The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-06
DIED OF DRINK.
A Coats Long Career of Dissipation
Comes to an End.
From the Chicapo Journal

A Coats Long Career of Dissipation
Comes to an End.
From the Chicago Journal.
Another checkered career is closed.
After short life. chiefly notable, it is
to be feared. for a persistent tendency
to stray from the straight and narrow
path. the most prominent billy goat in
Elsdon has gone to his account.
ElsdOn is a suburb which, like the
now famous Hegewisch. is situated,
small oasis Of life, in the vast waste.
and wilderness that forms the southern
precincts of the city. It's chief industry
is shunting of railroad cars, for the
freight yards of the Grand Trunk rail-
way are situated there. Perhaps it was
the example impressed upon his youth
full mind by the sight of an engine
bunting a car down siding. added to
the instinct of his race. that made the
deceased the most unremitting and in
discriminate butter" within the MEM
Dry of the Oldest inhabitant.
But there was no excuse for his
drinking. William was a drunkard.
One day while he was yet an innocent,
If irascible kid. he was investigating
with the curiosity of youth a long time
Of men who were eating their midday
meal. From time to time they plunged
their faces with much apparent gustO
into the depths Of what he had already
learned from is wanderings in the pur-
lieus of Elsdon were tin cans. Soon
one Of the men saw him and held out
his pail, saying: Hello, Billy, have a
drink" Little William was fattered,
but stammered out half-hearted re-
fusal. The man urged and finally lit
tie William drank. That was the be-
ginning of the end. ~
From that fatal day William Goat
forsook the savory alleys and the soc1-a
ETY. of his kind and hung about saloons.
The men all thought Billy in this re-
spect wonder. and quenched his rap
idly growing thirst. The bartenders
treated generously and no topper ever
had an easier road to ruin. So
Williams owner was Dr. Tate, OF
Elsdon, who had taken BILLY when a
mere babe, from William Mcmillan.
who now lives in Riverdale. The doctor
watched the development of this case
Of alcoholism with scientific interest
at first But presently Billy's career
became public menace. His first GRIM
inal act was an assault and battery.
One day when he had acquired his
usual jag he spied portly woman
plodding cautiously along the road
with a large bag of shavings on her
back. Williams wickedness had reach
ed the point where there was no room
left for reverence or respect for age or
sex He took an easy start, his speed
Quickened, an ecstatic vision of the
biggest switch engine in the yard
shunting a freight" past the switch
shot through his mind. Then he land
ed full in the center of the bag Of shay
ings. The unfortunate woman was
Knocked fiat and buried under her bur-
den. Just as Billy was making ready
for a second charge, bystanders rush
ed to the rescue of his victim and took
him into custody. Owing to laxness Of
Justice in Elsdon, Billy was not prose-
cuted So he continued his career of
crime.
At any hour of the day Billy might
have been seen Zig-Zagging along the
streets or lying in a drunken stupor,
or chasing children or old women. One
day he broke into his guardians dining
room and jumped on the table, which
was already spread for meal scat
tering glass and china in every diree-
ton. Soon after he invaded the parlor
and knocked down the doctors wife.
Then Dr. Tate sold him to a saloon
keeper. That was too much for Billys
bibulous ambition and he now fills a
drunkard'S grave.
The grief displayed in Edison at his
untimely end was not of the grief
stricken type.