The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-01-15

To 0C0RRESp0NDENTSs-4u ohpoA W NSS~~SS.
tention COMMUNICATIONS must be accompanied
by the true name and address OF the writet. ~ ~
iected manuscripts win not be returned unless tne
necessary stamps are furnished TO repay me p9f
ngo thereon. 6S- We are not responsipie Aor 'ne
views and opinions Of our correspondents; er,
9 An COMMUNICATION should be addressed 70 Ea-
itor Intalligencern and all checks, drafts, money
-o-deYs DC, should be made payable 70 tne ofueF "
E. B. MURRAY d co.
z s. rs AN OPIUM DEN.
How An Opium Den 9.s II Chicago Is Opera
Chicago Letter.
Oflate the habit of opium smoking has
grown in our, city to an alarming extent.
The number ofplaces in which this bus
inessis conducted, and of persons who
frequent them, is rapidly increasing. 1t
was at first introduced by the Chinese in
their lanndries, in the back part OF which
is q small room partitioned OH frsm the
remainder of the laundry, in which at
nearly any time of the day degraded
Americans may be found in friendly
commune with their olive colored broth;
ers over common pipe. ] had the sat-
isfaction of visiting one of these dens this
week; and will give brief description OF
it. was in company with q friend, who
said he would take me safely through. We
passed down an alley and ascending q
rickety pair of stairs, knoeked at door
on the second Hoor.-A few seconds later
small trap door opened and the white
eye:balls Of negro were made visible
through the opening. Having satisfied
himself that we were friends and not
senemies, the curly pated indiviouai
opened the door and bade US walk IN.
Asiwe. did SO noticed peculiar smell
about the place which ! can but admit
was not unpleasant, especially at nrst.
The room was very plain and Its turni-ii
tnre consisted of side-board on which,
was cigar case in which were several
boxes of cigars. There wa also a bro
ken flower pot, containing geranium,
which seemed to be struggling hard for
an existence. Several easy chairs were
placed around the room and the floor was
covered with much worn carpet OF
doubtful colors. But the most noticeable
of all, was a large, wide bed near the
center and to one side of the room. III
had on it simply a heavy mattress cover
ed by q light spread. As the head of the
bed was q small spirit lamp used for!
cooking and smoking the opium.
Just then the proprietor, Jas. Morrison,
who was heayy.set, dark-eyed person,
entered the room. He appeared glad to-
see us, and was very accommodating.
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 his 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 be
robbeda miner one night Of SS,5 800 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 respectable family and
married an elderly widow lady with con-
siderable property. He could not keep
straight long, and soon squandered most
of his wife's money in drinking and gam
bling. When he could at last get no
more of hep money he left her and came
to { Chicago, where he started a gambling
den. From that he came into this OPT
um business. He asked Us to look
through his apartments, and showed US
through number of rooms all like the
one already described. In one of the
rooms, on the bed lay two men lazily
drawing from q large pipe and swallow
ing the smoke. The sight was dis
gusting one. One of the men was in
state of torpidity, while the other was
fast approaching it. He was highly ex.
cited, and in an excited manner talked
of his own greatness and wealth. It
seems to always have the effect upon
them to make them believe that they
own the entire town and to talk accord
ingly. I watched him for short time.
when he, too, fell into that same state Of
torpor.
We then passed into the front room,
where the host, who is very enthusiastic
on the subject, proceeded to show US
how it was done, after vainly trying to
have us try for ourselves. Lying down
on the bed on one side, he lighted his
spirit lamp and, taking piece of opium
about the size of two peas in his hand,
twisted it around small ivory pointer
and began to cook it over the lamp. He
cooked it until it had become about like
sealing wax, occasionally stopped to
knead it against the palm of his hand or
the bowl ofhis pipe. This, he explained,
was to take the poison out of it. After
il had been thus baked he placed it in
the bowl of his pipe and, putting the
stem in his mouth and the bowl over the
lamp, 80 that the blaze would keep the
opium burning, he began to smoke. Af-
ter smoking for about three minutes, to
my surprise, and not emitting any smoke,
he paused and blew out quite volume.
After smoking for short time he seem.
ed TO be effected similar to the other men
and talked of his immense wealth. A
few weeks ago it was wonderful to see
what was going on here. Disreputable
men and women eongregated together
here nightly and sucked these sour, dirty
pipes aud swallowed the poisonous smoke
until they would remain night after night,
and ofteDtimes the greater portion of the
day, until it became such nuisance that
it was partly shut down on.
The habit once formed is a difficult
one to break up. The pain which leads
to It is rather pleasing and very seductive.
Many a man has gone into one of these
places, and out of curiosity tried pipe.
1t was so very pleasing, and feeling
strong in his powers to resist becoming
an "opium smoker" he has gone again
and again, till finally he loses his power
to control himself and becomes a con-
frmed smoker. There are many promi.
nent men in Chicago to-day whom it
would surprise the community to know
that they inhabit such places. There are
a good many women who are equally as
bad. This may seem strange and unnat-
ural bnt it is nevertheless true, The