America's Drinking Problem

Joe O'Conner was probably one of the most troublesome people in Jackson County while Walker was sheriff.  He was frequently drunk and disorderly, assultive and sort of like Otis on the Andy Griffith Show, but with a temper which later in life turned him into a real nasty badman.  During Walker's stint as Sheriff though, O'Conner was mostly a nuisance who spent most of his nights in the county jail.

By 1830 the annual consumption of hard liquor in the United States was 5 gallons per person, triple was it is today.  Water and milk were considered contaminated and unhealthy to drink.  Coffee and tea were acceptable, but tea was too British for a generation once removed from the war. Corn whiskey was considered good for you and safe, plentiful and cheap.  Farmers found it easier and more profitable to distill their own and transport it.  Americans drank morning, noon and night - judges were drunk on the bench, preachers were drunk in the pulpit, laborers lost days of work to drunkenness.  Liver damage, dyspepsia and delirium treatment were common illnesses.

Walker was not a teetotaler by any means - but never a drunk.  Most likely Joe enjoyed drinking socially and after a hard day at the office.

Next time...Keeping the Peace