The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-01-22
4 AN oPIIIUlM DEN.
How An Opium Den IN chicago Is Opera.
ted.
Cainqq LeRek.

& Chicago LstteE.
Oflate the habit Of opium smoking hat
grown in ouf city to an alarming extent.
The number of places In which this bus
iness Is conducted, and of persons who
f-equent them, is rapidly increasing. 1t
.>Tas at first introdsced by the Chinese lii
their launories, in the back part of which
is small room partitioned of from the
remainder of tho laundr., in which at
Z nearly any time of the day de8faded
Americans may be found in friendly
commune with their olive colored broth
.ers over o common pipe. ] had the sat-
isfactiol of visiting one Of these dens this
week, and will give o brief description OF
it.. ! was in company with o friend, who
. said he would take me safely through. We
passed down an alley and ascending q
rickety pair OF stairs, knoekco ut q door
on the second floor.-A few seconds later
o small trap { JOE opened and The white
eyerballs of o negro were made Visible
through the opening. Having satisfied
+ himself that we were friends and not
opened the door aud 6ade us walk In.
AsiWe did go / noticed peculiar smell
about the place which I can but admit
The room was very plain aud its furni-
tnre consisted of side-board on which
WINS q cigar case in which were several
boxes of cigafa. There was also bro
ken Hover pot, containing geranium,
(. which seemed to be struggling hard for
on existence. Several easy! chairs were
placed around the Eooni aud the floor was
covered with much worn carpet of
doubtful colofs. But the most noticeable
OF oil, was O large, wide bed near the
center and to one side OF the room. It
had on Is simply q heavy mattress cover.
ed by o light spread. Asthe head OF the
bed waa O small spirit lamp used for
Z cooking and smoking the opium.
Just then the proprietor, Jas. Morrison,
who 'Hs.s d heayy-set, dark-eysd person,
entered the room. Hs appeared glad to
= see us, and was very aceommod dating.
My friend told me afterwards something
of his life. He is O strange character.
He was from some where In Missouri,
and for Eve years in bis early life was q
Methodist preacher. He got TO drink
ing, and was turned out Of the church In
disgrace. He went TO California, where
he went into the mines. While there he
robbed q miner one night of, So, 500 in
gold, for which he came nigh being
caught and lynched. He, however, made
his escape and went to New Orleans,
where he ingratiated himself into the
good will Of o respectable family and
married en- elderly widow lady with con-
siderable property. He could not keep
straight long, and soon sqiandefed most
Of his wife's money In drinking and gam
bling. When he could at last ret no
more of her money he left Ter and came
: 20 Chicago, whore he started gambling
den. From that he came into this OPT
um busineas. do asked us to look
through his apartments, aud showed u5
through q number OF rooms oil like the
one already described. In one Of the
r rooms, on the bed lay two men. lagily
drawing from % large pipe end swallow
ing che smoke. Tho sight was dis.
gushing one. Ono of the msn was Ia
q asate of torpidity, while the other was
fast approaching IL. he was highly az
cited, and in an excited manner talked
Of his own greatness and wealth. It
seems to always have the effect upon
them 10 make them believe that they
own Inc eIltite town and to talk sccord-
s ingly. I watched him Era short time,
when he, toe, fell ints that same state of
torpor. 7'ssss "a
Wsshen passed into the front room,
where the hest who Is very enthusiastic
on the subject, proceeded to shuW us
how it was. done, after 7ainly trying 10
have as try for ourselves. Lying down
on the Ded on pne aide, he lighted HE
spirit lamp and, taking 0 piece of opium
I about the slzs. Of two peas Ia his hand,
twisted it around q small iyosy pointer
end began 70 cook 1t over the lamps He
cooked sis unit. it had become abnnt like
Z aealing oeoaaionally stopped to
Enead Es9 Y lgsinas the palm Of his hand or
she bowl Of isis pipe. This, he explained,
!; was to take the poison ont az IL. 81 Ter
II had beea thug baked iia placed it Ii,
the bowl ipf his pine and, puttinr sl,e
stem In kia mouth end the bowl over tke
& latap, 10 that the blaze wonid keep the
opium burning, he began to smoke. Af.
ter otring for about three minutes. s 10
my apgpfiss, eRd not eflsit imp any an, oko.
leeSsl atissi and Siess out Quite d volume,
a ter king for q short tiGn6 he seen.
s 70 20 a - si=SE III 70 .si uer
{ anG talked Cs his i5ainense wealth. Al
l57i n % ET5 N ~ It IS siohd dsrfjil 90 Gee
~ hat was g0itl on here. Disrerutable
men AND H7onaeh cong gated together
+ hers nightly anu sucked tfleae sour. dirty
pipes and agg allowed the p0isoii6us smoke
Until flaL Ieniild kaEna aiu night AFTER nipht.
and oftentimes tho greater portion Of the
day, until + became :sucll $ nuisance that
twas partls shut down on.
y The habit onca formed Is S tliffieuit
oneite break Ip he pain which leads
i To It - rather pieaai imp ind very EefI LtctiTa.
lang a fASn hag gone into ono Of these
plaHss, md ont Of curiosity fried q psps
IteTfHS 80 syeYp fslhnRirtf and y fs%s3ss,.