St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-04-06
Our New York Letter.

SMOKE H0USES-METHODS OF USE
GAMBLING AND IDOLATRY-AMERICA
DEMAND FOR THE DRUG-S2, 900, OOC
WORTH A YEAR-A DARK PICTURE
THE WAR UPON THE HABIT.
New YORK, March 30, 1877.
TO the Editor Of the Californian:
An interesting excursion for the So
journer in New York to make, especial
ly if he he strong of courage and OF
stomach, is a nocturnal trip through a
part of the east side of the town where
the Chinese mostly congregate, to in
spect the opium dens which are there
to be found.
The long famous or infamous region
known as the Five Points, although
somewhat improved from its former
condition by the burning up of many
of the old rOOkeries and their replacing
with better structures, still remains the
moral cesspool of New York, into which
pour the unsavory streams of vice and
debauchery which find their sources in
Baxter, Mott and neighboring streets,
whose very names have become sug-
gestive of squalor and iniquity. Into
this unpromising region it was, that |
entered one night not long since, i'm
PEELED by not unnatural curiosity to
see for myself these Chinese opium dens
or ''smoke houses" as they are called,
and witness the use and effect of the
fascinating but baleful drug, which,
though not native product of their
soil has almost subjugated the unfortu-
nate Celestials, holding startlingIy
large proportion of them in abject bond
age. The chal of the locality, and
the fact that investigation of this kind
can only he pursued to advantage in
the early night rendered lonely visit
rather undesirable, and it was, there
tOle, Ill the company of Il stalwart pO-
lIceman that admission was sought at Il
torbldding looking doorway in lower
Baxter street. In response to knock
the door was partially opened, Il leather
colored head Ornamented with a loosely
coIled queue, appeared round its edge,
and pair of slanting black eyes scan
ned us sharply and curiously. The face
of the policeman, which he had doubt
less seen before under similar circum-
stances, served to reassure the cautious
old heather, who, without Il word, al
lowed us to pass in, and pointed to Il
rIekety staircase. Up this we stumbled
III StygIan darkness, and opening Il door
ut the top found ourselves, by the tes-
tlmony OF every sense, in the presence
of King Opium.
The room was perhaps fifteen feet
square, with bare floor, low ceiling, and
filthy walls. The feeble rays of two
small oil lamps were engaged in a per-
sIstent but hopeless struggle to peme-
trate the thick, pestilential atmosphere
but could not seem to get far from their
source. By their combined aid, how
ever, we could dimly discern ranged
around three sides of the apartment.
rough wooden benches or hunks, most
OF which were occupied by Cinnamon in
all stages of this revolving enjoyment,
from that of the initial whitfs to that of
nerveless and motionless stupor.
The method of smoking opium has
been often detailed but may be par
doned for repeating it to show how
strong must he the influence of Il habit
the indulgence of which is attended with
so much difficulty. At the end of a reed
thing like that of an ordinary pine. The
smoker rolls up little ball of crude
opium, which in this form is IL pasty
solid, and placing it in the bowl applies
fire i'll the shape OF ii coal, match, or red
hot wire and at the same time sucks
vigorousl Y at the stem, getting two OF
three mOuthfuls of bitter, rank smoke,
sckening enough to turn the stomach
of an ostrich. Then the spluttering OPT
um goes out and fresh fire must he OBJ
tanned, the operation being repeated
again and again till the charge is ex-
hausted or till the smoker is too far gone
to continue it. If the smoking of IA pipe
OF tobacco were attended with half as
much trouble, the latter dissipation
would never have become prevalent.
All this we saw, felt and smelt in 81
lence for Il few minutes, which was as
long as our lungs and noses would sub
nit to the intiictiOn, and then with
hasty nod to the keeper of the den,
made the quickest time possible for the
open air. | would willingly have re-
strained my further curiosity regarding
these deadly holes reeking with physi-
cal and moral poison, but yielded to the
advice of my blue-coated guide, and we
therefore found ourselves, after a five
minutes walk, at the entrance of an
other ''smOke house" similar in charac-
ter to the first, but of little better
class, and seeming to be sort of gen
eral resort for the smooth faced knights
of the wash-tub and cigar bench. Here
were the smokers, and here also were
little knots of Cinnamon playing some
game which might be considered sort
of Celestial "seven-upn In one room
was IL joss or horrible idol, before whom
some of the most devOut would Occa-
sionally come to pay their devotion,
which consisted in burning little pieces
of red paper, not unlike the labels of
fire crackers, and covered with appar-
emily similar characters, which | rightly
inferred were prayers to the Joss. But
though the scene here was somewhat
more varied and less absolutely revolt
ing than i'll the place first visited, the
difference was merely in degree the
same stencil pervaded, the faces of the
yellow-skinned gamblers and PRAYER
burners bore traces of the same shock
ing debauchery, "the trail of the SER
pent was over it all" and | soon left,
thoroughly impressed with the fact that
opium may be safely taken as the syno-
nym of degradation and misery.
But were it these Orientals only who
were addicted to it's use-this strange,
patient, industrious and unprincipled
race, tough and phlegmatic to the last
degree-the case, at best, would be i'll
fnitely better than it now is. Through
out the whole of this broad land, among
our own countrymen and even among
our own friends the insidious tyrant
claims his subjects to an extent which
it is imnoSSihle for any one TO even he