The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1857-04-23
CAROLINA SPARTAN
Frum Blnckwuod's Magazine.
Recent Confession of an Opium Eater.


There is no necessity for telling the read.
or how | came into the company with
which he will find me associated in the en-
sting narrative; and there arc several rea,
sons why he need not be informed on that
point. In the first place, he has no right
to inquire; for hold, and always have
held. and maintained, both in argument and
practice, that man is responsible only TO
himself for the company he chooses to
keep. 2dy, Surprising he had the right
to ask (Which, as already stated, deny,)
still it would e inconvenent for me to tell
him. Sdly, Surprising he had the right,
and | were willing to acknowledge it. il
would nevertheless be useless TO the purpose
of the story am about to narrate, and
therefore 4 crime against art. 4ihly, BE,
cause any consistency and completeness
which the narrative might gain by the rela-
ton of the circumstances antecedent to the
position, at once intensely horrible and high.
ly amusing, whittier they cond ucted me, are
sufficiently attained by the mention of the
fact that, while enjoying with the full ap-
probation Of retinel and extremely sensi-
tive nature the appliances Of luxury and
wealth, have never shrunk from studying
the aspect of humanity in the Rembrandt
like chiaroscura OF vice aud crime. In
search Of the harmonies which slumber
in the soul of man, | have sounded the
bass string Of society. Leaving the splen-
dours and decencies of the upper region Of
our social atmosphere, | have voluntarily
descended into the depths filed with fntid
and noxious exlia!ations, and have eve,
returned to the light of common day with
ar intensified sense of the unfaIhomable
mysteries and the unutier3,be melodies
hidden in tire profoundest abysses of our
nature.
Some Of my readers will probably re-
member that particular epocl, in the histo.
ry OF crime when murder became the hand
maid Of medical and surgical science, whose
requirements, al that time greatly extended
by the arlor of discovery. were by no
means satisfied either by the legal offerings
Of the bodies Of criminals. or the more nd
venturous. though less legitimate, contrihu
tons of surreptiIious exhumation. The i'm.
pulse communicated 10 ;hal branch of study
which deals with the mysteries of our ply
sical nature, by the great anatomlStS and
physicians who stand IN conspicuous array
on the line which separates dusky empiri
cism from luminous science. had awakened
cravings in the minds uf our students which
could no longer he stiled hy such eleemosy
nary and desultory aid. To satisfy these
cravings, a race of misrreanis arose. whose
peculiar province in the field of aSSas,ina-
ton may be denominated enlightened
Thuggism. But their atrocities, though
serving more practical purpose than those
OF the Thug had their origin in a far les
elevated motive. There is toa much reason
to believe that u mercenary desire To- obtain
the price OF the body preduminaled in most
instances, over the wish to advance the in
terests Of science; while even the better of
these influences is still far inferior TO the re
ligions tervor which prompted the tighten
ing OF the Oriental moose. BE that as ii NAV,
II was AT a time when the horrible trade
had gained the utmost extent aud organi-
cation it was destined 10 attain. before the
revealment of its iHiquiies had caused that
outburst OF popular execration which exlin-
guisied it utterly, instantaneouSly, and for
ever, As with the blast of hurricane. that
the incidents occurred to which am about
to draw the readers attention.
The scene, then. is squalid and dingy
chamber in The topmosl flat OF one of the
many STORED and ancient dwellings which
still give individuality to the Old Town of
Edinburgh. The sole furniture of the apart
ment WAS batteretl-and time deficed table,
stained with grease aud liquor, having a
bench of similar character on each side
In bottle on the table was stuck long
candle Of the comnonest description, whose
faring and dropping wick shed = dull light
on the faces of the company How came
TO be in such scene, and among such per.
sons as ! am about To describe, is, as have
already intmated no business of the read
ers. Suffice it that | was there, the occu-
pant Of one Of the benches, while opposite
me sat three individuals. two men and a
woman. Long nosed Bill. the central per
son Of the three, possessed a remarkably
viIlainous spbysiognomy, which, the index as
1t WAS to mental features equally singular
and truculent, rendered him highly inter
esting subject OF philosophical contempla-
ton. His nose was, as his name indicated,
very long, and overhung so as almost to
conceal a month so small, thin, and com
pressed. rs to appear TO have been made
with knife after the rest of his countenance
was designed; while on each side of the
main feature, sparkIed an eye. deep set,
small, gray, and inexorable. His head,
phrenologicaIIy speaking, was not bad, be-
ing Of sufficient height, though tho forehead
was concealed by straight black locks; the
countenance, widest at the forehead and
narrowing almost to point at the chin,
was Of pale clsy-color; and the sole ex.
pressios was ono Of trucuIent vigilance and