The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-04-22
wife Killers Crased by Drink.

~ho AtsoTw Stnxeo " uFinks
There are but few daily newspapers
which fail to chronicle the murder or at
tempted murder OF some woman or child
by men crazed by drink, every day in the
year. 1t is a painfully monotonous chroni.
cling. and the worst part OF the whole busi.
ness is the helplessness Of the victims.
If there were dozen mad dogs in Geor;
gia roaming at large, that bit or attempted
the vicinity would feel they were doing
good work in the service Of civilization and
for the benefit of humanity to turn out en-
masse and make finish Of the epidemic
of hydrophobia. No matter how much it
cost the county or the State they would
do their best to put an end to mad dog
brutes.
Nevertheless, the husband and father Of
q family can place himself in the cate.
CORY Of mad dogs infected with craze to
kill his wife and children, or any other
person who may rush in to the rescue OF
these helpless ones, and he is let alone
ly fatigues the indignation to see the indif.
ference of public opinion to these daily
atrocities. Human life seems to be the
cheapest thing under the sun. For years
and years few faithful temperance wom-
en- have petitioned the Georgia Legislature
to erect an inebriate asylum where these
drunkafds may be imprisoned until they
are cured of this madness or kept sober un-
til they can be released under furlough
or ticket-of.leave and bond for good beha.
vior.
They have been met by the complaint
that it would be harbor for the drunkard
who would be fed and housed at public
expense. Granting this fact, il fact it be.
~ hafsa % h,x. Lar
that miserable creature in lookup who
killed his father-in.law, who did his ut
most to kill his wife and son and finally
killed his own desperate self! This sad
tragedy happened in the last three days
within fifty miles of Atlanta. and it is sim
ply one of many that we read about every
day.
Poor womankind are the everyday vic.
tins of the drink demon, and whether it
is poisoned liquor or a decadence OF public
virtue. I em unable to say. but no woman
is safe in her own home with an inebriate
husband, and she is the prey to vicious
lust on the common highway from drunken
6ends. as the records testify.
Something must be done. Tor no woman
should be compelled to live in the house
with a habitual drunkard. She should
have some protection.
When I think of the licenses which are
sold, the permits bought to make demon.
iacs out of husbands and fathers, I feel the
blood run hot in my veins. TO see the in.
difference that prevails in this liquor busi-
ness. Fifty years from now the people OF
that era will be ashamed to own as their
ancestors lot Of men who would license
the making Of these wife-killers and child
starvers. God help US to see this evil!
The tears filed my eyes as read Of that
e. L. -
struggle TO protect his daughter and her
And yet the demoniac drunkarj was dep.
uty sheriff under oath and bond to pre-.
serve the peace aud protect the innocent in
the county he lived in! .r~--s- :.
What q travesty on our politics! What
q cr;rte before high heaven, such pretenees
and shams! It is understood known.
vss in The habit Of going oI spsesES.i
fact 30 well authorized that his poor wife
felt obliged to get away from him and to
take her children out Of his reckless path
in.life. Because she notified the inebriate
of her resolution she was shot down like
dog in her own house and lay beside the
dead body of her own honored father.
who came in response to her frenzied call
for assistance and was brutally murdered
Why is it that nobody helped that won.
an. or protected her from this confirmed
inebriate, who was by some strange mis-.
chance fastened upon the whole county as
a deputy sheriff It is time for plain
talk. and that man had no business in
such an Office. He was unfit to live in the
same house with that long suffering wife
and her children. There should have been
some place of refuge for this hunted d-down
woman, or some lookup for the infuriated
drunkard.-Mrs. w. II. FELTON,, in the At.
lanta Journal.