Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-12-02

leys, where more than once we nearly lost
sight of our unconscious guide, he
knocked at the door of large, dilapidat-
ed, two-story building, whose darkened
windows gave no sign of lite within.
After slight delay the door was opened
cautiously and our pilot admitted. Before
it could be closed crowded into the open
ing and was confronted by villainous-
looking Celestial, naked TO the waist,
holding "A cup of cocoanut-oil in which
tioated a lighted taper, when the follow
ing dialogue ensued:
"Hello, joint"
"Hellol Who your
+" Me likee smokee opium, John, all
same Chinaman."
- No got, me no sable you, you go
wayr
"You sable this, John" and a fifty
cent piece found its way into the heathen's
willing palm.
belly good, you come in"
The door slammed behind us and pom
derous wooden beam falling into its place
efIectually barred the entrance of all in
truders. Traversing narrow hall we en-
tered a room about twenty feet square,
dimly lighted by small lamp hanging
from the ceiling, and which looked like a
nebulOus star amid the thick and choking
vapors that filled the apartment. Around
the walls were two rows of hunks, with
their stupefed, halfnude occupants, while
stretched upon low platform, on level
with the lower row, were lot OF
greasy pagans in all stages of narcot-
ism. My companion, not minding
his footsteps in the darkness, stun
bled over an obstruction and pitched for
ward upon his face He had fallen over
PROSTATE Chinaman, who was so far OBJ.
iivious of the material world that not even
groan escaped him. A further investi-
cation revealed others upon the floor, and
even the spaces under the tables were
packed with insensible humanity. Nor
were we the only Caucasian visitors there
that night. In corner, side by side with
| Il negress, lay white woman Of middle
age, and with her silken garments trailing
in the dirt and her head half buried In
the folds of the others dress there sat
young girl who could net have been more
| than seventeen years old. The nauseating
| pipe had fallen from her hand, her dis
heveled jet black ringlets released from
their fastening fell carelessly down her
back, while the handsome face, already
| scanned with the hard lines Of dissipation,
and covered with cosmetics which but i'm
perfectly concealed the death like pallor Of
the skin, proclaimed the unfortunate.
The air was hot and sitting, and there
being no means of yentilation---the idea
never entered Johns" head--the com.
bined breath OF the thirty or more tenants
of the filthy den rendered 1t nearly intol.
cradle. The proprietor Of the establish
ment, the only one beside ourselves
who was able 10 move around--our
q,loadam guide had long since succumbed
--hastened TO prepare place for his dis
tinguished company. One Chinaman
was rolled over into bunk which already
contained two snoring debauchees,
and another was accommodated with
quarters on the floor, being tumbled off,
neck and heels, like log ofwood.
Then, not without some misgiying,
however, we reclined upon the hard table,
resting our heads upon the Chinese pill.
lows-which convey no particular sug-
gestions of luxury, for they are nothing
but wooden blocks covered with coarse
cloth, shining with the contact of thou
sand well-oilea queues-and made ar
rangements for entering the realms of
" Araby the blest." The opium-pipe has
a long stem of reed or bamboo and
globular, metallic bowl, with a funnel
shaped orifice, in which the drug already
lighted Is placed The opium is taken up
on the end of wire, held for moment
in the fame OF lamp and then inserted
in the pipe. The bowl is now placed
over the fire and the opium stirred till the
mass Is ablazc, the smoker In the mean |
time inhaling and swallowing the smoke |
The fumes must be retained az long as |
possible In order TO produce the desired |
intoxicaiion etiectually, as but little of the |
drug Is consumed at time, the pipe hold. |
ing lump about the size OF pea A |
few whiils generally suffice for beginner,
but old veterans can stand half a dozen |
pipes at sitting and frequently repeat |
the dose two or three times day. The |
taste was swedish and quite pleasant and |
the action Of the smoke rather exhilarat- |
ing than otherwise, but as your CORE |
spondent did not take enough to feel its |
power very perceptibly he is unable to |
speak concerning its full effects. Certain |
ly Ii must possess terrible fascination |
for its unhappy victims, for the filthy |
surroundings Of the holes where the vice |
Is carried on give one every impression
but those of pleasure and happiness
John" however, is II, many respects but
degree above the brutes, and the fact
that he can extract the highest enjoyment
from such debased sources is anything hut