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(MEMOKEE PHffiWIX, AMD INDIANS’ ADVOCATE.
PAINTED UNDER THE PATRONAGE, AND FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE CHEROKEE NATION, AND DEVOTED TO THE CAUSE OF INDIANS — E. BCUDINOTT, LDITCH.
VOL, IT.
NEW ECIIOTA, WEDNESDAY JULY 8,1829.
NO. 14.
PJUNTF.D WEEKLY BY
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AGENTS FOR 1 HE CllEROKEE
PHCEN1X.
The following persons are authorized to
receive subscriptions and payments for the
Cherokee Phumix.
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Market St. Boston, Mass.
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Rev. \. D. Eiydy, Canandaigua, N. Y.
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Rev. Cyrus Kingsbury, Mayhew, Choc
taw Nation.
Capt. William Robertson, Augusta,
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Col. James Turk, Bellfonte, Ala.
INTSMFEEAN OE.
CONFESSIONS OF A PRISONER.
The following confessions, of a
prisoner in one of our Slate peniten
tiaries'. present some interesting facts
In relation to the insidious progress of
the vice of intemperance; and the
power of a vicious habit against the
remonstrances of reason and con
science. They are contained in a com
munication addressed some months
since, to the General Agent of the
American Temperance Society. The
unhappy author discloses his own his
tory with much apparent faithfulness.
In the course of a private note, he
frankly remark*; “certainly I do not
write now for fame, and have endea
voured to dwell more briefly upoi* the
favourable than the unfavourable parts
of my unhappy story.”
Jour, of Humanity.
gir^ I address you from the solita
ry cell of a penitentiary prison. The
6peciflc crime alleged against me is
forgery, but the cause of my present
condition, and of all the calamities
which have attended my devious
career of life, is the inebriating bowl.
Nearly four years have passed since
I entered these dreary walls, and
more than three others remain for
me to spend here. An offended God
in wrath remembered mercy. The
morning bitters, the drams of the day
cr of the night, have not reached me.
Eyes that were once inflamed have
acquired their native clearness; trem
bling limbs have resumed their wont
ed functions; internal fevers and burn
ings, are quenched. Ruined, de
graded, and wretched as my condition
may seem, it is very possible, that
when U‘ e sealed hook shall be opened,
it will appear that with me the pris
on was substituted for the tomb;—
that while Intemperance was hurrying
thousands to the gates of death, I was
rescued as a brand from the burning.’
If the graves which intemperance,
this prime minister of Death had peo
pled, should ‘‘burst their marble
jaws,” to raise a warning voice to the
living, the church-yards would fear
fully yawn, as by a mighty earth
quake, and the united inonilions of all
that is loathsome, appalling or fear
ful, would cry to the votaries of the
cup, in more than human accents, Bt-
■ --V0./
ICu. -.
But though no spirit may l * se
tho tomtt of liio (load, “cv |Y«nu.. 0
voice may come forth from the dun
geons of the living. And whenever
punishment, whether considered as
the necessary sanction to human laws,
or as the dispensation of an overruling
Providence,—has produced its legiti
mate effect; whenever the pride of
the human heart is humbled under
the mighty hand of offended heaven,
there will he no hesitation in stating
the causes which led to infamy and
ruin.
While I could wish to mare the
feeling of the-connexions of Iny fami
ly; for myself 1 should he willing that
•the story of one, whose earthly hopes
intemperance had blasted, should be
written upon the walls of the city,and
find its way to every tap-room in the
nation. I find myself surrounded with
more than five hundred beings, in the
same condition with myself. The at
mosphere I breathe is agitated with
sighs and groans; and my individual
calamity seems lost in the wretched
ness that surrounds me. Where shall
we look for the source of all this*
misery? Let the keeper’s docket
tell. Theft, forgery, burglary, bes
tiality, rape, murder; every species
of crime, at the name of which the
soul recoils, appears in the black
catalogue. These are specific ac
tions, upon the perpetrators of which
the law can lix its hold. But the vice
which leads to every other, eludes
tire grasp of the law.
