The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-09
A VICTIM OF DRINK.
The Checl<ered Career of Samuel
NOtner, Lawyer.

"Sam Notner, age 50, lawyer, drunk, .
was one of the entries upon the regis
ter at the police station last night. To
register drunk is not an uncommon
occurrence for the police officials, but
probably few topers have stepped up
to the iron screen, had their pockets
searched, and then thrown into the
odorous drunk-pen, have had the ex-
periences in life that old Notner has
had
Notner, now sleeping off a drunken
stupor in the city bastile, was once a
men of social and financial standing,
a lawyer of unusual ability, rapidly
achieving fame in his profession. That
was in Kentucky twenty-five years
not distinguish him from Plum alley
bum His hair is gray, his eyes have
become Sunken, and upon his counte-
nance are the plain marks of life of
dissipation and care. His speech is
changed from that of a quarter of a
century ago, when he could move d
jury to tears and laughter at will. Old
Notner now is moral, mental and
physical wreck.
1t was in the '70's that Notner gained
fame in the Bourbon state as rising
young barrister He built up an ex-
tenSive practice, as we'll as the pc
cuniary rewards such a profession and
practice brings. He married into a.
prominent family and was regarded as
leader in society circles. His wife
died and the period between drinks
became shorter. His downfall was
rapid, and soon he was confronted with
the condition that he must leave the
state or suffer for some wrong doing.
He chose the former and went to Mon
tana, where he engaged in gold mining
near Miles City. He made money,
saved it and went into the famous
Cariboo mining region in British Co
lumbia, where he made another for
tune. He established a steamer line
on the Frazer river, married a wealthy
widow and was again in the ascen-
dancy. But the demon drink had taken
hold of him and a few years later he
was separated from his second wife.
who is still residing in Victoria. B. c.
What money he had left was squan-
dered in few years. and Notner was
again a pauper, going about the back
alleys begging for bread.
In 1885 Notner made another at
tempt to advance in life and was sue
cessful. He boarded a whaler bound
for the Behring sea and was one of
the discoveries of the Youkon gold
fields in Alaska. He made something
like $4,000 and he squandered a por-
ton of this while the balance was in
vested in a schooner which he made
regular trips in from Puget sound to
Alaska trading whisky with the
Siwashes for seal skins. This business
was profitable in those days and Not
ner made money right and left until
one fine day his craft was caught by
the United States revenue cutter. This
was in a small harbor on an island
near Fort Juneau. Notner saw the
revenue cutter coming and escaped to
the shore in company with several of
his men. This would have been en-
tirely unnecessary for it turned out
afterwards that no evidence against
his Illegal traffic could be obtained.
However, Notner left everything and
securing canoes from friendly Indians,
the crew made its way 10 Victoria,
living while en- route on CLAIMS and
salmon. and such other food as was
furnished by the Siwashes.
Arriving at British Columbia's capt.
tai city, Notner again took to drink.
Before all his money was gone he went
to Seattle and made a small fortune in
real estate speculation, preferring
speculation to building up practice in
his profession. But still he could not
let John Barleycorn alone. He lived
like prince, spent money right and
left and soon he was a candidate for
the poor house. In the meantime the
government had gathered up some evil
dence against his Alaska whisky traf-
fic and while the boat was confiscated
and sold by the government, Notner
through some technicalities of the law,
ESCAPED prosecution.
From this time on Notner has been
a tramp He has travelled over the
entire country, riding on brake beams
sleeping in hay stacks ind barn lofts,
begging at farm houses for pies or at
the back doors of restaurants for soup
bones. He knows the Bowery in New
York city and can describe every