The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-01-31
COUGHS TEMPTATION.
The Great Reformers Natural APP
petite for Liquor.
Stories of the Famous Man Told by One
Who was Associated with Him in the
Temperance Workable Eos
Werth's Whisky Bottle.

Temperance Work-NIilo SOs-
wertll's Whisky Bottle.
eyes, gentlemen, carried pint bot
tie Of whisky in my pocket for fifteen
years and never drank drop OF 1t, said
Milo Bosworth, well-known citizen OF
the South side, who is eighty-fiye years
old. to a Cleveland Leader reporter.
"When l was q young fellow | drank
pretty hard in fact l was drunk about
all the time, but when | got married |
thought it was time to call halt. |
went down to Chagrin Falls on little
business, and before came home l
stopped at Boards grocery, as was my
custom, and had my flask filled. had
made up my mind that that would be
the last LIQUOR would drink for fifteen
years, bnt when got into my wagon !
fell to thinking about the matter and
came to the conclusion that there was
no time like the present, and just
put that bottle in my nip pocket, and
there I carried it for fifteen long years,
and during that time never touched
drop Of liquor Of any kind.
"Well, about twelve years after that,
Cough, the great temperance orator, was
advertised to speak in Cleveland. The
posters informed us that the meeting
would 10 held in the Presby 5erian
church. You young fellows probably
mover heard of that church. 1t was ~
large, wooden structure. and stood on
the site Of the Old Stone Church. OF
course we attended the meeting, which
occurred on the sabbath, and / kinder
took notion to Cough and asked
him to go dome and dine with us.
He accepted, and after dinner I took
out the bottle I had carried for
twelve years and asked bin if he
would take drink. I just said it in
fun, but great guns, you ought to have
seen that man. He turned first red and
then white, and finally gas ped out the
words:
"<Put it up. can Stand IT, Put it
up, say, before disgrace myself [
was frightened, and put the flask il my
pocket in hurry. He didn't say any
thing for several minutes, but sat with
his head between his hands. Finally he
looked up and said;
should display my weakness in yonr
house, but sometimes | have an uncon~
trollable desire for liquor, and when 1
saw your flask would have given my
life for drink. But he continued. Il
understood you to say that you had car
ried that bottle and not drank any thing
for twelve years?>'
"sTbat is true,' [ said, and then pro-
ceeded to tell him Of the circumstances
of NV swearing off. When he had heard
me through he said: You arc Just the
man am looking for, and | want yon to
go to England with me- Of course
was taken by surprise, and asked him to
explain. He said that he had long
wanted reformed drunkard to travel
with him and lecture, and that a IAN
with ny will was just the chap be de-
sired Well, l talked the matter over
with my wife, and she said that she
guessed she could spare me for a year or
SO, and The upshou Of the thing was that
Cough and / formed q partnership
whereby I Was to receive Is handsome
percen Jage Of the receipts, and we
started out.
"Albany Was the first place where we
were billed to lecture, and ! tell you
there was q crowd there 10 hear us.
Cough had advertised the reformed
drunkard feature for all it was worth,
and ] was regarded with rs much Gu
riosity as the dime museum freaks are
to-day. From Albany We went TO H,s'
ton, and finally to New York, where VIZ
bid goodbye to America and set sail
for England. A stop was made in
ireland, and at Dublin the largest
hall in the city wouldn't hold
the people gave those who were
on the outside tickets and had
them come the next night. One way Of
running the lecture was to have Cough
make an opening speech, after which
he would introduce me as the reformed
drunkard. would step forward and as
a starter would slap down my whisky
bottle on the table and tell the audience
how long / had carried it, After that
We would call for people to come for
ward and sign the pledge, and there were
dozens who complied every night. In
England we were very successful and
we remained there three years. At the
end of that time was getting little
home sick and wanted to SEQ my family.
So told Cough that guessed ] would
quit, and we looked over the books and
settled up. l had $1,000 coming to me,
and brought every cent OF it oack to
Cleveland and deposited it In the old
bank down on Canal street,"
Speaking of Cough, he said: she was
great orator and grand nobleman, but
he was not master of himself. | re-
member one time, when man put some
whisky in glass of soda water he was
about to drink. just that taste was
enough to set the appetite aflre within
him. Very few people ever knew OF
this, but it is true nevertheless, and the
fact is related in one Of his biographies.
When he came out of it I never saw a
mai feel so in all my life He cried like
baby, and vowed that he would never
speak before an audience again, and If l
remember rightly he Cancelled his en-
gagements for the rest Of that year. He
has told me many times when passing
saloons. mounted on horse, he had dug