Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-08-04

Teen 10 twenty years of age, drinkin!
a in saloons during this period. AS
saw but one minor refused alcoholi
t drink in this five-year period, it ma.
remained in my recollection. A red
headed bartender at the old Enos Ho
tel in Fremont, Nebraska, Gregory by
| name, and hailing originally from
Iowa, was the law-abiding phenome
non. AT the end of five years | was
. promoted to an official position ii
Chicago
i had never kept my drinking hab
its secret. Saloons We're part of my
life. l walked in and out, head up
self respecting and self-reliant. l had
never been what is termed under the
Influence of intoxicating liquor hat
always been able to handle myself
mentally and physically in normal
manner
Lose a Job through my First Case
| of Drunkenness,
After several months in Chicago
business district. two of my business
colleagues warned me that in drink.
ing / was setting bad example to
employees. | felt humiliated that
my personal habits should be criti-
cised and condemned by business
friends, and resented the warning as
coming from an inconsistent source,
both men being circumspect drinkera
at preferred saloons.
had never tried to stop drinking
from the time | began, for | knew
could stop at any time desired.
now made the attempt to stop drink
ing entirely, purely as business
measure. Il was successful in not
drinking for a week, then naturally
gravitated into evening saloon life
with drfnk-mates again. In few
months downtown drunken affair
with party of friends from the
country brought me into some pub
licity; and was "let out" for drunk
enness. / was more disheartened at
finding conclusively that my boasted
moderate drinking for twelve years
| had made me drunkard, than was
at losing my reputation in the rail-
way world, and my salary of two
hundred dollars month.
During the following year l devel-
oped certain grade of intoxication.
would temporarily forget that was
working for living and stick around
saloons until l drank myself sober
usually lost my jobs from not being
on duty rather than from incompetent
cy while on duty.
Five of my Friends Become Alcoholic
Slaves.
In 1890 Robert Giddings, one of my
friends of my minor drinking days,
one of the twenty young men in
fluenced by my drinking habits to
join me in drinking, shot himself at
saloon bar. He was successful
business man of fine character and
ability The retail liquor trade suf
fered financial loss at minimum
of sixty dollars month by the SUI
icide of alcoholic liquor slave Bob.
Bob began drinking at seventeen
years of age; he lasted ten years in
saloons.
In 1909 William, of no
friends of my minor drinking days,
one of the twenty young men in
fluenced by my drinking habits to
join me in drinking, cut his throat
at saloon bar. He was successful
business man of fine character and
ability. The retail liquor trade suf-
fered financial loss estimated at
minimum of forty dollars month
by the suicide of alcoholic slave Billy
Billy began drinking at sixteen years
of age and lasted thirteen years in
saloons. Immediately after Billy's
death / was excessively annoyed by
a persistent hallucination of Billy's
presence with me when drinking at
saloon bars. Once Billy appeared to
have Jumped my body and got a
drink for himself. was standing at
a saloon bar talking with friend,
but conscious of Billy's presence.
Suddenly the II and T. part of me
was several feet from my body, at
tached to it by a tenuous cord at the
solar plexus. Then | was jerked back
into my body, and my friend was ask
ing me, Don't you think so. Jack?"
replied, Il don't know" He insist
ed. you do. Say, come out of it!
There was an expression on your face
just now. when you took your drink,
like Billy's. Poor old Billy! bet
he would like good drink about
now" then noticed that had drunk
my liquor without knowing l had
done SO. Perhaps being in the same
saloon where Billy had killed him
self aided in this hallucination. 1t
gradually faded, and in year entire
| ly disappeared
In 1895 Cornelius Matthews, one of
the friends of minor drinking days,
one Of the twenty young men influ-
enced by my drinking habits to join
me III drinking, was burned to death
in Il tctel fire. The night clerk
knowing that l was a personal friend
of the dead man, told me whispering
ly that Con had been carried to his
room from the bar-room at midnight,
a couple of hours before the fire. The
retail liquor trade suffered financial
loss estimated at minimum of for
ty-five dollars month by the death
of alcoholic liquor slave Con- Con
began drinking at sixteen years of
age, and lasted fifteen years in sa-
LIONS.
In 1897 Daniel Hobbs. one of the
| ri ne INV ,,;,o, ,l,;,1,ino do,,.