The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-11-25
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF lNTEMPERAMcE.
Little Martyr to Drinlz-Eow tina Liquor
Traffic Gets in It's Blows Upon Those
Who Are Perfectly Innocent of Its Use

Little Martyr to Drinlz-Eow tina Liquor
Traffic Gets in It's Blows Upon Those
Who Are Perfectly Innocent of Its Use
-Disprovins Time-Worn Failacy.
The following incident is very striking
illustration of how the liquor traffic gets
in its blows upon those who are perfectly
innocent OF the use OF Intoxicating drink,
and proves the fallacy OF the time-worn
injunction, Let liquor alone and it will
let you alone
On one of the coolest nights of last win
ter a policeman was patroling his beat in
the tenement portion of one of our large
western cities, At certain point steam
was continually rising from around an
iron trap door in the street, through
which the heating system of the city was
regulated Each time he passed this point
he would pause to warm his chilled feet
on the warm iron. But On one of his turns
he was surprised to find some object upon
the lid, and when he drew nearer found
little girl, not more than eight years old,
ing on the warm iron, in a vain endeavor
to keep from freezing in the chill winter
blasts. She was ALREADY numb with cold
and unable to utter sound The police
man rang for a patrol and hurried her to
the station, where she was placed in the
care of the kind-hearted matron, but the
most strenuous efforts were necessary to
revive the spark of life that burned so
feebly in her frail body. She would have
been pretty child but for the starved ex.
preston on her features and the long red
mark across one side of her face, where
she had evidently been struck cruel blow.
The policemen who were in the station
that night will never forget the sight that
met their eyes when the matron removed
the child's single garment and called them
in to see the condition of her body. She
was literally covered with bruises, and
across her little back were Great purple
welts where she had been beaten with
stick. Hardened to such things as they
saw the child's pitiful condition. She was
telligible words they could get from her
were. Papa wouldn't have done it if he
hadn't been drinking"
Police investigation found her to be a
motherless waif, living with a drunken
father and an equally drunken stepmother
in barren room of one of the tenements.
Whatever they earned was spent in the
corner saloon, and the child was sent out
on the streets to beg for food for the fam.
lily. On the day in question the weather
had been so terrible that she returned at
HlHuG WIFI lIOZeu ClOLHlllS dlu du dlIuObb
empty basket. There was no fire, 50 she
put on the only other garment she could
find and crawled into the bed. About mid.
night the father came in half drunk, and
not finding the food he expected dragged
the child from bed, beat her cruelty and
forced her out into the bitter cold night,
forbidding her to return until she could
secure food or money. Knowing not where
to 90 she sought the only warm place to
be found and crouched upon the lid of the
steam trap until found by the policeman.
The best of treatment could not avail,
and in less than week the little sufferer
passed away, and the last words that
crossed her ips were. Papa wouldn't
have done it if he hadn't been drinking"
She was but one of thousands of little
ones who are innocent sufferers at the
hands of the iniquitous drink traffic. Yet
the great mass of church membership and
Christian voters who are in truth respon
sible for the existence Of the saloon main
tain an attitude of the greatest indiffer.
ence, and refrain, when the power is
theirs, from dealing the institution blow
which would forever destroy it. Yet the
One whom they profess to follow said
when He was on the earth, Whose shall
offend one of these little ones it were bet.
ter for him that a milestone were hanged
about his neck and that he were drowned
in the depth Of the sea" Rev. Clarence
S. Long.