Mexico weekly ledger., 1914-10-29
A BIBLE CHANGED
ED TAYLOR'S LIFE
(By II. c. Turnerl

(By Il. c. Turnerl
Montgomery City, No., Oct. "a
Just on the v Of the election, when
people Of Missouri are considering
'The County Unit Law and Equal
Suffrage Question" both Of which
have a more or less moral sentiment
involved, Col. Ed. Taylor, who resides
on his little chicken farm near Mid
dleton, comes to this little city with
a rather remarkable story. Col. Ed.
Taylor is a unique character. He
gained the cognomen which sounds
so much like Kentucky by being one
Of the most congenial and popular
~bartenders in Missouri about % or 30
years ago. He was prominent in
Kansas City, st. Louis, Mexico, Mo
berly and here, and nearly everywhere
he went he was known as "Col. Ed"
He v c to this day brags Of the dis
tinction he gained by being trusted
with $3.50 0 worth Of diamonds Civ
en- him for safe keeping by the fam
Gus opera singer, Fay Temple, who
was so popular in Missouri q quarter
Of a century ago and is now an old
lady. She was about to 20 on the
stage and not desiring to carry her
diamonds that night she left them
with Col. Ed. at the hotel. When Eds
picture came out in the Police Ga
zette as a fine-looking, jovial fellow
|, with q "heart for every fate" it at
; tracted national attention, and the
, letters he received from those with
r matrimonial p~roclivity woJld have
r frightened one less timid.
Here is an outline of his story as
a told in the Court House here:
t swell, boys, whisky surely gave me
e a close call, but l finally got away
e It made me popular with a greaf
e many people and / dished it out t.
friends and foes for is years, until i
l. got a terrible grip on me, too, and
can truly say that while ] stood fou
J. years back Of the bar at the Windso
r Hotel in Kansas City, tit was the.
h situated on Missouri Ave. md Walnu
ST. I did not see that city sober
all that time. 1 had a little dough
when | went TO Kansas City; enoug
to buy me a little farm and mad
at $1,000 a year, but whisky took it a
away from me and also my life wit
it-except just enough to give me
new start under different environ
ments. / was a confirmed drunkar
YOU might say, could not h5e withol
at it. I had tended bar in 81. Loui
ry Kansas City, Moberly, MEXICO and
Montgomery and l vas nearly all /
&c. | finally decided hat l would die tr
rk ing to conquer myself and left Il
81 glitter of the city and my associat
i'd and friends who were running r
ed and l took to the woods. / m dov
lr- to Montgomery County, got me a
mt tie chicken farm and some again
H." and a Bible and boys | am now as hi
ex- DIV as a lark, contented and free frc
RS the great cares of life and am
lck peace with myself, my ~neighbors a
gu, my God, and the people who think
am dead are very much mistaken.
ley am alive enough to vote and now Il
l. have been sober for ten years |
no. going to vote dry and live dry. l
urn this rather strange experience in fiji
hen ing a Bible, which is now one of
the companions in my little happy bac.
lor home in the woods. One day WI
I was drunk and living the high i
in Mexico they were tearing down
= in old three story building on the p
at lie Square. | CHANGED to be tn
,ars while they were wrecking il and
tile climbed up in the attic Of the old b.
at ind where | found an old family Bi
t 3 It was n Of those old-time Bib
ber- printed away back about 100 ye
-ood ago. l thought of my mother,
5 in thought Of my own condition an
thought of what whisky hal done
me; 50 / picked up that Bible and
ried it away and began reading
thinking about it. For days and d
ents | had had delirium tremens. 1t
I as seemed impossible for me to le
ed" whisky alone, even for a time. Re
re is ing that Bible l found it belonged
sat the old family of Dr.. French of
am Louis and when he heard that /
onal found it he wanted to buy It from
Ind, but he could not get it. | have i
my chicken ranch neal Middletc
+, 81 where it is going to stay. But
ugh said | got to reading that Bible
sick thinking about my condition
,tter resolved that l would quit The lie
,e it business forever and try to regain
health, my equilibrium and if pc
ledi- bic save my soul, want 10 tell
friends throughout Missouri that |
happily domiciled on that chic
anch near Middletown, and my
friends who used to drink with
fully but have lost track Of me for m
years, a find me there happy
East c~ontented. Since | have come
drlv to the county and quit whisky
zach neighbors and friends have tncou
rail ed me and | now understand and k
lries what happiness and contentr
will mean and that is something tina
drunkard does not know. / bell
however, that there are pretty {
10 people in the whisky business,
they just don't know that THERI
a better way. Yes, boys, | s
l !. !. !. !. ]. !. !. !. !. . !. !. 4. !. !. . !. |. II. Il. !. . !. !. /. !. !. !. !. !: !: !. !. !. !. !. !. !. !. !. !: .
. back of the mahogany 70 eigh
years and, while l was'on the SOU
in some things, still l would
the last red cent from any poor
who wanted to put his dime over
bar for a drink of red liquor.
course. | am ashamed Of this