Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1869-08-14
secret Use or chlOrororm by Women.


enjoy The pleasures Of inebrleiy. aud yet
10 escape The shame u discovery, ls
problem with women-cspeclally those
Of The respectable, not TO say fashionable
class-hsve long endeavnred TO solve
The disreputable womsn only yields To
the iascins,Ons Of gin and boldly ayows
her drunkenness; but the reputable wu-
man repudiales the cosrseness Of undI'-
guised liquor, snd breads the disclosure
OF her incorporate propcnsl;lcs. Various
aids to drunkenness have from time 10
time been ajop,ed. and have enjoyed
temporary popularity. Not to give "oTe
than a passing mention Ia those i1mIl9r
beverages OF abnormsly IhlTsly chambeI-
maids eau de cologne aud bay nun
there are The numerous prepaEauuns OF
sarsoparilla which, ten or fifteen years
ago were The pecu'isr delight Of intemPeE
ate but strictly moral women. BiiietS
succeeded 10 the place made yacsnt by
The abandonment of sSTsaPsTllls. which
had gained an uns1'ory Teputa,on hy tie
careless frequency with which II w5s ca
posed TO the proiane goze of mascu.in'
iruders into the boudOr. In is turn,
however. billers became so no'oriouslv
pander TO unlawful feminine thirst to be
longer a safe resource, and II became tie.
cessary 10 seek some new unsusPectgd
slimulanL Atone time there was pro-
meet thai hssheesh would come into gen
eral use, bot the introduction INTO Tie
marke. OF a so called "hssheesh candy.
which produced none Of the desired symP-
toms OF in,oxcalion. brought the Omen
tai drug into complete disgrace. In the
absence OF ANYTHING better opium, tho
use oI which i cnlS less difficult OF con.
cealment than that Of alcohol, would
doubtless have eaintd new devo'ees, had
it not been discovered that chloUlom
was precisely the ssiest and moot cou'o.
nient agent with which female rCspccia'
bdity could inloxicste ilseli. The extent
20 which tho habit OF the secret use OF
chlorolorm prevails to-day among oil cISs-
ses Of women, from the inmates oi The
shameful hsunis Of Green street 10 the
bellies Of Fifth svenue and the pupils ct
fashionable boarding schools, Is known 10
]
few except the apo,hecaries who supply
the deadly drug. For deadly II i'. and
though its poison is sometimes as swlIs
as the cobra's, it is a, others slow IN lI>
vengeance, reaching through years OF
misery, but always sure and inevitable.
We hear with terrible frequency OF eud-
! den deaths from chlorolOrm, taken TO al
! L... H.. hga pt
the wreck OF the brain and tho ruin Of the
nervous system which i,S hab,ual use
surely brings about. The swlllness with
which il produces lis dreamy ntoxlcallons
and the few apparent traces which II
leaves behird, make il layori,o with vo-
men who know nothing Of its uneoverna-
bic force. OF its cumulative effects, and Of
its terribly dangerous nature. Ia use -
far more 10 be deprecated Than that ol al.
cohol or opium, the eGec, Of which can
be easily loretold. Cbloroform. on the
contrary. is IS subtle and sudden in its
way ward yengesncs ss the most troscher.
Gus end dangerous OF The women who use
il. The dose that seemed so innocuous
Yesterday, may. Il repeated. bring sslit
! and resslless death to-day; end. though
the penalty should be delayed. it is rer-
tain 10 be inflicted sooner or later. Wh'r,
year or two ago, writer charged AmcrI.
can women with drunkenness. the charge
las easily repelled; for the delicate or
ganizsrion Of the refined lady instinclIvsly
and VIGOROUSLY shuns tho rude grasp Of
slcobol. The charge tina, chloroform is
largely used by women is lamenIsbly
true. 1t is generally used in ignorance Of
the nature and ultimate effects, but the
sad and disgrscoful fact that IL IL habilu-
ally employed to an alarming extent. as
an aid to female drUnkenness, cannot DO
gsinssid.
Brigham Young's Theatre.