The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-12-26
A Black Hills HOpium House,"

The Deadwood "opium house," writes
q correspondent, is owned and conducted
by two venerable appearing pagans, who
assume q dignity andimportance of mien
indicative Of no little self-esteem-an
audacity of nature often remarked, too,
in those engaged in the retail liquor
business. Such characters do not seem
to be sensible of their dreadful destiny.
The opium house is q frame structure
at the lower end of Main street. In the
Chinese quarters. Thanking it Tor a
| square or more above and below, the
general aspect is decidedly Oriental,
also plutonic. Heather wash houses,
tea stores and medicine and doctor shops,
with their cabalistic signs and burning
colored tapers-charms against the in
trusion of Asiatic hobgoblins-are ium-
bled together promiscuously. The in
fected atmosphere is perfectly sitting,
and warns the visitor of his approach
some time before he reaches his destina-
tion-the predominating stencil Of OPT
um smoke commlngling with that insult
ferable musk smell which everywhere
characterizes the presence of Mongoli-
ans. Entering the front and receiving
room, I was agreeably surprised to find
everything scrupulously clean, and the
character and arrangements of the
uniaue and curious furniture and pic
lures, such as could not fail to captivate
the pagan eye. Every appearance n
device seemed to invite to ease INC
repos An air of orderly abandon
pervaded the place, under the influence
of which n almost became obllyious to
the repulsive details which combine to
make up this novel picture OF American
lied barbarianlsm.
We were at once approached by a
cleanly-clad Asiatic-his sandals new
and glossy, encasing stockings of spot
less white, and the balance OF his loose.
cotton attire just as cle"niyI-who intro
duced himself by asking, "Melic,n man
20 up stairs Hob smoker" we noo-
ded assent. apd followed him up the
narrow stairway to an aisle, on either
aide of which was a row of opium-smoking
stalls the entrances to which were
~cp1tained with grotesque ly-figured cloth
of Chinese manufacture. In each OF
these cells there is a small table, with
neutrality-suspicious. stools. They are
of capacity sufficient to accommodate
half q dozen when sitting close together,
as opium-smokers do when smoking in
parties. My guide ordered two pipes,
the charge for each of which was "four
bittee." I have often paid half a dollar
for admission to entertainment which
did not prove 80 profitable, though my
pipe was unused. Having received his
dollar the barbarian left US to soon
return with two cards, each containing
about a small teaspoonful Of an opium
mixture of the consistency Of common
tar. It is said this compound is not
made anywhere outside of China. 1t is
put up for market in that country In
boxes containing q little over half q pint,
and they are retailed in San Francisco at
eight dollars each, and at twelve dollars
in Deadwood. The mixture is OF a
combustible character, consuming away
slowly and steadily when ignited. A
piece of rounded and nicely polished
hardwood, upon which to fry the mar
cotic, is furnished, with a piece of wire
to regulate the consumption as to guam
tity and time, by adding to or taking
from the burning mass, and also to feed
the pipe. An old smoker will consume
one card in half an hour, and I was
assured there were many in Deadwood,
of both sexes, who often spent an entire
night in the opium-house, using from
five dollars to seven dollars worth of
opium in an all-night sitting. I had
peculiar proof that some of the leading
business men of the city had fallen VIC
TINS to the fatal allurement.
The income of the proprietors must
be enormous. Had we called an hour
later We would have failed to have got
seats without waiting, as the tables are
usually all occupied from nine o'clock
ct night until well on toward daylight.
As many Is forty are often smoking in
this house.