Inflamed eyes, bloated visage, pal
sied limbs, sickness, poverty, or even
death, are not the things which give
to this vice its most appalling aspect.
It unnerves the soul more fearfully
than it does the body. It gradually
destroys the moral sensibilities of the
heart, and rouses the Violent passions
of our depraved nature. It mars the
soft and refined emotions of the soul,
like the hideous trail of the serpent
over the brightest blossoms of Eden.
If the pillow be sometimes the place of
serious thought, the libation of the
morning obliterates the salutary les
son. One draught calls for a second,
the second still more louldly for the
third, another for another, until every
other sentiment and feeling is lost in
the insatj|ble cry—-“gioe, gtre.” Such
was once my condition. 1 saw indeed
that destruction was before me, and
still approached, with accelerated
pace, the horrid gulf. When a child,
I once saw a bird charmed by the
sparkling eyes of a serpent, and ap
proaching near the reptile which lurk
ed for its destruction- When, from
pity, 1 destroyed the enchanter, and
set the fluttering captive free, how
little did I think that 1 should ever be
enchanted—that the frightful pit of
perdition should yawn before me, and
yet that I should voluntarily rush with
open eyes, toward the abyss. An
overruling Providence interposed, and
my career of vice was arrested by
the arm of civil authority.
The destiny which denied me the
accustomed stimulus, was, at the
first, inexpressibly painful; the separ
ation from the bottle seemed like the
separation of the “joints and marrow.”
An artificial and vitiated appetite had
predominated over every other feel
ing; overpowered'the entreaties of
friendship, jjie inductions of reason,
the monitions of conscience. No dis
suasive from my vice was effectual,
whether drawn from that which is
desirable in life, or from wha( is re
pugnant in the prospect of vagabond
degradation and premature death.—
Heaven had not sufficient charms to
allure me, nor Hell sufficient terrors
to deter. The will was enchained
to a tyrant who never said, enough.
But in imprisonment, the manacles
which bound my body set my spirit
free. The unnatural cravings of the
stomach gradually subsided with the
disuse of spirit.
In the haunts of dissipation, the
mind may be banished from itself;
but in the cell of a prison, who can
avoid revolving in his mind the variety
of (/aviso? which oonapirc'd to i-ivtt Iu8
fetters? Who "ill not inquire—At
what period of life did I commence the
construction of this gloomy abode?
When did I lay the first foundation?
On what anvil did I forge the bolls
and bars? From what quarries did 1
obtain materials for the wall? Through
what means did I provide and adapt
the various materials of the building,
until, at length, I came forward with
the las' key-stone to the arch? Why
am 1 doomed, like the ox, to toil for
another? Was I not “born free as
Caesar?’, Why, then, have I “sold
myself for nought?,’ Alas! while I
can trace the source of my present
wretchedness and ruin to the infatuat
ing effects of ardent spirits, I am con
strained to add that it has blasted the
fairest hopes.
I entered upon the active scenes of
life, without friends, patrimony, or
connexions, at the age of sixteen; and
though the four years immediately
preceeding were passed in active la
bour, yet works of literature and phil
osophy were n y companions in the
field; and, at that early period, I an
ticipated a literary career. When
parental protection was removed. I
exchanged the axe for the pen. My
first essays were published in an ob
scure i illage paper, and I had the
gratification of seeing them reprinted
in popular journals. At seventeen I
removed to one of our Atlantic cities,
where the editorial department of a
daily paper was committed tempor
arily to my charge, during the sickness
of its proprietor. There, although
an entire stranger, and almost with
out resources, I succeeded in acquir
ing the friendship Of some literary
men. Penhaps they were willing to
accept my homage to science, in the
place of profound knowledge. The
friendship of such men was worth
more than the patronage of the rich.
