RANDOM REMARKS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 166, 21 June 1909, Page 2

RANDOM REMARKS.

THE OPENING OF THE HOTEL AT IE KUIII. The morning ox the 21st August, 1910. dawned ciear and beautiful. The vising sun cast its oblique* rays over i the surrounding- hills, and ! of the houses and the glistening roofs ; sent back rays of golden light, Per- : haps the most conspicuous building in- ; the v.-fcoie to*.vn was the newly com--1 pie ted hotel, which stood close to an i engine tan-: on the railway property. | The early sun seemed to single it out 1 as the brightest ; : wel in the town. The light shone clear through its win- • dows into the snug bar and glinted and glistened on scores of bottles, making p. s:orht .org to be remembered, Above the door hung a huge bottle, shaped hue a man in evening dress 1 This was the sign of the building, and acres; the breast v.-as written the motto : "Fa;, to the reel-:.'' The liquor T magnates,mho cwr.ec the house had, in honour of the opening day, announced the glorious revs that beer was to ; be supplied free of cost. This news terrified the female portion of the town and as a result they had spent the night in prayer. Special services were held in the church. They were attended solely_by women, who wrung their hands, and, weeping, prayed that God would spare their sons and husbands. An awful feeling of impending calamity had soiree the inhabitants. The hotel was :c be thrown open for use at nine a.m. As this time approached, saucer-eyed women, sick with weeping, were seen in the streets, bagging and imploring their husbands to with-hold from excess. The men, for the most part, had, during the last few days, eaten nothing but salt, and haf throats a; dry as the Sahara. Their glowing eyes betrayed the passion in them. The Devi:, in company with the owner was to be seen hovering over the town. Every man had a huge corkscrew hung to his chain, which even and anon be patted fondly. Others had large mugs in their hands, the sides ef —hie:: they were continually licking, rlz.z pastsix came, and as no one had any business in Hamilton, the early train did not run. The pray.-rs c: :h-; ministers and women were of no avail., for by nine o'clock the whtle vicinity of the bar was crowded with mem dust as the hour struck the doer burst in arc drinks were demand-.:!. A huge Degress was behind the bar. Her hand rested on the tap of £ fr:r men p:pe from which beer bowed in gallons. It was now niain that the water nse .teen run off t'ne tank, and mat tuo enormous receptacle was fu.. cc neer. The maid handed the - lope or over tne bar in large Duckets, which were emptied in a gulp. The mmtitvcc outsiae, spurred to desperation r-t tno sight of others drinking; when -bey themselves could get none, surged fcrwsrr. tcwaras the door. Lcr.g bet-ore moor it was seen that the number oi oa-naios was inadequate. Ten: more wen. put on; but could not supply the demand. 3y one o'clock it wa- four.u tr.at tne tar.K was empty. Sin thensane ga .ons ox beer had been, imbibed; an:, sen. tne maddened mob howled for mere. By two o'clock ether means o; meeting the demand bad :c be o-cviseu, A large trough vr.s made by ucner-s or willing hands and set up ounce tne door. Into this barrels of eeer. vnisky, painkiller, nietny.arob sp:r:ts, Kerosene, and lemon sue were oe.ugeu. Men with bulging eyes nur.en tnepselves into it and drank till they surrc- ' cated. became beer- logged arc sank. Others pressed forward. uran.e ant being unable to retire were either crcwr--led or crushed to deatn. Tne wno.e : place was soaoeu ano saturate; tr. ' spirits, and tne dm.:. wr.c nan pe:cne_ upon a contiguous teiegrapr. - h though far too -vise to uriru n:m.S;.r. was "seen tt be urging the mob to dd themselves till :1 y burs:. Tne u: was full of awful cries, ir.e '"-m;n : in an agony of sorrow, no .on.ger annealing to their hus bar. us. na: rettreu to the church where they turneo their aces aloft ano tnougn tneir .its never moved it was evioent treir sou.s Hea-em Evening set in. tut the awru 1 re'."elrv - w-c -r.; yet ewer. ipeeia ; trains had been uespatcneu tor tresn sunriies of drink. The trains wer-i it could be drained into tbe troug-"-Deep darkn-e-ss set in. The m rose and locked upon a feariu. s:g..t, - Present!*." an awfu. cry was Tne hotel was in a blase. The crowo swayed drunker:ly but night wss iot lor.g delayed. Mighty tongues of iram-i shot upward. The place was trencne: with indammable liruor. -t wa; no"-' too hot for the devil en me post, and with a loud cackling laugh .ce new tit into the darkness, farther anu farmer ov.--r the hills. The ernes of tne wcnloding of whisky beetles, and me pitiful eid-s of the weme-r mate an awful eiin. Hundreds or ~e~ ; rushing into tne names to save their husbands, perished in the 'tremor, The names graduaiiv snread through the whole town sw-erirg all terete them, Slowly the doe died away, am: by midnight the nt-'-or. shone straight down upon a few dying em leers. A., was quiet now. The angel of rennet' ar.ee dew sadly over the rums ano weeping bitterly dew of to hear tne news to God. The people cf re had had their wish.

lire possible anywhere within the sphere of our Brigade, Editor, K.C*C]