The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-09-21

ierked the drawer open ! presume to
oct a revolver. shutting it quickly he
jumped up on the desk with a large
lamp and let fly He struck me above
the temple and such was the force of
the blow that he turned me around. He
doubtless would have broken my skull
had not had a stiff derby hat ON.
hurried to the Wash-ro0m, locked the
door. and was determined todefend my
self to the last as | was sure / was to
be tortured and fearing to fall into the
hands Of these people who We're
really trying to save me from
myself. / tried to cut my throat
Fortunately the Ratchet WIS dull
Then I tried to go to the brain through
the temple with the corner of the
Ratchet. BY this tine at least 500 PEG
pie bad assembled Some were at the
door and others at the screen window.
Some had weapO OF offence, others of
defence, and in my delirlum ! imagined
these parties whom ] could see were
members of the mob. Keeping my eye
on the window, | sat Oh the marole
wash stand near the door, and had the
crowd broken in | would doubtless have
killed three before they could have
killed me Imagining it was only a
question of a short time and sure / was
to be tortured / cut my temple till from
loss of blood / was unable to raise the
Ratchet. The police discovering this
broke through the window Tossed
the Ratchet, put me in an ambul-
ance and hurried me to the
hospital to save me if possible.
As the wagon ratified over the rocky
street, | became reconciled to my doom.
/ was being taken to the place Of eXecu-
ton / was alternately submerged in
water and then enyeloped in fire. My
system was alike imperyiOus to both. The
water schocked not, the fire burned not.
The phantasm was so real that l felt like
sands in the hour glass of my life We're
about run down. | begged them to
shoot me-shut my eyes so that they
might place the deadly pistol to my tenn
pie / was sure | was dying, and in my
delirium troops of old friends stood
around me. | was at home again and
they had come to perform the last sad
offices for me. Every feature on every
face was plain and clear cut. Ny i'm
agination was at a high tension.
shrieked that | was a martyr to civil
liberty in one breath and that | was a
victim of political conspirators in the
next.
And all this was caused by the
excessive use and abuse Of morphine.
The devil has no agent 50 powerful to
use It is sure death, despair, degrade
ton 10 the user, but it does not stop
with the unhappy victim-in moment
of delirinm the fathers hand is often
imbr ued in the blood Of her whom he has
sworn to support, and Of the little ones,
pledges of their affection. Dante's In
ferno, in delineation of horrible things,
can furnish no parallel to the horrors of
an imagination wrought up Ly NOR
phine. The whole nature of man is
changed, and he is transformed into a
fend, alike dangerous to himself and
all around him. He draws the demons
Of hell TO his bosom and is pleased
with his company. They regard him
safely thus and go on tempting others
Young men, who are using 18 to IA
grain CT morphine day, stop! You may
think you can use it and conceal it, but
be sure your sins will find you out. And
if there are any morphine habitues,
whose eyes may peruse these lines, | will
feel that ] have not trod the wine
press in vain, if they are induced by my
awful experience, to stop at once; and