Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-01-02

OIcIt ouu W ICpcdb tudS Ohb III y
present debased condition TO drink.
Yet | am not a drunkard by choice, OF
by vicious inclinations, but one made
so by q hIdeous fac. Don't smile,
sir, for it's the Gods truth I'm telling
you. ----------.-
i was not always the sbominable-
looking creature ! am now, although
| was never more than passably good
looking. Up to my twentieth year /
had never tasted spirits, although our
family table had always provided with
wine, and my dear father inyaribly
drank toddy 'before going to bed.
One night, it was in the long vacation,
/ was sitting with him in the library
when the servant brought in the de-
canter and hot water. AS she set
them down on the table, an agonizing
sense Of fear came over me, then a
numbness and the feeling that ] was
turned to ice. The coldness seemed
to come from without rather than from
within me. and glsncing shiveringly
around to see if the window was open.
l saw behind my chair the figure of
one draped III flowing white garments,
and having face OF such unutterable
stoniness that my heart stood still at
tho very sight. l knew this to be the
Angel Of Death, and 1 felt that ! was
summoned. But there was q worse
fate for me, si:. Seizing my shaking
hand in has, the angel thrust it for
ward until it lay upon my fathers
heart, and there came the tumultuous
sound of many voices within me, and
one came rushing up and cried: You
die where you sit. And as | cried,
my fathers eyes seemedto start from
their sockets, he gave groan, stiff
fened, and was dead. AS he died,
the numbness left me, but not the fear,
and, reaching out, seized the decan-
ter, drained it and tumbled forward In
a fit. ~. ~
tFrom that time on l felt myself &C.
cursed, and passed the next few
months in "a series of drunken ex-
cesses. Then there came a great
longing to tell some one the story of
what l had gone through. This lasted
for weeks, and at last gave my sister
the fatal confidence. We were walk
ing in the garden. and after much
nervous hesitation, l began my dread
full story. l had but. commenced
when the warm sun seemed to have
suddenly disappeared, and an icy
wind swept across the tulip bed and
blasted the flowers as though they had
been struck by a frost. My sister
shivered and cried as though in pain,
upon which I put my arms about her
and asked in Gods name what was
the matter? On the instant of my
doing so, felt two icy arms enfold
me, and over my shoulders was thrust
the stony face of the Angel of Death.
The mortal numbness once more
seized me and was again transmitted
to another, for as | held my sister she
sighed but once and died .,
He was silent for moment, and
glancing at him with not the most
comfortable feelings IN the world, ]
could see by the light that came
through the open window that he had
covered his eyes with his hand.
| did not know what to say; indeed.
the whole story seemed so outrageous,
yet 80 full of circumstances, that !
hesitated showing that I either reject
ed or accepted it, AS the best thing
under the circumstances, therefore, I.
said nothing.
He went on without taking down
his hand. 1T was heart disease in
both cases, they say, he continued,
and it was proved to every ones sat-
Isfaction. except mine, that the emalady
was in the family. OF course, l knew
better, and in the honor that this new
tragedy brought upon me, I flew to
lrink. The debauch lasted so long,
Ind was attended by such distressing
circumstances, that my friends con-
,luded the best thing they could do
vas to ship me to this country. I
,hought it a good thing, too, for when
had come to my senses l reasoned
hat the further I was removed from
he dear ones that were left the less /
chance there would be of ill happen
ng to them through my malign in
luence. / arrived at New York about
hree years ago, and came on at once
IS far west as | could get, to San Fran
;isco. had beenin this latter city
,ut a few months, when, one day
While walking along Kearny street, I
vas seized once more with that deadly
hill and horror. AS though running
rom an enemy, I dashed into a sa-
oon and drank until the barkeeper
'efused to let me have any more liq-
lor. There were no other places,
hough, where the condition of the /
customers was not SO tenderly con-
idored, and / had no difficulty in
hiding them and getting all the vile
,oison asked for. I remember
taggering down to the water front,
md then all wasa blank until l opened