The daily Alaska citizen., 1919-08-28
QUEER CASE OF
 THE MAN FROM
 0LD ARKANSAS
pELUSION OF MAN FROM LITTLE ROCK MIGHT BE PARALlELEu BY CASES ARISING UNDER SINH LAR CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE NORTH

LAX Iltt MN lRNi f.N IN THE
 NORTH
 (h. (. StarD
 It has been carefully explained by eminent counsel, whose opinion has been taken in due and proper form. that congress cannot determine what constitutes an intoxicating beverage, that being a question not of law but of fact, and determinable only by a jury
 Let Us call the case then of the traveller from Little Rock, or who said he was from Little Rock. We met hIm on Main street a few blocks north of the Union station. and be ing struck by our judicial counten anCc he stopped Us and submitted what he took to be the facts so far as he was able to assemble them "I am from Little Rock" he said, speaking with extra prime No. l dis tnctuess. "I came into the Union station, which is around here some where about 10 o'clock last night. or some night, let us say last night 1 got on street car which seemed to be going oh, in that direction" Desiring to be strictly accurate, he took some time to it, and finally pointed in a wayering direction coy rring the points of tn" compass gen eraIIy from a little short of north east to q little more than northwest. Somewhere like that, more or less. got off somewhere at a hotel. small hotel Got a room and paid for it. Left my suitcase small straw suit case and went out and got drunker |than seven hundred dollars"
 "That last statement" we said, lis stricken out Proceed"
 All right" he said, steadying him self on our elbow, "all right | eot drunber than nine hundred dollars, and "
 You misapprehend," we said, stop ping him again "It isn't d question of the amount, but of the fact You said you were drunk"
 "I did, was, am," he replied, with every appearance of deep con yiction. Now what 1 want to know 1 is, where in" he named place far distant from Kansas City-"is that | hotel?" lie searched our counten- ancr deeply and repeated the inquiry adding that he assumed we would take it 10 be a fair question.
 "'Ihe location of the hotel ia ire |leyant and immaterial," We said You ] have raised far deeper question than one of hotels, large or small. You claim to be drunk"
 1 He Interrupted to volunteer his ser vices in the matter of informing the world that such was the case.
 You claim to be drunk, altho it is |WelI known in the highest legal cir 1 lclcS that you cannot be drunk. PrOhi- bition is on, wartime prohibition. You | hlloN MlldI Ii oHlDlIlou IS, uOl you
 "l am from Little Rock" he said simply.
 every good Then what do you mean by asserting that you got | |drunktr than nine hundred dollars, or | even the more conservative amount l you first mentioned? The beverage i you have been drinking does not in 1 toXicate. That is, it does not intoXi- cate in fact, so far as has yet been determined. in law it may cause you 1 to lose your hotel and suitcase. IL may render you uncertain as to what night you arrived in Kansas City, or aS to the exact location of the Union station. But you are not drunk, not 1 in fact You are only drunk in law" " The traveller from Little Rock thanked Us. ''It seems perfectly clear" he said, "especially when you seem to lose you, like in fog. By shutting one eye can bring you ! back" He put hand over one eye and seemed relieved. "There you are" he said. "l was afraid you ! had gone off like my hotel and the | Union station"
 1 It being plain that the traveller was under the deluSion that he was in 1 toXicated we induced him to search his pockets for his key, which he | soon found, with the name of his l hotel on it. We saw that he got on the right car and told the conductor where he was going. His last earnest expression, as we assisted him aboard, was of a desire, which seem | ed to grow stronger upon him mo- Imentarily, to announce to the world | that he was drunker than any sum of money, within reason, that might be mentioned. A strange hallucina- ton, considering that in law the bev- craze sold in Kansas City's legaliS- tie saloons is not intoxicating, and ! if il is in fact that fact has not been determined by any jury. What state is his, To be drunker than considerable amount of money, and