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• ' * OR, TOTAL ABSTINENCE ADVOCATE. VOL. I.] THE W ASHIV.VPJNiAN. PUBLISHED BY JAMES McCAFKERTY, TWICE EVERY MONTH. Office on Macintosh street—opposite the Post Office. „ . . TcRMS. t or a singlj copy, for oar > ear, One Dollar ; for six . copies, to one address, Five Dollars ; for ten copies to f om; address, Eight Dollars—and so in proportion. JO” Payment iu all cases to lie made in advance. | f All communications liy mail, must be ros r paid, to receive attention. m I St. Louis Criminal Court. Sjt.ite I Indictment for passing \ Augustus V. Jones. $ cuuntert>it | The defendant, in this case, was probably ! i‘ twenty eight years of age, but wore the appear- ' sg Ance of at least thirty-live. He had evidently I ■fence been a line looking man ; in stature he was Hpomething over six tect, and his strongly marked Kfeatures and prominent forehead, gave evidence ! IpDf more than ordmSry intellect. But you could j IPrclearlv discover that he had become a prey to the monster intemperance—the mark of the beast | |. was stamped on his countenance, which gave it i } a vivid and unnatural glare. He was placed in the box, with others who were to be arraigned ■ upon the indictments preferred against them. I All the others had plead not guilty, (as is usual,) I . and a day was set far their trial. The defendant 1 was told to stand up, and the clerk read to him i the indictment, which charged him with liaving, on the 16th day of August, passed to one Patrick 1 O’Neil, a counterfeit Bill, purporting to be issu- 1 cd by the dud Mitficipolity of the City of New ; Orleans, for the sum of three dollart; and upon : H being asked the question, Guilty, or not guilty ; he replied,Guilty—guilty!” Then, turriing’tu | thecourt, he remarked that, as this was the fast time he cvefexpectcd to appear in court, he would be glad if he could bo allowed to make a few re- j marks. The Judge told him to proceed. After i a pause, in which he was evidently endeavoring to calm his feelings, he proceeded as follows: <> May it please the Court—in the remarks 1 shall make, I will not attempt to extenuate my crime, or ask at your hands any sympathy in passing sentence upon me. I know that 1 have violated the laws of my country, and justly de serve punishment; nor would I recal the past,or ! dwell upon the bitter present, for my own sake. A wish to do good to others is my only motive. I shall, with the indulgence of the court, give a brief narrative of my life, with a hope that those young men around me may take warning by it, and avoid the rock upon which I have split. I was born of respectable parents in the State of New Jersey, and during my childhood, received every attention that fond parents could bestow upon an only son. It was early discovered that lhad a fondness for books, and my father, al though in limited circumstauces, determined to give me a liberal education I was sent to a high school in the neighborhood, and such was my progress, that at la years of age my preceptor de- , dared me qualified tor college, and I accordingly ! entered one ot the oldest umversit es in the coun-. try. Here Iso distinguished myselfthat, at six- ! teen, i graduated with the second honors of: the institution, an 1 returned home flushed with 1 tiio brilliant prospect of success that lay before : me; I soon after commenced the study of law, ! in i wiien only in my twentieth year, I obtained license to practice Acting upon the advice of friends, 1 determin ed to try my fortune in the west. I accordingly arranged ray affairs for degiarture carlv in the fall of M 33. I will not detain you with an ac count of iny separation from those 1 held most dear—suffice to say, that l received the blessings: of my parents, and in return, promised faithfully and honestly to avoid all bad company, as well as i their vices. Had I kept my promise I should; have been saved this shame, and been free rrom I the load of guilt that hangs aroun 1 me continual ly, like a fiendish vulture threatening to draw me to justice, for crimes as yet unrevealed. But, to return. 1 left my early home, where the sun of prosperity shone, and where my pathway had been strewed with flowers, to try my fortune among strangers, and to try my strength in buf feting the storms and tempests of the world. With a light heart I looked forward to the future; and taking the usual route, I soon Teached Wheeling, where 1 took passage on a boat for Louisville. On the boat a game of cards was proposed for amusement, and although 1 had promised faithfully to avoid such things, still I argued to myself, there was no harm in playing a game for amusement. Accordingly, I joined the party, and kept up ‘ the amusement most of the way down. After i we left Cincinnatti, it was proposed to bet a bit a j game, merely, as it was said, to make it interest- i ing. My first impression was to leave