The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-06-29
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPsRANcE.

sad Recital OF n Former Bank Clerk
How He and His wife Went over the
Hill to the Poor House.
The New York World thus tells the
story of the downfall of a well.known New
York bank clerk:
Garvin r. Dick, former clerk OF the
check department of the Chase National
Bank. sat on a bench in the room for visit
ors at the work house on BlackwelPs Isl.
and, He wore prison trousers, prison
shoes and prison hat.
Tipping brought me here" he said,
lust drink or two dav with a friend.
That's what downed me. Moderate drink.
ing is the most insidous form OF indulg
ence.
at was moderate drinking also that
brought my wife here She had her circle
of friends, and they had their social glass.
She will agree with me that the hard
drnker has not as much to fear as those
who take social glass regularly
Dick and his wife whose maiden name
was Gertrude Bancker, popular in the Har
lem set, were taken to the Island at the
same time, sentenced for six months be.
cause neither could give the required bond
of $500
Friends of Dick who used to know him
when he stood behind the grating OF the
Chase National Bank and counted up the
checks and classified them, would not have
unshorn prisoner feebly and penitently
telling of his downfall, the same smiling
iovial and confident young man who was
pointed out as model to many of the sub
ordinate clerks in the big bank
81 didn't bring my wife down with me.
! didn't cause her to take up drinking" he
said 1T was her circle of friends with
whom she used to take a social glass when
they came together that caused her to be
here with me.
Il had no idea that / would ever be as
low as this. ! came to New York from
New Brunswick, Canada, more than TWEEN.
ty-ive years ago. | was barely more than
a boy then, and | had hopes Of accomplish.
ing something in the big city. 1t was the
habit of all the people in my Canadian
neighborhood to take glass of whisky
when they wanted it. j thought. too, that
j could drink like a gentleman and suffer
no i'll effects | got q position twenty.
three years ago with the bank as one OF
the clerks, at SIS a week, worked hard,
and was shortly afterward advanced. TwO
years later | married, and we were very
happy together.
whenever the boys would ask me out
to have drink | would not refuse. but !
was not what one might call in the habit
of drinking. | knew that | could stop at
any time
Mrs Dick did not drink in those DAYS.
by hard work, IN year or two L was
advanced again and we took a more pre-
tentious home. ] had several friends at
the bank, but of course. they would not
endanger their position now by trying tc
do anything for me. You know how par
ticuar a bank is.
Il suppose it must be the case with all
drunkards, but the FIRST thing | knew ! got
to be so dependent upon my daily amount
of stimulant that | would be nervous il
left off In the meantime | noticed that
my wife also would ask for a drink befor,
meals and before retiring.
She seemed to take to it at first to he
congenial with me, but she tod me sh,
had learned to drink at friends house
j did not try to stop her, because | ex.
pected no i'll effects. | always did my
work regularly at the bank. The first in,
timation that anything was wrong came
year ago. when the surety company which
protected my position went off my bond.
The bank, of course, notified me that
would have to leave. / got out. In the
meanwhile | had saved up no money and
had to borrow from friends. / thought
there would be no trouble in getting
new place, but after a man gets to a Ger.
tain age in New York no business has any
use for him. and it was then that | real
lied that | had cultivated the drink habit
so far that | was permanently injured by it
""1t was impossible for me to get any po
sition | got more discouraged and began
to drink heavier. Mrs. Dick also began to
drink more. From the tippler she soor
was changed into the confirmed inebrate.
I've are here both of US for six months,
and we can both attribute our present
state to the moderate drinking habit