第 20 节
作者:
谁与争疯 更新:2021-02-19 00:36 字数:9322
woman of the town; who took the Keely cure。 She told the W。 C。 T。 U。
of the villainy of this doctor and she could not have hated anyone more。
Oh! the drunkards the doctors are making! No physician; who is
worthy of the name will prescribe it as a medicine; for there is not one
medical quality in alcohol。 It kills the living and preserves the dead。
Never preserves anything but death。 It is made by a rotting process and
it rots the brain; body and soul; it paralyzes the vascular circulation and
increases the action of the heart。 This is friction and friction in any
machinery is dangerous; and the cure is not hastened but delayed。
I have given space in this book to one of the most scientific articles;
showing how dangerous alcohol is to the human system。
Any physician that will prescribe whiskey or alcohol as a medicine
is either a fool or a knave。 A fool because he does not understand his
business; for even saying that alcohol does arouse the action of the heart;
there are medicines that will do that and will not produce the fatal
results of alcoholism; which is the worst of all diseases。 He is a knave
because his practice is a matter of getting a case; and a fee at the same
time; like a machine agent who breaks the machine to get the job of mending
it。 Alcohol destroys the normal condition of all the functions of the
body。 The stomach is thrown out of fix; and the patient goes to the doctor
for a stomach pill; the heart; liver; kidneys; and in fact the whole body
is in a deranged condition; and the doctor has a perpetual patient。 I
sincerely believe this to be the reason why many physicians prescribe it。
I was doing my own work at the time God spoke to me; cooking;
washing and ironing; was a plain home keeper。 I cooked enough for
my husband until next day; knowing that I would be gone all night。 I
told him I expected to stay all night with a friend; Mrs。 Springer。 I
hitched my horse to the buggy; put the box of 〃smashers〃 in; and at half
past three o'clock in the afternoon; the sixth of June; 1900; I started to
Kiowa。 Whenever I thought of the consequences of what I was going
to do; and what my husband and friends would think; also what my
enemies would do; I had a sensation of nervousness; almost like fright;
but as soon as I would look up and pray; all that would leave me; and
things would look bright。 And I might say I prayed almost every step
of the way。 This Mrs。 Springer lived about ten miles south of Medicine
Lodge。 I often stopped there and I knew that Prince; my horse;
would naturally go into the gate; opening on the road; if I did not prevent
it。 I thought perhaps it was God's will for me to drive to Kiowa that
night; so gave the horse the reins; and if he turned in; I would stay all
night; if not; I would go to Kiowa。 Prince hastened his speed past the
gate; and I knew that it was God's will for me to go on。 I got there at
8:30 P。 M。 and stayed all night with a friend。 Early next morning I
had my horse put to the buggy and drove to the first place; kept by
Mr。 Dobson。 I put the smashers on my right arm and went in。 He and
another man were standing behind the bar。 These rocks and bottles being
wrapped in paper looked like packages bought from a store。 Be
wise as devils and harmless as doves。 I did not wish my enemies to
know what I had。
I said: 〃Mr。 Dobson; I told you last spring; when I held my county
convention here; (I was W。 C。 T。 U。 president of Barber County;) to
close this place; and you didn't do it。 Now I have come with another
remonstrance。 Get out of the way。 I don't want to strike you; but I
am going to break tip this den of vice。〃
I began to throw at the mirror and the bottles below the mirror。
Mr。 Dobson and his companion jumped into a corner; seemed very much
terrified。 From that I went to another saloon; until I had destroyed three;
breaking some of the windows in the front of the building。 In the last
place; kept by Lewis; there was quite a young man behind the bar。 I said
to him: 〃Young man; come from behind that bar; your mother did
not raise you for such a place。〃 I threw a brick at the mirror; which was
a very heavy one; and it did not break; but the brick fell and broke
everything
in its way。 I began to look around for something that would break
it。 I was standing by a billiard table on which there was one ball。 I
said: 〃Thank God;〃 and picked it up; threw it; and it made a hole in
the mirror。 While I was throwing these rocks at the dives in Kiowa;
there was a picture before my eyes of Mr。 McKinley; the President; sitting
