Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-12
COLvER IN THE FRESHMAN CLASS
A Well-Known Newspaper Man
and the Kelley Cure.
He Describes How He Became a Vic
tim to King Alcohol.
Six Years' Attempt to Get Away With
Whisky Ends Disastrouly-His
Entrance at the River
side College.

Everyone who has had anything to
do with newspapers in Southern Califor-
MIA knows 'Dick" Colver, remarkably
bright young reporter, whose greatest
failing has been, in shop talk, that OF
"falling down" at the worst possible
time, because of his potations. If Col
yer was given a very important detail it
was dollars to doughnuts that he would
not be seen until ''closing up" time,
when with determined look of bracing
up, he would somehow manage to work
his way into the 'local room" and tell
the city editor how sorry he vas.
Notwithstanding this defect, Mr.. Col
ver's decided ability and remarkable
powers of digging up good stories, won
him warm friends among his associates
and they have all hoped that he would
eventually be able to quit. He seems
now to be in a fair way ofovercoming the
habit which has done him go much in
jury, and has below written frank, in
teresting statement of his progress.l
Special correspondence of the HERALD.
RIVERSIDE, CAL, Dec. l0.-Aiter six
years of devotion and vigorous endeavor
to consume all the whisky that came
my way, find myself here at the beau
tiful city of Riverside engaged in an at
| tempt to kill whatever desire for the
"elegant booze" there exists within me.
This is confession that do not make
in spirit of braggadocia. but rather
with decided feeling OF rsmorse.
will admit that it is in shame and in
sorrow that. am forced to state-if
tell the truth--that the result of six
years. labor of the 81 that have been
on this earth have been wasted; but
there is one thing that 1 am not
ashamed of, and that is the fact that
am today here at Riverside with some
80 other "jags," who, like myself, desire
| to quit. [ am suffering some little in
| convenience and the treatment has thus
lar caused me to acquire come strange
sensations. One thing, though, l desire
| to state, and it is this The anomalous
| feeling is much more pleasant and con-
| genial than one feels in getting off a
! drunk.
During six years leet past l have par
taken OF the flowing bowl in 10 states,
not including the state OF intoxication.
| Barkeepers in three territories have
sold to me what they claimed was
whisky, and in the absence of any sub
stitute I have been forced to take them
at their word. For the first two years
that the golden juice of the corn per-
meated my system the results that en-
sued brought joy to my heart, and l
considered myself then to be sure
enough a iull-grown man. The
first drink of whisky that ever
| passed my lips was in the
| prohibition Jayhawker state of Kansas.
1t was what is known as "drug store
whisky" This brand is said to differ
from the ordinary "booze" that is sold
over the average bar. But right here
l desire to state that all whiskies. drug
store or otherwise, are just the same SIS
| far as cause and effect is concerned.
After three years of dalliance with
"drug store whisky" now and then
mixed with some OF the brands dis.
pensed in the saloons of the adjoining
states, my friends commenced to APP
proach me with the information that l
had better quit. But, oh, no. was
all right. l can quit whenever want
to. With this idea permeating my
feeble brain, it is needless to add that l
did not quit.
For another year continued merrily
on the herculean task of endeavoring to
drink all of the whisky that nine rail-
road systems could bring into Kansas
City. My success was questionable. |
desire to state that was not alone in
this work of trying to stamp out the
whisky traffic by consuming the product
as fast as it could be made. There were
about 100 900 other men and women in
Kansas City who were with me and who
did their best, but do not believe that
any of them excelled me.
1t was in the fifth year OF my ap.
premiership to his royal majesty, King
Alcohol, that my friends arrived at the
conclusion that had fitted myself to
occupy drunkard's grave. This pleas
ant information was frequently i'm
parted to me by good and true friends
who really were interested in me and
who meant all right. Invariably this
pointer, when it was given me, was fol-
lowed by three or four days of alcoholic
reyelry. would then recover and re-
sumo labor for time. drinking in mod
GRAFTON each day, perhaps, acquiring
only what would be called ''quiet
heat"
In the sixth year of my service,
which Is the present one, l met in
Kansas City hotel feshy gentleman
with round, philanthropic face. At
I the time of the meeting had one of
those congenial, pleasant ''jags" on,
when man feels at peace with the
world and has no complaint to file. The
round-faced gentleman came up to me
with smile, and said:
"Young man. will cure you OF the
whisky habit, if you will permit me-"
told him that he was the man was
looking for, and an arrangement was
finally made whereby he was to treat
me for dipsomania, otherwise known as
drunkenness. That evening found me
in another blaze of alcoholic glory, to
use the words of another.
The next morning, though, came to,
and about six drinks put me on my feet.
l then proceeded to the hotel, and at the
hands of the round-faeed, philanthropic
fat man l took my first treatment. He
claimed that it was Hesler's bi.chloride
of gold cure" For ten da-s he treated
me, and be then pronounced me cured.
By this time had arrived at the con-
elusion that if desired to remain long
on this mundane sphere it would be a
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