Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-03-08
Refuti ng a SANDER on staunton.

On Monday last meeting of the drug
gists of Staunton. presided over by Capt.
Frank Berkeley, with MIR. Geo. W. May, as
Secretary, was held to take action regarding
a letter published in the Cincinnati EN-
quirer,'' and purporting to have been writ
ten from Staunton on the 21st of February,
filed with the widest falsehoods about
the use of opium in this city. The follow
ing report prepa, ed by committee ap-
pointed at previous conference was unan-
imously adopted
The undersigned your committee beg leave re-
spectuly, to report that they have carefully read
the 25th of February. GATED ''Staunton, Va, Feb.
21st,' and claiming to give statement of the habits
They find tia tissue of falsehoods from beginning TO
end grossly sanderouS OF the people of this city and
Valley, and wholly without foundation in fact.
Enquirer or any other paper has visited any of the
druggists of SiauntOn
There has been no conference of druggists inrefer-
ence the increase OF the penicous habit Of Opium
eating, nor is it true that there has been increase
The assertion that one hundred pounds of opium
is sold in Staunton each aCeek is such unmitigated
falsehood that it requires no contradiction
Oul.ctl has population Of aboutS,O00 inhabitants
with t ar4e State nSti ut OnS-One for the Insane
and the other for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind, and
four large Female Schools. The county of Augusta,
OF Which Staunt0n IS The county Seat contains pop
uaon OF $4,000. The counties Of Bath, High and, Al
leghany, PocahOntas, Pendleton, and a cons erable
portion Of Rockingham and Rockbridge, with an ag-
gregate population OF not less Than $4,000, do the
most of their purchasing i'll Staunton. With all of
this trade the agg egate sales of opium taken in the
crude state and manufactured into audanum, pare
gorc &C.. by all five of the drug stores, does not
coed eighty pous $50 lbs) mall OF Interpretations,
including morphine.
are satisfied from careful examinations of our list of
customers there are not over fifty persons addicted
to the fearful habit OF opium eatng VI these, quite
number are force oits use by cancerous or other
equally painful aflcti0n
We feel justified in asserting that no community
of similar number of inla itants is less addicted
to the use OF opium than this Persons addicted to
the habit, all know do not buy at the same store
re ularly, but purchase from A one week and B
another, and nsequenty the publication in the
VINDICAToR q few weeks ago made the impression,
Internationally, that there We're five times as many
opium-eateIS here as rea ly exist,
The statement of the Enquirer that the young
ladies of the city were regular customers at the drug
stores for the purchase OF OPIUM is UNANIMOUSLY false.
Not even grain las been sold to any OF the schools
during the entire year. In referring to the OF
opium in the Lunatic Asy um, We say vat as little,
if not less is used ian in any similar Institution in
the United StateS that other remedies, better adap
ted to the condition OF The unfortunate inmates are
resorted to-
AS druggists, in whom much confidence is reposed
by the city, county, and section with Which wetrade,
feel called upon TO deny every assertion of this
core -pondent, and to express the belief that no
people free from the vice named as those en-
bracing he territory above stated nd what is true
OF county IS lIu6 OIL lllF eiilli Fdli6l Vi
In this opinion we are satisfied, he medical facul-
ty Of the city and county will bear us out.
1t is proper to state that no such persons as DR..
Murphy. Or, bikes, MI Lloyd, the pawnbroker
Mr. MarI1and, the Elder; OF MI. Bonner, the drug
gist live in Stanton, OF have ever lived here, and
that these names like the assumed facts of the En-
quirer cores p0ndent were coined for the occasion,
without shadow of truth to sustain them,
III order to effect as full repatriation of the injury
done this people by the statement OF the Enquirer
correspond nj, and to vindicate ourselves from the
request the proprietor OF that paper to give these
proceedings as wide a circulation as was given the
Communication in question.
1t is further requested that all other papers, which
have noticed either in part OF in whole the st,tf
ent in the stanton HNDIcATo OF CnGnnat
Richmond papers Rockingham .'Register." and Nor
folk Virginian will d. US the justice to publish the
substance OF this formal denial OF the assumed facts
| = BERKELEY & CO.,
| AWAIT & BRO,
GEO,W. MAY g. co,
| GEORGES WALKER,
| VIM r. TVREE