in an old arm chair and as I threw; the chair would fall to pieces。
The other dive keepers closed up; stood in front of their places and
would not let me come in。 By this time; the streets were crowded with
people; most of them seemed to look puzzled。 There was one boy about
fifteen years old who seemed perfectly wild with joy; and he jumped;
skipped and yelled with delight。 I have since thought of that as being
a significant sign。 For to smash saloons will save the boy。
I stood in the middle of the street and spoke in this way: 〃I have
destroyed three of your places of business; and if I have broken a statute
of Kansas; put me in jail; if I am not a law…breaker your mayor and
councilmen are。 You must arrest one of us; for if I am not a criminal;
they are。〃
One of the councilmen; who was a butcher; said: 〃Don't you think
we can attend to our business。〃
〃Yes;〃 I said; 〃You can; but you won't。 As Jail Evangelist of Medicine
Lodge; I know you have manufactured many criminals and this
county is burdened down with taxes to prosecute the results of these dives。
Two murders have been committed in the last five years in this county;
one in a dive I have just destroyed。 You are a butcher of hogs and cattle;
but they are butchering men; women and children; positively contrary to
the laws of God and man; and the mayor and councilmen are more to
blame than the jointist; and now if I have done wrong in any particular;
arrest me。〃 When I was through with my speech I got in my buggy and
said: 〃I'll go home。〃
The marshal held my horse and said: 〃Not yet; the mayor wishes
to see you。〃
I drove up where he was; and the man who owned one of the dive…
buildings I had smashed was standing by Dr。 Korn; the mayor; and said:
〃I want you to pay for the front windows you broke of my building。〃
I said: 〃No; you are a partner of the dive…keeper and the statutes
hold your building responsible。 The man that rents the building for any
business is no better than the man who carries on the business; and you
are 〃particepts criminus〃 or party to the crime。〃 They ran back and
forward to the city attorney several times。 At last they came and told
me I could go。 As I drove through the streets the reins fell out of my
hands and I; standing up in my buggy; lifted my hands twice; saying:
〃Peace on earth; good will to men。〃 This action I know was done
through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit。 〃Peace on earth; good will
to men〃 being the result of the destruction of saloons and the motive for
destroying them。
When I reached Medicine Lodge the town was in quite an excitement;
the news having been telegraphed ahead。 I drove through the streets
and told the people I would be at the postoffice corner to tell why I had
done this。 A great crowd had gathered and I began to tell them of my
work in the jail here; and the young men's lives that had been ruined;
and the broken hearted mothers; the taxation that had been brought on
the county; and other wrongs of the dives of Kiowa; of how I had been
to the sheriff; Mr。 Gano; and the prosecuting attorney; Mr。 Griffin; how I
had written to the state's attorney…general Mr。 Godard; and I saw there
was a conspiracy with the party in power to violate their oaths; and refuse
to enforce the constitution of Kansas; and I did only what they swore they
would do。 I had a letter from a Mr。 Long; of Kiowa; saying that Mr。
Griffin; the prosecuting attorney; was taking bribes; and that he and the
sheriff were drinking and gambling in the dives at Kiowa。
This smashing aroused the people of the county to this outrage and
these dive…keepers were arrested; although we did not ask the prosecuting
attorney to get out a warrant; or sheriff to make an arrest。 Neither
did we take the case before any justice of the peace in Kiowa or Medicine
Lodge; for they belong to the republican party and would prevent
the prosecution。 The cases were taken out in the country several miles
from Kiowa before Moses E。 Wright; a Free Methodist and a justice of
the peace of Moore township。
The men were found guilty; and for the first time in the history of
Barber County; all dives were closed。 Of course it took two or three
months to accomplish this and not a word was said about suing me for
slander; until after the dives were closed。 Then I began to hear that
Sam Griffin was going to sue me for slander; because I said he took bribes。
The papers were served on me; but I was not at all alarmed; for I thought
it would give me an opportunity to bring out the facts of the case。 I
knew little about the tricks of lawyers; and the unfair rulings of judges。
I will here speak of