the table, AUGUSTA, GA. SATURDAY. OCTOBER 15, 1842. but I was told that it was only a bit—that I could ' not lose more than one 01 two dollars. This ar gument prevailed, for I lacked moral courage to do what was right. I feared my companions would say i was stingy for a little money. Influ- 1 •■need by these feelings, 1 played; and as the j taies would have it, 1 won. Before we reached; Louisville, we had twice doubled the stake, and 1 found my Rick enabled me to pay my passage out of my winnings. It was the first time ever 11 had bet money, and my success ruined me. A- 1 gain J played and was successful; and, in short,! I continued to play for amusement, until 1 had acquired a thirst tor gambling. I settled in a i thriving village in Tennessee, and commenced the practice of my profession under battering, auspices, ami my first appearance in a criminal 1 court was highly complimented, and I soon be-, came known throughout the circuit. Things! went on thus for more than a year, and I believed myself fairly on the road to fame and fortune. I j occasionally played cards; but 1 consoled myself j with tho idea that I only played with gentlemen i for amusement. One night I accompanied some young men to j a gaming shop, and for the first time in my life I saw a Faro Bank. My friends commenced bet- j ting and I was induced to join them, although I did not understand the game. Again 1 played with success; and when weletl the house, I was more than two hundred dollars winner. None of my companions had been fortunate, and it was insisted that I was the lucky man, anil that I must treat. We accordingly repaired to my room, where 1 ordered wine, and before we broke 1 up we were deeply intoxicated. With me it was the first time, and the next day I resolved that I wrauld never play cards again. I adhered to the determination for nearly three months, when 1 j again yielded to the entreaties of my dissipated associates. 1 now played with varied success, and in all i cases found an excuse for resorting to the wine bottle. If I lost, 1 drank to drown sorrow; if I won, I treated inv good fortune. Thus 1 pro gressed U|Kin my do.vnward course, until drink ing and gambling became my chief employments. All my mends who were worth preserving, aban doned me, until my only associates were drunk ards and gamblers. When almost reduced to want, (for I had left off business,) I received a letter informing me of the death of my father— that father who watched over my early years— who loved me so tenderly. And did I act as an affectionate child 1 No. Vice had destroyed the human feelings of my heart, and left only the animal passions and appetites. As the letter con tained a check for 8500, a part of my poor father’s hard earnings, I drowned my grief that night in a Bachanalian revel, and in a few days I was again penniless. I will not dwell upon the eve ry d&y scenes of my life, which were such as may at all times be witnessed at any of the two hun dred dram-shops of your city, where wretched men squander the little pittance that justly be longs to their suffering wives and children. But, to pass on. For nearly three years I have beaa a drunken, wandering outcast. Six months ag™ I received a letter from my dear mother, en- i closing 8100, and intormiug me that she was fast sinking with disease, and entreating me, with all a mother’s feeling, to come home and see her be fore she died. For a time I felt the appeal, anil resolveil tocomply with the request; anil accord ingly took passage*in a steamboat for that pur pose. For two days I refrained from liquor; but my thirst became insupportable—at length I ap proached the bar, and demanded the liquid fire. I was soon intoxicated, when I madly sought the gaming tabic and before : he boat reached Louis ville, I was stripped of every cent. Thus, all hopes of seeing my dying mother cut off, I remain ed at Louisville several weeks; in which time I learned lhat my mother had died, and that her last breath was spent in prayer for her child. From Louisville I shipped on board the steam er Brazil, as a deck hand, and came to this place, where 1 was dischargad for drunkenness. Let every young man reflect on this picture. I, who had moved in the first circles of society; had been the guest of distinguished public men, and a fa vorite among the literati of our country —was now turned off unfit for a deck hand on a steam-: boat! yet intemperance had done this much. I loitered about this city for several weeks, and was sometimes engaged in posting up the books of some dram-shop, for which 1 was paid in the liquid fire, kept forthe accommodation of custom ers. One evening I fell in company with a man who had lately been lodged in jail for passing counterfeit money. We played cards, and I won from him the three dollar bill in question. The next day I learned it was counterfeit, and did not offer to pass it for some days. But at last I got out ot all employment.