It opened a wider sphere of action,
and,-at twenty three, having visited
Europe, 1 found myself the proprie
tor of an ample fortune, exclusively
the production of the pen. But be
fore this period the seeds of destruc
tion had been sown, and they now be
gan to take root. Shortly after en
tering thff city of , I attached my
self to several clubs of wits, “free
and easy” associations; but I sooq
found that a convivial evening drew
heavily upon the morning of ifie suc
ceeding day. At lenpjVn the morning
bitter was called for, to chase away
I he ennui c. rising from the midnight
debouch. This impaired the relish
for breakfast. Coffee became insi
pid—appetite for food diminished.
The Bitters in the morning required
a rejoinder at eleven, and a surrejoin
der at one. And it w r as nut until I
frequently found myself in a state of
intoxication, and some of my friends
began to whisper, “this is the road to
ruin,” that I first suspected myself of
being reprehensibly intemperate. 1
had completely entered the camp of
the enemy, before I discovered the
presence of danger. Every effort to
retrace my steps proved vain; the
only avenue of escape was barred as
by a giant,—by burnings and cravings,
insatiable as the grave. Every fit ol
intemperance operated upon my con
stitution with more than ordinaly
force; it led to distracting frenzy, and
extravagant excesses. My friends
could weep; and yet I Wanted reso
lution to dash the fatal poison from
my lips. Unwilling to blast every
prospect, in a ci.y still dear to iny re
collection, I reufbved to another, un
der the vain hope that a change oi
place might lead to a change of hah
it.
From that period to the commence
ment of my present imprisonment, in
1824, an interval of eleven years, i
have floated over the surface of the
world, without any settled purpose ot
life, and there is scarce a section, in
two empires, in which I have not
temporarily resided. My rescources
w ere soon exhausted, and I found the
necessity of adopting sonic nit-nna (oi
a livelihood. I have been the pre
ceptor of a School in fifteen different
villages and neighbourhoods; have
conducted the editorial department of
eight different newspapers, to three
of which my name was attached; and
have worked as a mechanical printer
in thirty or forty different offices.
But so completely had the desire of
spirituous liquor acquired the ascen
dancy, that the earnings of a month
were not unfrequenily squandered in
a week; and it was never till my
pockets were emptied, that I left the
tavern, or the grocery, in quest of
employment. But an empty purse
was the least of all the evils occa
sioned hy this besetting and besotting
sin The same stimulants which
heated tho blood, and inflamed the
animal spirits, overpowered reason;
while the feet tottered, the arms
trembled, and the tongue faltered,
the soul was in the wildest frenzy.
Three times I have been led to ex
cesses which fell’within the cogniz-
ance of municipial law'; and impris
onment followed; twice for a few
days, and once lor a little more (ban
a year.
The details of my unhappy course
would fill volumes. I will merely
mention two or three additional inci
dents.
One ofthe instances of imprison
ment which 1 haie already mentioned,
was at Salem, Washington County,
N. Y... for a transaction at Whitehall,
where 1 had been the actual though
not the nominal editor of the W hitehall
Emporium. 1 left the prison penny-
Icss^and Stevenson. Senelary of the
Washington County Bible Soi iety, and
one of the proprietors of the Salem
Post, received me into his office for
a few days, for the charitable pur
pose of repairing my exhausted funds.
At my departure lie cautioned me
with much tenderness, to guard a-
gainst “the sin which so easily besel
me,” anil requested me to read the
Scriptures pla< ing at the same time, a
i copy of the New Testament in my
i hand. I did not leave Salem hefote
my money was squandered at fine tav
ern; and that I might indulge the sin
ful propensity to the uttermost, I sold
liie «nok, which was given me fora
very different purpose, to an inn-keep
er, and received the quid pro quo
from the bar. 1 cannot hut view
this as the blackest action of my
wicked life. 1 should do injustice to
myself, if I did hot add, that the first
moment of reflect ion, w hen the mad
dening influence of ardent spirit sub
sided, “my* soul shuddered at the
thought that I had been base enough
to convert the generous feelings that
would have reclaimed me, into the
means of a further sinful indulgence
and perhapsihe purchaser, who was
aware of all the circumstances, was
little less guilty than my self. Again
destitute, I wondered as 1 could to
Troy, wheve my necessities were
supplied by a literary gentleman, res
ident at that place.
