Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-27
TIMELY WARNING.

AS told in the Courier dipsomaniac
sent from Sac City to the inebriate
ward in the Mt. Pleasant hospital has
written letter of warning to the young
men of that place which others as well
as those directly addressed would do
well to heed. The Keokuk Gate City
editorially reviews the case and COM
ments thereon. 1t says:
The writer had been in the hospital
two weeks when he felt called upon to
relate his experience for the benefit of
his former associates. He admits that
he has learned good lesson and ex-
presses the hope that there will no.
body come there from Sac City to veri-
fly what he says. He is quite sure they
would not enjoy the experience. There
We're thirty in the ward at the time,
representing nearly all trades and por-
fessions, and there was work for all of
them. When they go out for exercise,
two hours in the forenoon and two in
the afternoon, they march in double
column under guard. ct is like being
in a pen," says the writer, $50 boys,
bear in mind what you have to contend
with if you ever get here" No whisky
or liquor of any kind is allowed the in
mates under any circumstances. The
writer says:
One man died since I came. He
could have been saved by giving him
whisky, but that don't go here. You
needn't expect anything of the kind
on the start as you will not get it il
you come here. 1t is to live or die but
no whisky
Each inmate of the inebriate ward is
proyidede with a 10x12 sill three feet
long with handle attachment, covered
with blanket. 1t weighs about fifty
pounds and he is expected to push this
around the room for half an hour be-
fore breakfast 90, it's fun" he says
ironically. Further interesting partic-
ulars are thus detailed:
After breakfast the same old thing
over again, then go out for walk.
When we come in the first thing we
hear is get rubber"
We have 500 dishes to wash and
wipe every day. o. it's snap!
| Some of the men get no medicine. |
get mine five or six times day. It's
a sure cure if you keep your head when
you get out. There is one good thing
about this place: you can save your
money, but the income is small. l had
two cents when | came here and
have it yet They furnish us one
stamp a week. read all our mail that
we send out but not what comes in.
If it don't suit them it goes into the
waste basket.
The letter ends with the following
/ timely and earnest advice:
/ | wish to say to the Sac City boys,
beware of Mt. Pleasant hospital as it
is a sure cure even if you don't take
any medicine. | would not come back
here for all the booze in the state. You
/ can see how sick l am of it and have
been here only three weeks, but have
forty-eight more to stay. l would
rather go to Anamosa for one year
than this place for six months you may
believe me or not, but it is a fact 1t is
easy to get in but very hard to get out.
am the only representative from Sac
county so far and if you will take my
advice l will not only be the first but
the last one.
. There are candidates for the inebri-
ate ward at Mt. Pleasant in every COM
munity in the state. and it is we'll that
! they should know in advance just what
/ it is that awaits them Judging from the
reports sent out from there the eX-
perience is not of the kind to be longed
| for with vehement desire