—l had noother money. I could meet no one who would ask me to drink. r My appetite was like a raging fire within me. 1 could not endure it. I sought a dram-shop—of fered the hill—it was accepted; and when found a few houfs after by the oliiceis of justice, i was beastly drunk. The evidence of guilt was conclusive; and be fore ruy brain was clear of intoxicating fumes, l was lodged in jail to await my trial, i have not detained the court with any hope or wish that clemency would be extended to iny case. But with a hope that iny example may be a warning to other young men—that those who hear me may when asked to nsocial game of cards, or drink a social glass , think of my fate and refrain. They may think themselves secure—they may believe they can stop when they please, but let them re member that I argued thus until 1 was lost. — [Here the defendant sunk down and appeared to be very much affected, and for a tew moments silence reigDed throughout the court-house.] At length the Judge, who is as much distin- i guished for the qualities of his heart, as he is tor j learning as a Judge, proceeded in a brief but ap- : propriate manner to pass sentence upon the de- j fendant, putting his punishment in the Peniten-1 tiary, down to the shortest time allowed bylaw. Tapering Off. We were much amused with the experience of j a Washingtonian, given in at this place some' time since, and going to show the advantages and the pleasures of tapering off. We give it to our readers with the belief that it will be one more added to the already innumerable arguments, which establish the fact, that the only possible way lor the inebriate to reclaim himself is to “ break right off.” Our pledge prohibits the use of sweet cider even, and with reason; for, we believe, that many ol those who have fallen, have been betrayed by relying too much upon the harmless nature of i this beverage. Now we do not believe that there is any more harm in the juice of the apples newly pressed, than in the same quantity in the apples : themselves; but the power of association is such, i that it is dangerous for a reformed man to drink even lemonade under such circumstances as to suggest to him old habits and old appetites. (Washingtonians beware of loitering about grog shops!) Besides, how is a Washingtonian to know in all cases that fermentation has not taken place except by tasting, and that one taste may prove his ruin. The fact is, we are engaged in an “ insurrec tion against the old King, and seem determined to expel him our territory, and it will be inhuman and foolish in us to separate his children from him, and detain the Royal Youths among us, vvhare they may grow strong enough in a short timotorivetthechainsupon usagairi." No. Ban ish the whole family together, say we, and be hu- I inane, and prudent at the same time. But the experience: “ I could never go out on any public occasion, or meet with my h on companions, without be coming intoxicated. I determined to turn over a new leaf, and resolved, that I would drink no more ardent spirits, but whenever occasion re quired, or appetite enticed, that I would substitute some of the milder drinks. Soon after this reso- i lution was formed, there was an election in the : town in which 1 lived, A day of this kind had j never passed away and left me sober; hut I was 1 determined that this should. The day was warm, j and I thirsty, and as I had interdicted to myself! ardent spirits only. I cast about in my mind to i find which one of the harmless liquors I should take. Philadelphia beer was offered at the bar among o'her comforts, and as I had never tasted it, I called for some. Considering it to be very weak, and small, I look the worth of my money and went away to feel better. Mr. President, / had got sober after many a hard spree, and thought that I had experienced all the sufferings that could result from drink, hut I took a lesson that day that was in advance of any thing I had ever learned in the school of ar dent spirits. I soon began to feel very uncomfor table, and to experience a sensation new and un accountable. 1 was not drunk. My ideas never were clearer, and I could walk a mark then better than I can now, or ever could. My nerves were not affected, nor my stiength weakened ; but, on the contrary, I seemed to possess the power often men, and could, with difficulty, resist the disposi tion to turn over all the houses within iny reach. My face burned as if fire were spread over it, my temples felt as if they had been sewed together with shoemaker’s thread, and just at the pit of my stomach, there was a little place, as large as the end of my thumb, just as sick as it could be. I went home to my work, but found that I could not attend to it. I took a walk outinto the fields but found no relief That same little, round es sence of sickness stuck immoveable in the same place. What was Ito do? I had considerable skill, acquired by frequent practice, in ejecting evil spirits that were restless within me; but I exerted my skill in vain. 1 knew not what to do l, ut ffi remain in that condition was plainlv out of the question. An idea struck me. I went into a grocery near my office, and told the dealer to make n.e a Samson—which was a tea-spoonful of every kind of liquor he had in his shop. This, I look down with a determination to make myself drunk or sober; hut four of these in succession tailed to affect me any more than Cold water would. Bv this time, sir, 1 began well nigh to despair. 