOWS of 20 rest upon my
head and upon my heart-ah! / can
not begin to count the winters resting
there" she said, with unutterable
pathos in her voice.
"My husband was professional man.
His calling took him from home fire.
quently at night, and when he returned,
he returned drunk. Gradually he gave
way to temptation in the day, until he
was rarely sober. / had two lovely lit
tie girls and boy.n Here her voice
faltered, and we sat in deep silence
listening to her story. "My husband
had been drinking deeply. I had not
seen him for two days. He had kept
away from his home. One night was
seated beside my sick boy; the two lit
tie girls were in bed in the next room,
while beyond was another room into
which heard my husband go, as he
entered the house. That room COM
municated with the one in which my
little girls were sleeping. L do not know
why, but feeling of terror took pos
session of me. and felt that my little
girls were in danger. Iarose and went
TO the room. The door was locked.
knocked on it frantically, but no ans
wer came. 1 seemed to be endowed
with superhuman strength, and throw
ing myself with all my force against
the door, the lock gave way and the
door flew open. Oh, the sight! the ter
rible sight!' she walled out in a voice
that haunts me now; and she covered
her face with her hands. and when she
removed them it was whittier and sad
der than ever.
"Delirium-tremens! You have never
seen it, girls; God grant that you never
may. My husband stood beside the
bed, his eyes glaring with insanity, and
in his hand a large knife. Take them
away, he screamed. THE horrible
things, they are crawling all over me-
Take them away, say!' and he flour
ished the knife in the air. Regardless
Ofdanger l rushed up to the bed, and
my heart seemed suddenly to cease
beating. There lay my children, COW
cred with their life-blood, slain by their
own father! For moment could not
utter sound, was literally dumb in
the presence of this terrible SORROW
/ scarcely needed the maniac at my
side-the man who had wrought me
all this woe. Then I uttered a loud
scream, and my wailings filled the air.
The servants heard me and hastened to
the room, and when my husband saw
them he suddenly drew the knife across
his own throat. knew nothing more.
was borne senseless from the room
that contained my slaughtered children
and the body of my husband. The next
day my hair was white and my mind 80
shattered that I knew no one"
She ceased! Our eyes were riveted
upon her wan face, and some of the wo-
men present sobbed aloud, while there
was scarcely dry eye in the temper
ance meeting. So much sorrow, we
thought, and through no fault of her
own. We saw that she had not done
speaking and was only waiting to sub
due her emotion to resume her story.
1.-TWO years." she continued, II was a
mental wreck; then I recovered from
the shock and absorbed myself In the
care Of my boy. But the sin of the
father was visited upon the child, and
six months ago my boy f18 was placed
in drunkard's grave; and as I, his low
ing mother, stood and saw the sod
heaped over him, I said, Thank God!
I'd rather see him there than have him
live drunkard;' and turned unto nv
desolate home childiess woman-one
on whom the hand of God had rested
heavily.
"Girls, it is you wish to rescue from
n c,4 = A