Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-06-18
WHISKEY WAR TIMES
A CHAPTER ABOUT THE ARDENT"
az AN EXPERIENCED VETERAN
r.b,,ous Prices Paid for Drinks ana
Menls-Dcvtces TO Obtain Liquor
Druggists Court Msrtta!ed.
To ne Editor Of TIE Dspdfch :


Druggists Court msrtta!cd.
To ne Editor of he Dispdtch &:
Ihaye prepared book entitled The
Co,federate Military Prisons in Richmond
During tho War; their Officers and Pri-
soncrs.p which at some future time shall
publish. | send you an extract from IL
which. think, will interest many OF your
readers:
WaiIey was in great demand during
the war, and 1t brought what would now
seem TO US fabulous prices. All snte-war
Richmonders knew Our House. situated
on Thirteenth street between MAIN ana
Cary streets, and they knew Charlie Hunt,
its genial. whole-souied proprle"r,
Charlie was frat lieutenant IN captain
Dabney's Heavy Artillery Company. whose
Long Tom" would send cannon-bails
with precision mile away into the enc
my's camp. Charlie came back 10 hich-
mond IN 1861 where he met many OF his
army comrades, and 1t cost MN over
three thousand dollars in single day
in treating them at his bar. Whiskey theh
sold for 1925 gallon and at tlO per drink.
French brandy sold for S525 per gallon
and at 3l5 per drink. An ordinary break
fast. consisting of coffee, bread, butter,
II a
aud beef-steak, with q mint lulet. woulu
cost $75 at the restaurants, ana later III
the war, when Confederate money more
rapidly deprecated. the cost OF whisAey
and meals were much higher.
BIG FIGURES.
have known General Humphrey Mar
shall, Of kentucky, to pay at leas, $500 Tor
"A breakfast. and whatever may oe SAID
obout Confederate money, and however
4 III oil
preciated. while it was in exstence II
could purchase whatever was ON the
market for sale.
There was plenty OF 1t and it was be
lieved in by many people, even after the
surrender at AppomattOx. The last tnat
| expended was 10 give 500 for glass OF
lemonade in Lyncuturg the day after that
surrender. Even now. although IL mas
lost its value as currency. II retains q
value as a SOucenr Of the Lost Cause,
and not long since n friend OF NINE sold
an assortment of Confederate notes, taste
fully arranged in q p;cture-frame, Tor S0Ou,
ard they are still sold as relics OF the war.
The southern people are proyerbial t0r
their love OF whlskey. In the good ola
DAYS befO de war; there was not home
in Virginia of any pTetension where there
were not decaatrrs OF II upon the side
board in the dining-room, and every
morning before breakfast and DeiOre din-
| ner the hOspltable owner OF tho mansion
would invite his guests down 70 the
! dining-ioom 10 take teddy or a lulep as
an appetizer. Sanding around the SIDE
| board. engaged IN pleasant conversation.
! thcy would lOiter over the cOncOction OF
! their drinks as If il was a pleasant occupa-
| ton. The children would come around
| and papa would give them SIP or TWO
out of his own glass, aud the ladies' them
selves would participate to limited eS-
| text. Tbs was an almost uniyers 81 Gus
! tom. II Is alluded to IN Captain Phllp
! Slaughter's account of General Lafayette
VISIT to Culpeper IN 1875. which was pub-
! lished in the Richmond Enquirer OF that
| year.
ALL HANDS WITH ToDDY.
He SAYS: ave reached Greenwood (the
| seat Of Judge Green. within mile OF
| Culpeper Courthouse, at / o'clock. Our
/ guests went into the house and .partook OF
| some refreshments, attended by Mrs.
Green, Mrs Patton, Ma. Slaughter.
and others. Colonel Gibsons troop pa
raded all dismounted and arrayed them
! selves at their horses heads and General
| LAFAYETTE, at his own request, was nitro
| duced to each man individually, aud
| .Tnlge GJreB t'edLd eli hands 'ciM tOtfy" j
do not think the practice of drinking
| then was more universal than 1t IS
now, but its effect upon the individual
was different. Then it would make you
! drunk. but 1t would not make you SICK.
| Now il will IntoXlcaLe you and also destroy
your stomach. Then the whlskey wao
! homemade and was the pure essence OF
| corn or rye. Now 1t has foreign ingredi-
ents in It ID is medicated IN order 20 give
! il a better flavor and to make II sell, but
the result is that 1t is death after while
| il the habit is persisted III. have known
| a man TO be drunk every day for forty
| wears of of old-time whiskey and 1--we TO
| be 50 wears of age. Where IS the mau now
who can drink this modern indicated Wills
| KEY so long and live?
| These remarks are not exactly dproDos
! 10 nv subject, but | could not help inter
! iecting them, because l know there are
| many old gentlemen in all parts OF Viz
gina whose lips will smack with re-
newed gust, at the memories they Will
| recall.
| DEVICES AND STRATAGEHS.
The Confederate Government required
| large quantities or whrskey for the use of
| the wounded soldiers. and almost mad
| monopoly OF its purchase. Hence IT be
came scarce and the people OF Richmond
resorted 10 many devices and stratagems
| TO obtain il.
General Winder issued an order that no
| whiskey should be sold TO any person eX-
| cept upon written permit from him or
upon the prescription ot physician. AT
once tho city was filled with people suffer
| ing with all kinds Of aches, diseases. and
| ailments that required stmuants. A bury
officer, of duty, lettering around Rich
mOnd, would 20 20 physician and say
IL am suffering with chills give me pre-
scTiptIon." No qulnlne could be
| had that was a scarce commodity,
| and could only be obtained every
now and then through the agency of
| blockader-unners. Doctor, can't you
prescribe a bottle Of whlskeyI / shall dleIt
| / don't get tho medicine" The prescrlp-
| ton was given, and the patient. at once re-
! invigorated with health, marched on with
| buoyant spirits to the nearest apothecary.
obtained his bottle Of whlskey. and soon
was enjoying it with his boon companions
aud laughing az how he had fooled the
doctor and the old General. These clan
! destine methods of obtaining ardent
| spirits became 80 common that General
Minder's detective force determined TO
prevent il if possible.
DIsHoEoRABLE METHODS.
They resorted, however, to very despica-
| bic means to effect their purpose-some
| of them forged prescriptions of certain
| we'll known physicians and took them to
several reputable druggists. who. not sus-
pectIng them to be forgeries, furnished
| the bearers with bottles OF whiskey.
Thereupon the druggists were arrested and
| brought to Castle Goodwin. bat upon the
representations made by them IN respect
to the matter and the knowledge
we had OF their characters they
were not imprisoned. but released on
| their promises 10 appear before the court
martial, which was in session all the time
10 hear such and other cases. The drug
gists who were thus treated, only one or
two of whom now carry on business in the
city of Richmond. were all well-known and
highly respected citizens.
THE FINDINGS.
They were tried and thefollowlng is the
judgment of the court in their cases:
HEADQ'Rs DEPARTMENT or HESRIco,
RICHMOND, Va, April IL, 1862.
General orders No. 70:
At general court-martial assembled in
Richmond pursuant to paragraph q, SDe-
cal Orders No. 81. Headquarters Depart
ment of Henrico issued April 2, 1869. were
arraigned and tried upon the following
charge, sale or disposition of spirituous
liquors or other intoxicating beverages
to which charge the prisoners severally
pleaded not guilty. and the court, having
4 Al A Il