Evening star., 1895-09-14
SOME GOOD, AFTER ALL
The Whisky Was Bad and It Put an End to
the Consumer.
But He Paid Splendidly for His Last
Drunk-SOme Usc--for the Worth
less Bummerx.

A Star reporter had finished a few incon-
gruvial remarks upon the frightful evils
of whisky drinking, suggested by the sight
OF a drunken man in the hands of several
policemen.
You could hardly think there could be
any good in whisky at all. could you?"
asked his companion, an old man, retired
from business
1T may do in the arts and sciences, in
cluding medicine" was the reply, "but as
a beverage it's dangers far exceed it's de-
lights"
And YETI said the old gentleman, half
soliloquently, IT have known it's use as a
beverage to save men from death by vio-
lence"
How? BY their getting so drunk they
couldn't get into dangerous places?'
Let me tell you" and the old gentleman
proceeded. Fifty years ago / was captain
of a trading boat on the Mississippi, and
had with me three clerks and boa tman
Business had not been very good from
Memphis down to NatcheZ, but about fifty
miles below Natchez we struck it rich, and
tied up to the bank for week. Money
seemed to be plenty, and We took in a lot
of it, and hadn't anything to complain of
except doless cuss that persisted in hang
ing about the boat day and night, begging
for whisky. We had plenty on board, and
it was so bad that we had hopes of killing
the fellow with it, but he drank all we gave
him, and when he wasn't in a drunken
sleep on the bank near us he was smelling
around for more. l feld him up as a
'frightful example to my men, and we had
about come to the conclusion that there
couldn't be anything much worse than
liquor drinking to excess. Business slack
ened up by Saturday. and we were going to
leave next day, and when our soak came
aboard about o'clock in the afternoon we
thought we might as well make him glo-
rio cln han, farn all
boys called him up to load him. He sur
prised the entire combination, however, by
declining to drink. and asked to see me in
private. l took him into the little room I
had and he told me there was scheme
on foot by lawless gang to raid the boat
that night, kill all and get out with the
money We had in the locker. l thought he
was drunk and crazy, and wouldn't believe
lin at first, but he insisted SO on the truth
OF his story. and said he was telling me
because he was so grateful for the liquor
that l had been giving him all week, that
finally called the others in, and we agreed
with our intemperate friend that We would
sleep on our arms and see that we were not
disturbed. About midnight, though we
had our guns ready, we were all sound
3sleep, when l was awakened by a low and
continuous rattle on my door. I got UP to
see what was wanted, and there / found
our man. He was so drunk that all he
could say was they're COMM when he
fell over. Two minutes later I had my
force on deck: and five minutes later we
had about lively a little naval battle as
you want to see but We drove the gang off,
and as none of us was hurt we didu't go
ashore to see what damage We had done.
What we did do, though. was to cut our
boat loose and get away as soon as We
could"
'And what became of the soak?" IN
quired The Star man.
He died with the Jim jams next morning
IS the sun rose and We buried him under
big cypress tree"