1 bought me a bottle of brandy,and locked myself up in my office, determined to sweat it out, and for three days and n ghts, sir, that little, ugly sickness maintained its position, in spite of all the spirited attacks I could make upon it. Mr. President. I am thankful that I got off as well as 1 did, and as long us I live, I shall never meddle again with Philadelphia beer.”— Pcvticld 'remit. Banner. It is stated that Mr. Williams, the celebrated Western temperance iecturer, has obtained since he joined the Washingtonians, thirty-jive thou sand eight hundred and Jifiy signatures to the pledge. Os the number nine were distillers, and thirteen retailers of ardent spirits, and the bal ance of all sorts, ranging from the temperate to the most abandoned order of drunkards. If a man deserves the title of a benefactor (or making two spears of grass grow where hut one grew be” fore, what should be said of one who has snatch ed so many “brands from the burning”—who has reclaimed so many of his own species from the brutal slough of drunkenness. In the days of the ancients he would have been proclaimed a god.— Sn. Miscellany. Krom the New England Fanner. The White Ash a remedy lor Poisou. In a communication in the New England far mer a few months ago, I endeavored to call pub lic attention to the White Ash. Whether any person has been induced to try experiments with it, I am not informed; but I have extended mv inquiries, and obtained many important facts 1 lately conversed with a Baptist minister who travels much in Virginia and Noith Carolina, i He assured me that many people in these States well knew the ratti'e-snakes and mocasin snakes have the utmost dread of the White Ash, and that it will cure those who are bitten by these snakes He related many facts proving that per sons had been cured when the effects of the poi son had rendered them helpless, so that others hud to apply the remedy, 't he bark or leaves is chewed, and the juice swallowed, and also appli ed to the wound; or if there is time, a tea may b« made of the bqgk or leaves and drank freely, and also used externally. 1 have obtained other proofs of its efficacy in curring the bite of serpents, and of its preventing their biting. lam now confident that many in all parts of our country have some knowledge of its virtues; and it seems surprising that they have not been more regarded by our physicians. In several medical works the subject is mentioned; but 1 have found no physician or botanist who has devoted much attention to it. One in Lowell and one in Boston have promised to prepare med icines from the White Ash, and to use them when they have opportunity. 1 have recently had a case of poison from ivy, I took a little branch of this valuable tree, and cut up wood, bark, and leaves into small pieces, and poured half a pint of hot water upon them, and soon made a hot tea. I caused the patient to drink about a wine-glass full of this tea, and to bathe the poisoned limbs. The cure was nearly complete; hut the dose ought to have been repeat ed after an hour or less. I was satisfied that we can, by this mode, control this species of poison; but I am not able to say how it would effect cases of poison from dogwood. In this and my former communications I have been careful to avoid expressing more confidence in the virtues ofthe White Ash, than the facts jk which have been collected will justify. And, w even if I have erred in any case, I see not that any can be injured by such experiments as will lead to the whole truth. 1 have never heard that any bad qualities belonged to this tree. I have often swallowed the juice of its leaves and bark after chewing them and no unpleasant effects have resulted. Afraid to Lem. It is related that Galileo, who invented the telescope, with which he observed the satellites of Jupiter, invited a man who was opposed to him to look through it, that he might observe Jupiter's moons. The man positively refused, saying, “If I should see them, how could I maintain my”opin ions, which I have advanced against your phil osophy 1 ?” This is the case with many. They will not look at the truth; they will not hear it, for (Jar that the arguments which they have framed, will be destroyed, and they may be obli ged to give up their vicious indulgences. [No. 10.