The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-11-11
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF iNTEMPeRANcE.
Little Martyr 20 Drink-IIow tho Liquor
Traffic Gets In Its Blows Upon Those
Who Are Perfectly Innocent of Its Use
-DisnrnYinp n Time Worn EalIacy.

Traffic Gets In Its Blows Upon Those
Who Are Perfectly Innocent of Its Use
-Disproving a Tiine-Worn FalIacy.
The following incident is a 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 policeman was patroling his beat in
western cities, At a 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 4
little girl, not more than eight years old,
clad only in thin night garment, crouch.
ing on the warm iron, in a vain endeavor
to Keep from freezing in the chill winter
blasts. She was alrcad~ numb with cold
and unable to utter a sound. The police.
man rang for patrol and hurried her to
the station. where she was paced in the
care of the kind-hearted matron, but the
most strenuous efforts were necessary to
revive the spark of life that burned 50
feebly in her fral body. She would have
been a 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
hnr L., Il l.
welts where she had been beaten with
stick. Hardened to such things as they
were many OF the policemen wept MS they
saw the child's ptiful condition. She was
soon raving in delirum. and the only in.
telligible words they could ret 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 sont out
on the streets to beg for food for the fam.
ily. On the day in question the weather
had been so terrible that she returned at
night with frozen clothing and an almost
empty basket. There was no fire. so she
nut on the only other garment she could
find and crawled into the bed. About mid.
night the father came in half drunk. and
HOl HnulUV tne 1OOu ne expected dragged
the child from bed, heat her cruelty and
forced her out into the bitter cold night.
forbiddinc her to return until she could
secure food or money. Knowing not where
to go she sought the only warm p'aro to
be found and crouched upon the lid of the
steam trap until found bv the policeman.
The best ri treatment could not avail
and in less than n week he little sufferer
passed away. and the last words that
crossed her Inns were. Papa wouldn't
have done il ii he hadn't been drinking"
She was but one of thousands of little
ones who are innocent sufferers at the
hands OF the iniouitous drink traffic Yet
the great mass of church membership and
Christian voters who are in truth respon.
sihle 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. "Whoso shall
offend one of these little ones it were bet
ter for him that q milestone were hanged
about his neck and that he were drowned
in the depth OF the sea."-Rev Clarence
5. Long.