Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-01-02
SOME VERY HARD DRINKERS.
George Francis Trains "Reminiscences OF
BibuIous Men.


George Francis Train was seated in
one Of the luxurious chairs IN the art
gallery of the Hoffman iIu-e recently
one evening, saws the y. Y Sun. He
leaned back, and, brushing the cluster
ing gray locks from his forehead said.
There is an iron ring in the floor Of
Haddam hall in England 1t was the
custom when the ring was placed in
the floor for every man to chain
his flagon when called upon to do
50. Should anyone refuse he was
fastened to the floor by means of the
ring. and the liquor was poured down
his throat. This fact, for | have seen
the ring is suggested by the drinking
habit. My recollection Of hard drink
ers goes back many years, continued
Mr.. Train.
In 1856 Tom Seymour, former
minister from the United States TO st.
Petersburg Franklin Pierce and my
self were crossing the ocean from En-
gland to this country Pacing the
deck one evening in company with
Pierce, the latter told me Of the con-
srming desire of a friend Of his for
whisky. He said that if his friend but
tasted liquor once and saw another
glass Of the stimulaut on the other side
of molten stream Of lava so strong
was his passion Tor it that he would
plunge in the stream and try to swim
through fire to reach It. / have al.
ways had the notion, said Mr.. Train.
THAT Pierce was describing his own
feelings.
81 recall, also, that when the sena-
torial excursion went to the Rocky
mountains ut the completion Of the
Union Pacific railroad. Dick Yates
was one of the company. He had the
reputation at that time of being the
heaviest drinker in the country, ex-
ceptiug only George j. Prentice and
Senator McDougal AT that time, how
ever, Yates had been temperate for a
long time. The day was excessively
hot and sultry and in an unguard-
ed moment Dick drank a spoonful Of
brandy Shortly afterward he was
missing. We found him next morning
in a cattle-pen with nothing on but a
shirt
while coming down the Missouri
river from Omaha to St. 10 with Seua-
tor McDougal,n continued Mr.. Train.
1.-THE bartender had been warned not to
give the senator drop OF liquor. 1t
was one OF the most touching scenes
ever saw when the senator tried to
persuade the bartender to give him a
brink. The winning personality of the
man was so great and his appeals so
piteous, as he stood with his arms
around the bartender's neck begging
for liquor, that, rs far as myself and
the bartender were concerned there
was not dry eye in the house
Mr. Train was in reminiscent mood,
aud he recalled another incident in his
varied career
AT the time | was making my union
speeches in England l met many En-
glish debators. | succeeded in van
gushing every one OF my opponents
until / ran across a gentleman named
Gilchrist. He was drunk at the time,
but his marvellous eloquence, prodigious
memory aud consummate skill as de-
batter overwhelmed me. | became
much interested and tried to save him.
When | spoke to him of my desire for
his reformation he held up the last
sovereign IN his possession, which he had
received for an article in the London
Times. Trying in vain to stand erect
he said
"SirI would not forcgo the luxuryof
this drunk for El,0e0 OOO."
At this poipc Mr. Train rose and
stretched himself He closed his re-
marks with the following quotation
from Oliver Wendell Holmes:
lis hut the foo, nat loves eXccssl
HAST thou dru nkcu soulf
The hane is in tn, shallow skull,
Not IN ms silver how'll