The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1906-09-13
EARLY DODGE INCIDENT.
"HERE was time In the past Of
Dodge City when red liquor was
meat and drink to perhaps the

meat and drink to perhaps the
greater part Of the male inhabi-
tants. II some there we're who did not
drink heavily, they were total abstainers.
The average citizen Of that time awoke
with thirst, caused by red liquor, and
which he qucnched with the same agency,
and he closed bis eyes in sleep at night
or oftener In the early morning, IN the
fear that he would be awakened by q
visitation Of snakes. There came a time
In this Bacchanalian reign when the ex-
trems limit was reached, and jus. at this
time travelling salesman, who Is now q
wealthy and influential business man OF
Oklahoma City, was finishing one of the
hardest weeks drinking ever accomplish.
ed by any man without fatal results. His
latent caution had been besiegiDg him
WITH the protest that he had gone too far,
and when he sought a room at the Dodge
House his bemuddled brain realized In a
vague way that his condition soon would
be that of raving maniac, or worse.
However he had strong constitution,
and as he viewed In a dazed semi consci-
GUS way the kaleidoscope revolutions of
walls, ceiling and furniture, inter- woven
with an endless imaginary chain of Boa
constructors he fell into deep drunken
sleep and for hours knew no more.
AT this time In the history of Dodge
"Paddy- the Bear" was a prominent
character. His bearship had been raised
from cub by Mayor Kelly, and at full
growth he found himself the victim of
many a practical joke. ''Paddy-the.
Bear" had been made drunk countless
times by 1.-THE boys" and he seemed 70
afford never ending opportunity for
pranks of various kinds. 1t cannot be
said that Paddy the Bear'' enjoyed
these occurrences, and he was constantly
Oh the lookout for hiding places where he
could escape observation. On the morn.
ing when the salesman mentioned above
was balancing between state of ''bust-
head" and delirium tremens in the
corner room, lower floor, of the Dodge
House, Paddy -theu Bear" spied the open
window leading to this room, and shrewd.
ly pounced upon it as pointing to safe
and new>retreat. He clambered upon
box and reached the window, then enter
ed the loom and crawled beneath the
bed. 1t was tight squeeze, but he
forced himself under. As the bear lay In
his close and warm quarters he breathed
heavily. and as he breathed the bed upon
which lay the unconscious booze. .saturat-
ed salesman, gently rose and fell with the
bears breathing About this time
terrible headache had brought the sales
man back again to a state of semi-conscl-
ousness, aud with 1t came once more tho
awful fear that he was to be the victim
of delirium tremens. He first imagined
that there were queer figures upon the
wall that had never been there before.
He worked himself into panic and was
about to cry out, when he noticed for the
irst time that the bed was gently, but
surely, rising and falling. When he con.
1inced himself that this was fact he
was SO scared that his voice would not
,Ome. There he lay with terror almost
the whiskey out of his system,
llways-rising and falling. He could
itand 1t no longer. He reached to
able and grasping tumbler threw 1t
inder the bed with crash, not knowing
what he was doing. The tumbler struck
,oor "Paddy- the Bear" squarely be-
ween the eyes and the brute, suddenly
forgot that he was In close
quarters and bringing his powerful
muscles into play he rose quickly to
ull standing posture, bearing the terrified
alesman aloft so that when be fell for
ward bis hands dropped TO the floor at the
utter side of the bed, and his face came
nto position where his eyes were look
ng directly under the wrecked bed. He
azed into two glowing balls Of fire made
y the eyes of poor paddy the Bear, 9