Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-06-15

place designated as the den, 80 that he might
SEQ all who entered. It Is one Of the .vilest
and most squalid quarters of the city, the
den itself being in house in filthy little
court leading off Pacific street, between
Kearney and Dupont he. watched from
o'clock till 8, and in that single hour ne
counted over twenty American boys, ranging
from ffteel to twenty-one, who applied for
admission and we're hurriedly passed in.
There were few grown men and many
Cinnamon, and of the Americans the dress
betokened that they were of the better class.
They would come to the. corner Of Pacific
street, glance Hastily around to be assured
that they we're unobserved, and then effect
Tasty entrance, apparently by giving an un-
derstood signal At length he saw his own
son enter, and 50 quickly that he could not
intercept him. He then himself went to
the corner, and approaching the door he
raped for admittanoe as nearly as he could
in the way he had seen the others do. The
door was opened by tremulous- limbed,
blear-eyed Cninaman, but when the gentle
man attempted to pass his was stopped. It
was in vain that he said it was all right, that
he wanted to smoke opium and that he Of
Tered to pay; he was not possessed of the
cabalistic sign, and consequently the China
The father then went home and waited for
his son, who returned late in the night sill
stupefed from his regular nocturnal deadly
debauch. When he learned that his. father
knew of his whereabouts he disclosed every
thing. He had first acquired the habit when
only fifteen years old, and before he knew
of its horrors it had obtained such control
of him that all efforts to break it were futile.
For three years he has smoked constantly.
Recently his family has noticed the COM
plete prostratlon of his nervous system.
During the last six months he has been so
nervous that in the mornings he has been
| unable to convey food to his mouth. His
parents have consulted physicians, but as
the, boy would never tell what the real mala-
dy was, the medicines prescribed done no
good, and to-day, at 18, he is almost physi-
cal wreck. He persistently refuses to give
| the signs by which admittance may be had to
the den, but he says it is SO jealousy
guarded that four doors have to be passed
through before thesmoking.room is reached,
where ''dopee for ten cents, requiring
| about twenty minutes to smoke, is obtained,
and on the bare floor of which the smokers
lie extended during their torpor. He says
there are over thousand boys who are reg
MAR habituates of this or similar dens. The
father yesterday made q full statement of
the facts at police headquarters to Counselor
Clarke, and it is expected that this particu-
lar den will be raided and broken up. But
unless keen watch shall be maintained for
the detection of others, or the 70 establish
ment of this same one, and relentless pros
ecution of the keepers of all commenced, the
| business of supplying the deadly drug, the
use of which more swiftly than any other
known process, hurries its votaries to IRE
trievable physical and mental ruin, will be
furtively conducted. This is one of the
most malignant phases of the Chinese evil,
| and one that has most awful meaning for
the better classes of society. The domestic
government of the family of which this
young man is member is not more lax
than that of the average family of San
Francisco, the affection of the father and
moth-r for their eldest boy is Of the warm
st and most thoughtful, and yet for three
years he has been enabled to indulge in the
habitual use of the deadliest drug known to
humanity, till, with shaking body and shak-
ing voice, he doggedly declares his utter in
ability to free himself from the awful slavery
that has thus soon brought him to the very
| verge of the grave.