A Frantic and Demonic Stage
The story surrounding this image is one of mistaken identity. After a day of drinking, the local sheriff approached this gentleman and asked for the unpaid taxes that were due. The gentleman scoffed and said his family was too poor to pay the taxes. Later, outside his home, the man dismounted and pulled a knife on the poor animal. "Thinking the sheriff had followed him home, the man stabbed the horse many times resulting in it's death. Once inside, covered with blood, he boasted to his wife he had killed the sheriff. Seeing that he had killed their only horse, the wife asked him how they would feed their family now the horse was dead. He looked at her with a deadly stare and told her to hold her tongue, least he '...serve her the same sauce.'"
Weems' description of the frantic or demonic stage of inebriety should not be taken literally as one who is actually possessed by the Devil or one of it minions. Rather, it reflects the changes in one's personality and conduct which would never exhibit when sober. Numerous cases and images are included detailing the use of extreme profanity, physical assaults, attempted murder, and murder. The underlying message...alcohol can destroy the livelihood of a family, casting them into abject poverty, despair, and starvation.
