The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-03-14

ID his mind. For some time she watch |
ID him almost day and night, with her
leart breaking with sorrow. A young
nan, nephew, was her main-stay in
his trying hour. One day as this
lephew was walking the streets of
disturbing no one, ruffian,
made 80 by strong drink, who had boast
ID that he was going to rip some one
,pen that day, came rushing along the
treet and literally ripped open this
nephew 30 that he must needs carry his
,wn bowels in his own hands to the
nearest DOCTORS Office. Oh, the hearts
hat are made bitter by this accursed
rafic. And yet 1 have no doubt some
If you will 60 out of this house mad at
ne today because 1 have spoken out 30
plainly. If there is ever a time in my
life when 1 covet elcquence, power of
speech, a vivid imagination, it is when I
am called upon to speak on this subject
of strong drink.
The tragedy that has 90 suddenly
aroused our peaceful village from it's
usual quiet may happen at any time, iu
any one OF ten Thousand villages and
cities of our land of liberty. Every daily
paper gives account of q number of such
tragedies. But they receive but little
attention from US because the parties
are strangers to us. As an illustration
of the fre quency of these tragedies, here
are three cases taken from one column
of one paper alone.
I. lone evening two weeks ago DON
ovan came home early with money in his
pocket, for he had been working and
was Just paid off. He showed his money
to his wife, and she begged him to let
her have q little of it to buy herself and
the baby something to eat. But he
laughed at her. and went away to the
sa.oon, and she, hungry and tired with
caring for her sick baby, waited until
after midnight, met him at the door az
he came staggering home, and with her
arms around his neck tried to tell him
that they needed the doctor for the
baby, and he pushed her aside, and
drawing his revolver, shot her. The
police found her lying in her own blood
on the floor, with her baby clasped in
her arms, and her husband hidden
under the bed wrapped in piece o.
carpet"
II. "In the city of San Francisco in &
padded cell raves a woman described
by the press dispatches as middle-aged
and beautiful. A few days ago she lived
in an humble cottage on Broadway ir
that city, and the police, sent to the
house by the neighbors, who believed
that something was wrong, found hel
kneeling on the bare floor with one arm
around each of her little girls, wildly
praying God to protect them from the
rage of her drunken husband. The
physicians said she was insane, and the
neighbors said that the cruelty of {
drunken husband did it."
III. "Up in the Adirondack noun
talns two or three days ago, q coroner
was called to take the ante-mortem
statement of q dying woman, and she
with a woman's all-merciful kindness
tried to shield the man who had killed
her, for he was her husband, and coming
home drunk had fred three shots int
her as she lay helpless in bed with hel
baby a few hours old. He kissed her
poor wretch, as she lay dying, and wep
bitterly; he never would have done i
had he not been drunk, he would no
have been drunk, but for the plac'
where liquor is Sold"
This one comes right home to us, ant
should set us to thinking as we hav'
thought before. What are we going t,
do about it? Fold our hands. sit still
and let Satan have full control of ou
community? Not if we are loyal to Got
and to the best interests of our fellow
men. To be Indifferent at such tim
as this, to let our feelings evaporate in
little sentimental talk, is criminal.
for one could not look into the faces O
our young men on Thursday, and see tn
manifest evidence that they are fas
being bound beyond redemption b.
this arch enemy of the human race
without swearing anew my eterns
hatred to this soul-destroying, man
hating, God defying traffic. foun
myself saying, In the strength o
Jehovah, the God of battles we will con
tinue our fight with this business, locs
or national, as long as life shall last.
is not enough to say they had no bust
ness getting drunk. That is true. Blu
we who know something of the awfu
res ults of drink, and who make the law
of the land, have no business to let it b
possible for them to get the drink in ou
community or land. We cannot so light
ly shake off our responsibility in thi
matter. We are our brothers keepe
whether we are willing to admit it Q
not. And for his keeping, 80 far as
lies in our power, We will be held re
sponsible in the court of supreme adjuC
ication. We must not blind ourselves G
permit ourselves to be blinded, to thi
one fact, that no matter where th
whisky came from that caused the awfl
tragedy of last Thursday, it would nj
in all probability have happened in OF
town if liquor was not sold in our mids
So at the door of the saloon, where tn
poor man breathed out his life. at tt
at the door of every saloon in this lam
and at the door of every man in any ws
responsible for its presence in our Ian