, 1870-12-11
london Opium Smokcrss
E'rn4,1 0nEr 4 ntsAf

Two Anonymous gentlemen. whom We will
call y. And T., rerniSed. il possible, to find out
aud virit tie den deecrtoed in the fest aud
lass parts OF - Tbs Mystery Of Edwin Drocd."
With this view. After dressing for tho otca-
sion. Aid carefully tlive-tipg themselves Of al
yaluhbles. they met 1t the Hoyal Exchange, At
i y. m., on the 6tl Of Sep'am1 m1er. and, after
taking some strung coffee At the Cafe Nova!.
Aldgh,e, proceeded in the direction of Ratc'iF
htgh~ay. which they thought Tie most prous-
,sing quarter in which 10 commence their ln-
vc-i,Gat,ous After yain)F making mAuS in
luirsct. 1t public houses 1nd Of the police
they 1t length mat With the officers who tn-
formed them that there were such dens IN
Victoria street: lots'i'y more generals
kuoen As Dluega,o helds. Th'sher
who pointed out the opium house which
WAS situated in ! uarEow, dark. little court
ks!oWu zs Cliiuaman CONT. Here they we're
introduced 10 lAdx named Joe, who, with
great Eoo3-humnred readiness, promised to do
! 81 sbe could 10 Aseiss the adventurous en-
Writ. Opening dark door in the dirgy court.
| rhe led tuem into : pitch dark passage, called
tor '' johnson 10 '*nhow = light to the
geuts," aud. pointing to the staircase. left
1 them. Tlis Johnson turned out to be Chi
namAn, and the landlord Of the establishment.
After climbing some alnuo:t vertical stairs,
tbey emerged, head foremost, through hole
1 III the iool. into whht by courtesy, tnust be
called the smoking saloon. TIE objecta that
firs. struck their attention were two men. /
Chiuamau and = alslag, lying Oh largo.
broad rnattete. which. raited about = yard
| from tLe door, f,isd nearly half The
.oona. 4 candle etool between them, On the
bed; and both we're smoking opium. \ LIS
| cal Wa also I'1esent but Y, who describes
tht expedition, does not NJ irst see him. I.
then elnr1geu, aud -liook hands with biz nex
/ ac,lusiAi spce.. aud the whole psrtv eoon felt
/ ! $n1 TINT
Ley hal called too l4te-it MAS then IL p. M,
Aid that the ro0n4n ~ere most fresl1entet
fem 10 9 r. NJ. Johnson. the lauiIori. o.
U-ec-whsch he says war his oris1nA Chinese
csme-il.folmed them tlat ha bad been IL
! t1i= liue uf business :. me1e long than Al,
one che in London; and thss b,
Suew OF only two other rimiler estab
, ] Ashments. both Of which were in th,
Immediate vicinity. Ha was requested Il
Elbow how the opium il prepared to
smoking; hnt his accoCut wAs not eufd :ientl,
: clear 10 enable y. to redeeeriba il. The opiuu
J il bought in tile lump and plsced on pee
: Of mating: "a ire, ! saucepan. basin, an
> -eoue water are then brought into the service
and the real rnls ia thAs the opium Is t11rne,
! mt. = beautiful, soft. black extract, not muc
: thicker ,lan treaele. The pipes have s,er
. about fifteen inches long, mpst resem ling
q as thick As I lnEe-sized ruler. They do nc
tarer 1t either eu!. 20 that fairly big naout
o is crs+n +nlial to ali who would indulge in Ii
'e Practice. The bo1l, in tho best pipe
. IL a1ed shout three inches from the end {
the item, aud is remosAhe- II is quit
lc closed up. except : little touch-hu1
&c over ehieh the opium il smesred, xft.
a little piece, much enaat}er than d pe
n has been ros-ted to turn in the Alme Of
It candle teing held meantime, and twiatt
se round on the end Of lang. thick needle.
= IL necessary that this touch-hole be CO.
n Il. Ixk kf.z
n, irE pEccteds, bat the preparation and llghsit
| eeem to make An almost endless occupation
l The osiG1ual occupsnts Of the room were ve
y destrour to SEQ tho Siri.ors tn1oke: and 80
10 laid himself On the bed. With h,s head re.tit
% On the Malay's shoulder. and took At least
" eiieh, exhslit,ttots. be fslt no effect from Il
e smoking; but his friend T., who took b
l thrtc OF four draws after him. began to E
la EDDY through il They then Il
MN e toOspe essnae to o. ts',a nDne eAi
IN the court, they we're hailed from the opposi
to slde bx woman, who asked II thes would Ii
ak 10 see her smoke opium. They Acceptei I
invitation. and found her alone and. Althou
til much more intelligent. she seemed TO BE-
III ing much less tusiness shAn hsr neighb
II. she Was An Erglieh~oman. born IN Londc
he seed abcu: ~, and had married An 1ndi1
l1s Who had deserted her. From him she
r. ] acquired q knowledge of the H,naust,
3r- language. which probably aids her in keept
nc ! ny her present wresched connection, 4
n manner OF emokine eeems peculi
She would take from four to
ep lore in.r,zatious: and then re+ti
for fe< moments. would gradna
no aud slowly emit the accumulated smoke frt
30 her mouth and noeiriIs. She stated that .
IL. Was the only female opium smoker in l..
he don. Special iu4atries were N sde, both
sh this woman. and OF Joe ard her friends -
uts nhe,bsr opiusn-smokine ever iu3ucel mars
ear ious dsvaus Or magnificent visions but
,ly. evidence could be ob'ained that such sesu
D@ were ever obtained. Joe anl her friends es
.ve dfLied that they ever dreamed during
get opium intoxlcation: and the WOMAN cen
zen tta1 the drug ever pfotuced p'eaeus1hle y
red sa,,nue, and assttted thar ii narels felie'
led pain. - To he virtue ut it," she asserted. ~
ut.- i erate the horrors Of which were tusntv
TIL grees woree It au d4iriu,n tyvme,,s"
ked There is nothing. bo<ever. III tie desc1
ex- tion OF the second vi=it to Jos's essabti
tc- rcut thas ie scrthy Of special no.1c~, e1:
the different actions which the opiun-Ao
ned i.E e1tned On the two friends. Z. u
Loid tesen whifs, b=ing determined to draw d
y en- ihe fitst trace OF unllt asAot symptoms
nss pea,ed, and these merely gave him ! al.
sliu fra ling cf confuAlon. Whetexs uaa N
!, to tha worse for Atou' similar amount Of
spia duleenee, "imaRtuing the room to
He al trembling. and feeling the il
to,- enee OF the drug for couple OF q
t,h- stterward- The main interest Of the M
Tlng tive lies in the writer's 6tu conviction
pre- the y, man'a room IL the Testt&hle spot Vi
the opening, md almost tbs closing, sesue
and - Edwin Dieod are dese,ibod - ccca,,
I&et- Thate il tha nxxxoK court, With eniy . q