The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-06-21
ALCOHOL DRINKERS.
Whisky and Beer are Altogether
Too Weak for Them.

| DiO y OO CtCA sec IiI dICOlIOl u1lIlh
er? Not man who drinks whisky
with alcohol in it's makeup, but the
man who drinks the straight fuic
without drop of water to cool hil
casehardened throat. There are
men in Kansas City who drink pure
alcohol every day of their lives
They reach a trembling hand for il
when they open their eyes in the
morning, and the last gulp at night
carries to fiery stomach more fuel
These characters are few. AS com.
pared with the whisky drinker, the
man who drinks alcohol is some.
thing awful. 1t does not matter il
the whisky drinker INDUCES to ex.
cess-let him be the worst sot upon
the earth and the moderate alcohol
drinker will surpass him in genuine
depravity.
The eyes Of the man who has used
alcohol as a beverage for a year
start from their sockets, all blood
shot and revolving, perpetual leer
is upon his face, his complexion is
blue and rcd by turns, his whole
frame quivers, and all sense of
moral duty is away from him. The
ordinary drunkard is not to be COM
pared with the alcoholic slave. The
former has on more than one occa-
sion been redeemed, but who can
point out the drinker Of straight
alcohol who has ever lived to be-
come man again? Of the alcohol
drinkers in Kansas City none is
more conspicuous than an old fd-
dler, without any name in particu-
lar, who frequents the hotels, saloons
and public corners. This old man
never wears 4 shirt; he keeps his
tattcred coat huttoned. He unbut-
tons his coat occasionally to take
from It's inside pocket flask of
pure, white alcohol The old man
holds the bottle in his hand for a
moment, raises it to his bearded
face with an unsteady hand, and
before he lowers his head and re-
places the flask in his coat the fiery
fluid, in dose that would kill the
ordinary man, has gone to his
stomach. A grimage-that is all.
The old fellow never thinks of drink
ing water before or after these alco-
ho!ic draughts.
Docs it hurt your throat?" he
was asked. He looked about him
with leer, shaped the meaning of
the words in his befuddled brain,
and answered:
"Hurt? Nav; nothin' hurts my
old throat. I'd as soon drink that
stuff as water-an' a good deal
sooner" he chuckled, laughing over
his gruesome joke. why" he
went on. steadying himself against
the wall, "this ere colored whisky
the saloons sell is worse'n water to
me. | could drink'er solid tumbler
full of it at a swaIler and never
know it-and beer2 0, no, no
that's too good; beer? Why, ! |
could drink a bar'l Of beer if I'd
room fer it inside o. me, an the ef-
tect-there wouldn't be any, that's
All. When did commence to drink?
Oh, that's long story. Good many |
years ago, though, lemme tell you.
Down in New England we didn't
have no colored whisky like they
sells here. All the sailors and work
men drunk them days was rum
not from the still My, but them
vas good days." unused the old fd-
Her, sn7acking his lips. Rum
I've drunk many glass of that
White rum. One day | remember
nan showed me bottle Of white
ookin' stuff an asked me eff I'd
ike some o it. ! jumped at the
,hance, and in a half mint | had
he bottle turned up. ! took a
iwaller fore / knew / was fooled.
L was alcohol-the straight stuff.
thought | was killed. ! jumped
lp an ran off as fast as | could.
The first water | come to | jumped
n, head fust. When they pulled
ne out ] was half dead. But | was
ough and purity soon ! was we'll
gain Since that time I've been
lrinkin' alcohol off an on purity
teady."
why do you not drink good
"Well, there's two reasons. One
s that whisky's too weak, and an
ther is that the blamed saloons
ron't give me drink for playin'
n them. | don't intend to pattern
ze them, as they don't paternize
le. If / !go to a drug store and
lay a tune, as like ez not the
Jerk will fill my flask with the pure
tuf. 1t takes four of them to do
1e every day. Purity soon III take
We. How long'll | live? Little diff
l'm countin on stayin'
ere couple O. years yet. Kan
as City Times.