The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-08-22
SAVED BY A CYcLo ONE.
How Dissipased Man Was Re-
stored to Usefulness.
a Young Physician Becomes Addicted SO
-the Morphine Habit and Loses Prop
erty and Fricnds-His Remarkable
Recovery and Conversion.

James Brewster was the proudest boy
in Athens in 1870 when he stood before
large and fashionable audience at the
State university delivering his raledic-
tory address. writes r. B. Harrison in tho
Atlanta Constitution. Well might he
be proud, as he had been awarded tho
first honor in his class and was flushed
with victory rs he made his final bow
amid shower of roses thrown ct his
feet by his young lady friends in the au-
dience.
Brewster was an orphan, and upon
his return to his native village was in
formed by his guardian that rs only a
few thousand dollars of his legacy was
left it would be necessary for him to
choose some profession so that he would
be prepared to engage in the battle of
life. His inclinations were toward
medicine and it was not long before he
was engaged in his studies at the New
York College OF Physicians and Sur
geons.
At the expiration of three years he
returned to M and entered upon the
practice of his profession with most
fattering prospects. HiN father had
been very popular man in the COM
munity and his friends took pleasure in
lending helping hand to the son.
In due course of time Brewster was
married and his domestic happiness was
as unruf1ied as fairy's dream. His
home was all that heart could wish and
he never tired in listening to the prattle
Of his curly-headed little boys.
Familiarity with dangerous evils
sometimes destroy our safeguards and
before we know it our feet are led into
treacherous quickSands. Place a bar
room constantly before boys eyes and
he will become so accustomed to it that
he will gradually lose sight of the dan
ger lurking behind the ghttering chan
deliers and brilliant array Of costly
furniture.
So it was with Brewster. His famil-
iarity with deadly anesthetics destroyed
his fear for them and before he knew it
he was slave TO the dreadful morphine
habit, contracted in very brief time by
resorting to its use as cure for nervous
headache.
The once punctiliouslv neat and fash
ionably attired man began to grow care
less in his dress and Indifferent to his
practice. He would sit in his Office for
hours and dream away his life under
the influence of the deadly dSug. The
proud position to which he had attained
in the community was won by years of
close study and diligent application.
His descent from this high social plane
was swift and unrestrained
Finding his property swept from him
Brewster retired to small farm in the
country to ske out a miserable exist
ence. His neighbors were kind and
friendly, and by hard ticks and severe
trials, he managed to keep the wolf
from the door and rs he was to some ex-
tent cut of from the enemy of his life
his family found more comfort in their
poverty than they had known in several
years. II
The,evening had been warm and sui
try and it was with forebodings of an
approaching storm that the Brewster
family retired for the night. None Of
the family could be wooed to sleep OK
cept Brewster, who had resorted to his
favoritc drug and was temporarily as
as dead to all surroundings as If his
heart had ceased to beat.
The low mutterings of distant thnn-
der and the inly blackness of the night
brought dismay to the remainder of the
household, and Mrs. Brewster, who had
witnessed South Georgia cyclone be-
fore, prepared herself and children for
immediate fight.
They had barely entered the storm
pit and barred the door behind them
whenthe cyclone struck the house and
crushed it as if it were an egg shell in
the grasp of a strong man. Not a YES
tice of it remained standing and the
timbers and furniture were scattered for
miles along the path of the storm.
Mrs. Brewster and the children were
rescued from their retreat at early dawn
and with sympathising neiGh5ors began
the search for Brewster, who was miss
ing. In the course Of an hour his body
was found about half mile from tho
building with terrible wound upon
his head where he had been struck by
scantling. Restoratives were applied
and Brewster was soon brought to con-
seriousness.
His recovery was slow, but when he
was again restored to health he was
new man. All desire for opiates had
passed away and his mental faculties
were as clear and bright as they were
when we introduced him to the reader.
Being fine scholar and linguist he was
attracted to the ministry, and in short
while was ordained. He at once took
prominentstand and became useful and
popular pastor. He has for number of
years followed the calling brought
about by the storm, and is sometimes
called ''Tho Cyclone Preacher" and I
doubt if there is more earnest or faith
full divine before tho people than the
hero of this story who was saved by
cyclone.
SHE WANTED JUSTICE,
And, Like Many Others, Wont to the