I entered the borough of Easton,
Perm, at another time, on my way
from New York to Harrisburg, at
which latter place T had business, and
where, some years before, I had con
ducted the editorial department ot o
news-paper. I was a stranger in
Easton, and Satan seemed to whipper
aat 1 might here gratify my launile
propensity better than aU a place
where I had any character at stake.
Having squandered the small funds
I then had, $50, which were divided
between the bar and the card table,
next divested my sell of every vala-
..j|e article of apparel. Penny less, a
ranger,»and almost naked, the stom-
ieh as still unsatisfied, ar.ci to grat
ify its incessant clainots, as a Iasi re
port, I joined a sunll leeruiting party,
Mien in the as a pi wait soldier,
under the assumed name of Thomson *
from no higher piinciple than that of
converting the six dollars advance in
to rum. Vic win shortly aftei trans-
1’cired to Fort Niagara, where 1 ie*
mnined about a month. But tiie dis
ci'.line of the < aU p could not guard
against the expedients by whit h I ( on-
tinned to gratify this f'sial ptopet.srty;
and. in a fit of intemperance, I was
guilty of a violation oi dis, i; line, ren
dered capital hy the rules and articles
of war; for which l was t;rush rred,
a prisoner, to Sacketls 1 labour, con
fined in tlie guard-ioim, anti loaded
with irons. Before a court martial
convened, I contl ived, though at the
hazard of instant death, to effect my
escape.* Overleaping the picketts
of the cantonment I wandered throe git
woods and morasses for three days'
without sustenance, in which 1 pro
gressed about forty miles, until at
length 1 found a canoe at Alexander
hay, with w hich I crossed to t!^; Bri;^
ish dominions. Heaven, which had
ever loaded me with unmerited blcss<
ings. still continued to he merciful
Although n stranger, and appearing
under the most unfavourable cirr urn-
stances, I experienced, almost at the
first house 1 entered, the kindness nr.d
affection of a brother, and the confi
dence of a friend, from a mercantile
gentleman whose name was Jones
He was a Christian, and Ins house'
a little Sanctuary in whi h the love
of God dwelt, lie immediately sup
plied me with decent apparel, for f
had nothing blit a soldier's fatigue
dress, and through his influence, in less
than a week, I was employed at re
spectable wages, to take the charge
of a school, in the neighbourhood, for
three months. Here was the fust in
stance in which a moral feeling over
powered the strong propensity for the
bottle. It was a Christian neighbour-
h'oil, iny immediate predecessor o^i*
< in led at the sacred altar, and I saw
that indulgence in intemperance would
result in a cl.smissal, which would
place it out of uiy power to refund'
the advances of my generous benefac
tor. This was a step 1 daijed not
take. I completed the contract,,
with perfect sobriety, and commenc
ed a new one at an increased salary, -
which was further augmented by su
pernumerary si liolars, s me of wbirn
were studying Latin and the higher
branches ol education. But my fret
soon began to stumble. I idept over*
the fust fit of intemperance, after the
abstinence of four or five months; and
w ith prayers and sighs implored the
God of Heaven to save me from tho
gulf which seemed to yawn before
me. My ense was communicated to
the village clergyman, who opened
his doors for my reception, and treat
ed me with peculiar delicacy and ten
derness. But all was in vain. I
con hi not pass a tavern; and I could
•ot drink one glass, w ithout following
ihe enchanting poison w ith another &
another, till raving frenzy, or beastly
intoxication ensued. I neglected my
school, and a dismissal followed.
Collecting my earnings and discharg
ing my debts, I proceeded to Mon-f
heal, genteelly habited; and with a-
bout sixty dollars.
Here, instead of entering into busv?
siness, 1 passed the time in the low
est groceries, with which that city
abounds, until l had expended every
penny, and exchanged my wardrobe
for rags.—One morning as I awoke
from a broken and painful sleep, after
excessive intoxication, and faintly
