The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-06-22
w. CT. U. COLUMN.
CONDUCTED BY MRS. NJ. l.. HOBBS.
A RUMsELLER's STORY.
How Tic Got Into the Business and Why
lie Got Out OF il.

as told by a genuine liquor dealer
to II. l.. Rcadc, Jcwctt City, Conn,
and reproduced in the words Of the
man who told the story with refer
cnce To himself. No doubt this
story is substantially the story OF
thousands engaged in the business.
was born in Canada. When !
was 10 years old, came with my
parents to the States, and with 9TH
er members of the family began
work in a cotton mill. Being large
OF my age, ] was very soon getting
- cents day-more money than
| could yet for a weeks work In the
place where | came from.
Ny father took my wages until !
was 20. When | started for my
self, | got good pay and immediate
ly began to lay up money. Before
mill and after | used to fake care Of
lot of fancy fowls and to train
dogs. out of which business made
more money, which added to what
| got working in the mill.
Before long ! had enough TO hire
ia saloon, pay for a license and 90
Into the liquor business. | was
young and ambitious, and did all
that could to attract custom 10 my
shop. In my efforts ! frequently
broke the law, and n the prose
cutting agent meant business | was
often arrested for illegal sale.
Ten times have ! been before the
courts, and while never have got
put into jail have had to pay lots
of money for breaking the law. |
did not understand how it was at
first that was took up 50 much.
Aittryard | al. When | began
selling, if an "a rot noisy and saucy
and nasty in his talk, would hus-
tie him out. That would make him
mad, and he would get some boy
under age to buy pint or some
body to come and get drinks on
Sunday. and first ] would know the
officer would be on me, and it would
be "settlc or the jail. Afterward
| took their sauce and filth whether
i; was agin my grain or not.
From the first never liked the
business. | never drank myself.
II never liked the taste of liquor,
land after seeing what miserable,
Ibcastly fools il made Of men | could
not touch the stun anyway. But !
kept in il because there was money
lin it. could buy cheap liquor at
a little less than 80 a gallon, put
in my shop, and if sold il by the
drink il brought me 50 and some
times more. That's pretty good
profit.
After awhile said | will quit the
business, and | did and went TO
work by the day. as ! did before |
began to sell rum.
You ask me what made me quit
1.-THE buSiness2 Ill tell you. Ny
wife and lived in the same house
where we sold the liquor-thc sa-
loon below and the tenement over
head. We had some children. and
once in awhile my little girls would
come into the shop, no matter how
much we tried Ia keep them out,
and most always there would be
half drunken men in the saloon,
and these girls would hear their talk
and see their actions.
saw that nothing could be worse
for my family than seeing what they
did and what they could not help
seeing. Besides, saw that the
childrcn Of some Of my ncighbors
who kept saloons, were growing up
bad. some of the girls We're street
walkers, and the boys Were begin
ming to drink and ''bum," and !
said {, my wife ! had rather shovel
gravel at 81 a day than to see my
girls harlots and my boys sots.
Then. again, never had any peace.
After | got to bed some hall crazed
man would begin to kick my door
and hollcr for me 10 get up and
give him some rum.
Sometimes four or five would
come in and make a night Of it. |
could not get the drunken fools out.
Ii il was cold, I'd got to keep them
anyway, and if it was not cold and
| put them out they might tell on
me and make me trouble, and 30
had to sit up all night and never
cot a cent. We all broke the law
selling 10 minors and selling sun
days--and everyday expected the
sheriff would be on Us, and what
peace could | have2
And so | quit it, and would
starvc before | would take il up
again. And we are a happy family