The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-03-12
TEMPERANCE.
THE DRUNKARD's WIFE.

School at Zurich. His wife belonged to q
wealthy family in the Canton Of Schwytz,
one of the oldest families in the oldest can.
ton of Switzerland. In opposition to the
wishes Of her people they had been married,
and she had accompanied him to this country,
where he had been successful from the first,
through the introduction of friends and Ms
own hard work. At the present time he was
engaged in the construction Of new rail-
road, a branch Of one of the main lines leay-
ing the city. In short he was prosperous
gentleman. His wife was young, refined and
beautiful. 1t was but little more than year
later that the ambulance surgeon came to
my room about o'clock In the morning to
| report case he had just brought to the
| hospital. A woman had been shot in Bow.
cry concert hall. Her wound was in the
neck. 1t was nothing serious and the pa,
tient would require no further attention
newed my sleep, and did not see the patient
until I made nay rounds of the wards
the following day. As drew back
the curtains of her couch { noticed her
gaudy clothing in the. chair by She bedside,
where It had been left by the nurse Iard-
ly glanced at her face as removed the
dressings from her throat and examined the
wound It was slight affair, the bullet
having caused q mere flesh wound OF no,
STeAG Importance. tOlu 9ne' NURSE WuuS.
dressing to apply, and gave instruction to-
have the patient moved to another ward. As
the nurse left me to carry out my instruo-
tions, and as turned to leave, the young
woman spoke to me-. '1You do not recognize
me, doctor?' I said had no recollection OF
ever having seen her before
"And yet you have" she answered.. "Only
year ago came here to find my husbandina
q bed in this same room"
I looked at her more closely, and recalled
her at once, though she had changed greatly
She still had the same wealth Of hair, whil6s
her eyes were as beautiful as ever, but her
face was pinched, and In place Of the proud
expression it had worn when had seen hery
last was one of anxiety and trouble.
"You are greatly surprised to see me un-s
der such circumstances are you notP' she
added, as stood looking at her. wondering
what strange freak Of fortune had placed her
there.
clam, indeed" answered.
She hid her face in the blanket and sobbed
like child I tried to quiet her, and, tax
could to remove the feeling Of shame from
which thought she was suffering.
mo, doctor, you are mistaken" " she said
interrupting me and looking up at me. u
have nothing to be ashamed OF but my love
for my husband. l am sorry to have you
know what I must tell you" She then In.
formed me how misfortune had followed
them from the day her husband had met
with his injuries. BE had lost the position
he held at the time. His friends had failed
him, and disappointment after disappoint-
ment had attended his efforts to obtain
work. And then he had begun to drink
heavily. They were obliged to leave their
pleasant home and part with nearly every
thing of value which they possessed. She had
tried to earn money in various ways. She
had obtained few young girls as pupils, and
taught them French, German and music.
But she could not earn enough in this way to
support herself and husband in the home
she felt she must have. So, in desperation,
of the concert hall where she had been in-
'jured. and sang there every evening. The
salary she received, with the money she
earned as teacher, had enabled them to live
comfortably, but she regarded her work In
the concert hall as humiliating, although
she was required to sing but few things
each night. She arrived at midnight, and at
1 o'clock her duties were finished and she
went home with her husband. The night be.
fore as she was leaving the hall, man had
insulted her, and when she repulsed him he
had shot her and made his escape.
She had hardly finished her story when her
husband came into the ward. Certainty he
had changed much more than his wife. Dur.
ing nv attendance upon her I tried to In
huence the husband to stronger and better
efforts than he had made. found he had
become entirely dependent upon his wife, and
seemed to regard all attempts on his part to
work as needless One morning when called
she met me with frightened face, her eyes
swollen and red with weeping. He had re.
turned the night before more intoxicated
IL. -, l~l &c
dirty. I found him sleeping on q lounge.
AS [ stood looking down upon him, half IN
pity and half in disgust, for he seemed more
beast than man, lie suddenly avoke, and,
springing to his feet, stood glaring at me
with the wild expression of a maniac. saw
that had case Of delirium tremens on my
hs1ds. Ispoke to him. but he would not an:
swer. Isaw his hands working in nervous
manner, and a certain wicked gleam in his
ewes assured me that was in TOR fight with
madman. had passed through many
such experiences, and, therefore, did nos
shrink from this. ;.
Watched his every movement, telling his
wife to leave the room and call an off1cer Il
one was to be found Hardly had she de-
parted when, with yell I shall never forget
he sprang at me- and before 1 could defend
myself in any way, was thrown to the hoorss
and his hands were tightening their grasp on
my throat in a manner far from pleasant:
Grasping both of his wrists tightly, and e3.
ertlng strength did not think Ipossessed,
for he was much larger than myself, sue
and in throwing him from me to the floor.
Then followed most desperate contest !:
trying to restrain him, while he was trying
to cut my career very short. In our strug-
gle we had both risen from the floor, and now
stood painting for breath, while each watched
every motion of the other.
The door opened and his wife entered with
a policeman. He saw the officer, and with
cry which yet rings in my ears, he made
could stop him had sprung through the win
dow, carrying sash and glass into the street
with him. He was dead when we reaehe
him. His poor wife was i'll for long tim
after her husbands sad cad, for she loved
him dearly. The arrival Of several members
of her family few weeks later, however,
cheered her much, and she found joy in tho
thought of returning to her native land. .
Thus I had witnessed the ruin and death
Of one whom had met first one year before
at time when it did not seem possible that
such an experience could come into his life.
Alcohol is power in the natural sciences,
md so it is in the lives Of men.
TEMPERANCE NEWS AND NOTES.
Belgium has $500 schools, but 1876, 900 drink
shops For public instruction it spends
Is, 6OO, 600 francs; for intoxicating liquor
1876 OOO,0
The Rev. Father Murphy, Of Olyphant,
Penn, says he is going to put down Sunday
liouor-selling in the town, if he has to import
O city detective and pay him out OF his own
pocket
Nicolai Uspenski, Russian novelist and
poet, considered of as great genius as Tur-
geneff, has just died. For over thirty years
a slave to drink, he had lived the life OF .