The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-02-18
CITY MARSHAL
JOHN LATTA
Writ ties a Letter to the Board of
Mayor and Aldermen.
He Gives Some Personal observations
from Twenty-Five Years of
Official Life,
And Affirms That the Ten O'Clock Law
is the Best Law Ever Put on the
statute Books of the City of
Columbia.

EDITOR HERALD.-Will you please
allow me through the columns of
the HERALD to give some facts from
about twenty-five years experience
and observation as an officer OF THIS
city, as to how large majority or
the men who become drunkards,
make their start?
Soon after | was first elected to
the police force, / began to notice
certain boys and young men, after
all other business houses except the
saloons were closed, hanging around
the saloons, aud drinking and play
ing pool: at first, moderately and |
rather shy about it; but as time
went on, and in short time at that, |
7 saw numbers of them getting
drunk, gambling, and forming other
habits that were fast robbing them
of their manhood and honor, and
leading inivitably to the bad.
So fast gait were they going and
with such increasing speed, that L
determined that all / could do by a
strict enforcement of the laws and
good advice to them, should be done
to save them from this downward
course.
Moved by this impulse, a little
later on 1 determined to call the
attention of the parents Of Columbia
to the Importance of a more strict
/ watch over and control of their boys;
and | did so, in an open letter ad-
a dressed to the parents of this city,
> in which called their attention to
1 the drinking, gambling and other
: bad habits that their boys were
8 drifting into.
q The first night after that letter
Z was published, a number of young
: men met in one of the fashionable
> saloons of the town and held an
|, indignation meeting, and passed
d resolutions that they never would
a rest until John Latta was defeated
n for office. The young man who was
a the leader of the party, and who
stood upon a whiskey barrel and
g. made his talk to the crowd, kept up
IS his habits of dissipation to such an
,r extent, that in the course OF few
NJ wears he was a total wreck anc
ri ended his own life by committing
IN suicide. Some others of them have
I'd also come to very sad ends.
20 These boys were among the bright
p est in the city, and the one tina
m committed suicide was considered
a. perhaps the brightest young man il
columbia. He started out in bust
a. ness with the very best of prospect
Al, ahead of him, but, alas, whiske,
nd ruined him.
of And so things Have been going o.
he all through these years, and man
to and many bright, promising boy
d. both from town and country, have
at seen ruined by drifting off into thes
Ter bad habits.
he Some years ago 1 was told ths
ed there was certain man very sic
a ND stairs over certain saloon
NO this city, without any fire in tn
he room. 1t was very cold weathe
err and Capt. Russell and myself wei
nd M to see him, and found the fac
led as stated to be true. We then wei
to a boarding house and mac
M arrangements for a comfortab
of room and board for him, and hs
the him removed to it, and togeth
vas with other friends had him care
onl for until he died, and then had hi
VAS Dulleus lllO ludh 1hO w
rst about the same age, and were rais'
the up boys together. Some years b
Tim fore this he had married ono OF tl
lrst best girls in the country. AT {
rds time of their marriage she had
ms. estate worth about twenty thOusal
un- dollars. He had, while your
on formed the drink habit, and it h
to grown upon him so rapidly that
had in few years squandered t
his greater part of his wife's fortu
lent and made her life so wretched til
FER she could endure it no longer a
at left him. Before taking this st
pos she endured very much. Tn
of were neighbors of mine and l KIN,
most whereof | speak. In early life Il
,ays was a good boy, aud grew to be
,ers. good business man, and started {
his in life we'll; with good health,
con- good wife and plenty of means;
Lit he sacrificed all for drink and die
e to pauper and was buried by chart
out Another playmate of mine,
noble-hearted boy, comment
sick drinking while young and soon
arch to gambling, and went on drink
20, and gambling, until few years
ngs. he was shot down and killed in
INV. drunken row in saloon, by a n
more who had been his bosom friend
and caused by whiskey.
mes l could give, II 1t were necesss
tall the names of numbers and numb
lace. of families whose homes have b
Ither robbed of all comforts, peace
emf. happiness by drunkenness;
re, many of these drunkards began
drink after all other business hot
except the saloons and pool-ro'
were closed. The first thing wit
eases eases boy is a game ofpool; then a G.
. ne. or lemonade, then wine, then W
5 the key, and step by step they go
ly luptilthey are regular gamblers