Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-06-12
Battling Carrie
Striking Features Of the Career
OF the Karsas Girl with the
Smashing Ratchet.
Walt Mason in Chicago News

Walt Mason in Chicago News.
Mrs. Nations fame is International. Com
paratively few women would care TO have
just that shade of fame. bu, Mrs. Nation
enjoyed Il thoroughly. She dearly loved
the limelight, yet nobody ever has accused
her Of grand stand playing Since the days
Of Peter the Hermit there has been no
crusader more in earnest. more Jealous or
more courageous.
Yet she is much like other comfortably
corpulent danes when she Is discussing
other subjects than the demon rum. SO
long as you can keep her away from that
subject she is sensible and practical and
tolerant she is an excellent housekeeper
and It is a real pleasure to talk with her
about pot roasts and corned beef and cab
bage. Women who used to be her neigh
bors in Medicine Lodge years ago, before
she bent an ear to the thunder OF the cap
tains and the shouting say she could get
up a. dinner which would make a hungry
man froth at the mouth.
Talk about housekeeping affairs with
Mrs. Nation and her face wears an ex-
preston of benevolence, but mention the
demon rum and her eyes light up with the
fire that was in the eyes OF Mohammed
when he elected to carry his gospel abroad
with fire and sword. She is stralghtway
transformed. out of her mouth come
burning lamps. and sparks of fire leap
out" to quote the prophet.
When a young woman Mrs. Nation mar
ried a promising and talented physician
who developed a thirst that age could not
wither nor custom stale. For ten years he
pursued a dissolute course, and then he
died. His wife saw so much unhappiness
during the ten years that her hatred Of
fusel oil became monumental After her
husbands death she bravey went forth
to earn her living as a school teacher. One
of the members Of the school board that
engaged her was David Nation, and after
time she married him and they settled
down in the town of Medicine Lodge to
live happy ever after
There Mrs. Nation demonstrated that she
was an admirable housekeeper, and her
curves in the kitchen are still spoken of
with respect. This fact should be insisted
upon by all her blographers, for the be-
lief has become current that she was
skillful with no other weapon than an ak
She could do things with rolling pin or
a skillet that won the warmest encomiums
of press and people.
Although she did her homework with
praiseworthy enthusiasm she still had
time to take an active interest in the local
branch of the Womens Christian Tenn
perance union. She became the leading
spirit of that organization, and held from
the first that the sisters should grid
themselves and do things more useful
than reading papers or passing ringing
resolutions.
There was drug store in the town that
was accused Of devoting more attention to
the spiritus frumenti department than to
the compromising OF prescriptions, and Mrs
Nation determined to put that drug store
out of business She called for volunteers
who would follow her into the imminent
deadly breach and six intrepid sisters
cried: 10, we will stand at thy right
hand and wreck the joint with thee!"
Followed by the dauntless six, Carrie
proceeded to the drug store early in the
afternoon, and the work of demolition
began. While the unfortunate druggist
raved around his store, talking about the
declaration Of independence and the bones
and palladiums Of our liberties, the women
carried kegs and bottles into the street
and Carries bonnet was always in the
van, like the white plume Of Navarro
"hen the packages or booze were piled
up one Of the sisters went to a blacksmith
shop and got a sledgehammer and the
street was soon wet with rich red booze.
the kind that makes two snakes grow
where but one grew before. Thus began
the joint smashing career OF the Hon.
Carrie Nation. The news Of the exploit
Travelled all over the country and the in
trepid female woke one morning, like Lord
Byron, to find herself famous
At that time and for many years there
after, the prohibition law was a hollow
form in Kansas Saloons were wide open
In the larger towns and the villages had
plenty Of drug stores and joints, so there
was harvest ready for the reapers sickle
and Mrs. Nation became terror
that walked by day. She confined her first
military operations to neighboring towns,
making several demonstrations against
klowa and winning victory In each cam
paign.
Later she moved against Wichita, a large
town, where the demon rum was strongly
lntrenched There she was looked upon |
as merry jest. Low-browed bartenders
haf f,tII.