Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-14
They Play the Role Of Horrible Elk.
ample at a Picnic.
FRIENDS THOUGHT IT WAS SUNSrROKE
investigation, However, Develops a
Clear Case of Inebriation.
AN UNFORTUNATE MISTAKE


persons about the catastrophe which be-
fell Deacon Drinkwater and his wife that
the affair really needs some explanation,
one way or the other, and it is due the
worthy deacon that it be made in The
Star. He has been a lifelong subscriber,
and realizes that, while his name is not
Drinkwater, when the story is printed the
circumstances will be fully understood by
those reading.
The deacon and his wife are not only
noted for their piety and charity, but for
the interest which they have always mani
tested in all temperance work.
That such thing could have hap
pened, not only to him. but to his wife.
which did occur seems almost incredible.
One of the old lady members of the church
stated that she would not have believed 1t
If she had not seen 1t, and even then she
had doubts. She said with tears in her
eyes that she would rather have seen the
minister himself in such a condition than
the deacon, for it was known that the min
lister had been a rather wild chap in his
boyhood days.
Sometimes Excusable.
ITS all right said the old lady, cor
rather tits excusable, sometimes, for a
young man to SOW his wild oats, and then
Settle uOWH II seems TO De IN the DOHeS
of some people and has to be worked out.
But take old man like Deacon Drink
water, who has never touched drop Of
liquor from his birth. When he gets start
ed once, in his old age, he becomes sot in
his ways and there amt no breaking him.
My! My! Myi To think that should ever
have seen the deacon under the influence
of liquor
1t was plain case of drunk, no doubt
about that and exhibited SO openly that
MO n VII n yIvifn CaI
it. 1t occurred in a public place, at Sun
day school picnic. AT first the friends of
the deacon really believed that it was sun
stroke, and refused to hear of anything
else, until they were convinced that the
symptoms were not those of the sun, but
of plain alcohol. Strange to say, the dea-
cons wife afflicted about the same
time with something which 1t was thought
was case of Mysteries. brought on by wit
Messing the deacons condition. The sup
posed Mysteries were shown to be not such
at all, and 1t was evident that II the two
had not been drinking from the same jug,
they had at least drunk the same liquor
out of the same glass.
The Sunday school excursion down the
river had been looked forward to for long
time by those intending to take part in
1t, and the deacon was Ole Of the moving
lights in the scheme. He had limited mys-
teriously that something was in store for
the excursionists. but they had never
dreamed he intended such surprise He
said afterward that the surprise he meant
was one including fireworks, but the less
religious members of the congregation as
stead of pyrotechnics, for he had smeared
1t on thick on the occasion referred to.
Early at the Wharf.
The excursion took place one afternoon,
1t being the intention of the promoters to
return late that night. The deacon with
his wife was on hand early at the wharf.
He carried basket on his arm and de-
posted it carefully, after he had gone on
board, In a state room which had been re-
served for himself and his wife. This
showed malice prepense, the irreverent said,
and proved clearly that the deacon was
contemplating spree, but had not intend
ed to carry it as far as he did. Owing to
his prominence in church circles, as well
as in general affairs, the deacon had no
trouble in getting state room reserved,
and explained that as he and his wife were
not young as they had been he wished
some place to retire to when they should
become weary. The explanation did not
go for cent
1t was noticed and talked of afterward by
the excursionists that when he started the
deacon was in fairly good humor, but
not noticeably jovial in the least. Those
who took any account of him saw that he
visited the state room frequently on the
way dawn, and after he came out each
time he appeared in higher spirits than be-
fore. The rest of 1t is told by one of the
young men who went down, simply to be
going somewhere, he not having expected
to derive airy benefit from it's being Sun
day school picnic. His version Was as fol-
lows
Had the Symptoms.
"When the deacon passed me once l
noticed he had a breath on him like an old
time rounder. His eyes were bright and
he looked like two-year-old. He came
up to me, shook my hand said he had
seen me before, but did not recognize me
and would be glad to see me again. l Won
dered If he had ever patroniZed the same
saloons l did, and asked him when was
the last tire he was across the river. He
patted me on the shoulder Familiarity and
ended with hiccough, and an injunction
not to shay word Booze began to do
it's work before we got ten miles down.
Being sport myself l called the deacon
to one side and told him that he ought to
do his drinking more privately, not to give
a good thing like that away. He waved
his hand loftily and remarked that every
body knew him and he didn't give a
what was the matter. By this time some
of the members Of the congregation had
tumbled to his racket and crowded about
him. The deacon threw his arms around
them and remarked that for good solid en-
joyment there was nothing like trip down
the river. with lots of friends. He was
even IN favor of prolonging the trip and
not touching at the grounds at all. Two
other deacons were expostulating with him,
and he 1idnt do thing but push one OF
whirl his arms around like windmill. His
face was red and his white Panama hat
was tilted over the edge of his eye with
the look Of Bowery tough.
lit seemed pity to me that a jag like
that should be wasted on a Sunday school
picnic, and l tried TO lead him to the state
room, where his wife was sitting, I sup
posed, almost shocked to death at the idea
of his condition. When l opened the door
she raised up from the chair, and, laughing
in a maudlin manner, almost fell over on
me. Good Lord l thought to myself, has
she been getting that way, too?' There
was a large jar of some purplish-looking
stuff on the table in the room, and two
glasses beside it. didn't know what it
was, but, from the smell, it must have been
pretty good stuff and strong enough to
knock out a Digger Indian at forty rodss
Three Horses at Once.
II had little business to attend to my
self, with fellow ON board, who had bot
tie, and kind Of lost track Of the deacon
until after the boat had landed and the ex-
cursionists had gone ashore. happened to
be up near the flying horses, when 1 saw a
large crowd collected in the vicinity, some
apparently amused and others evidently
shocked, at something they were watching
1 pushed my way throughsand what should
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