Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-29
THE EVENING STAR.
DOUBLE SHEET
sAIuR January -. 1851.


4 TALK WITH A DRUGGIST.
oURER EXPERIENCES AND ODD CUsToxERS-rus
PEorIg WHO WANT SODA WITH STICK IN Tr-
The SoAKBRS WHO WANT THgfa .DsUgS''
sTRAi1Hr-oPIUM EATERS AND THs I1Kg-rHs
SALE = roISoNs-ThR DEMAND FoR Ioye paw
DBRS, FACR BEAUTIFlBRs, HAIR DYXS MUs-
TACHE rROPAGArORS BIT.
.Oh yes, some or our experiences are anus
ing. some curious and some are otherwise. -
The speaker was well known and popf,a-
drug clerk. who had been asked by Tue STAR
reporter 10 tell me some of the funny things
that occur In drug stores?" 1t was late in the
evening, and the business OF the day had about
been completed. The drug clerk aud the re-
porter took seats and Nhe talk began. 81 dont
Know exactly where TO commence but "a / h a ye
promised that you could interview me, I sup
pose had better start out with the things Jnat
sometimes happen
IN THE EARLY MORNING
1t Is not the most amusing thing to BE- woke
up al three O'Clock these cold mornings. "A I
was several mornings since. and on many nra
vtous occasions, TO furnish a postal card or a
postage stamp. Ii Is true che customer soma
tunes says: You will have to excuse me but
wanted 10 catch the early mail. This is some
satisfaction, but 1t is very little. Now and then
We are woke up at night by fellows VINO wan
to get drink OF whis Ky, ana who don't know
WHERE the all night bar-rOo are but | g,n
efally sehds uch persons away with such nes
III their ear that they never come back agalo. !"
But some druggists sell liquor by the drink
don't they" | have often heard It charged
against them at least" the reporter ventured
10 say. though it was rather leading que stioa
al q ne y hich some druggists care to say It'll
ABOUT.
Eyes, am sorry to say" he answered. s.th,t
some men VINO are In the drug business forget
tnelr nigh and noble calling to such an extent
that they get down to the level OF bar keepers
cut the cases are happily very rare. My ady;c.
70 persons when they know druggist sells
whisky by the drink. is to let that store Sc
verely alone, for they are very liable to neglect
the business OF compromising medicine In their
greed FOR the traffic In liquor, which is far more
prontaole than that OF com1ounding medicine,
commissioning the fact that some Peoplt:
imagine that the drug business is all profit.
But TO let the question OF relative profits 90.
some druggists VIII now and then put
DROP OF WHISKY IN SODA WATER
but no strictly first class druggist Will d, 80. IL
matters not whether he keeps small corner
store or big store on the Avenue. / had this
experience once: gentleman who is rather
prominent as lawyer In this city, came into a
drug store where was clerk. He had a lady
Win nm. They stepped up to the soda counter.
the man said to me kind OF confldentially, sPut
about forty drops OF whisky In mine and sherry
In hers This confidential business made me
MAJ and | told him. not Ia whisper though.
is orGg store. l have to go TO the bar room
when want drink and so will YOU He was
shocked; got very mad, and went out swearing
But ne never asked for whisky again In that
store, at least while was ther,.,
TIE MAN WHO GOT A "HOr DRINK"
II got even with another whisky customer
once He was then, and is now, clerk In the
treasury department. It.was in another drug
store. had only been there a couple OF days
and had not yet learned its way OF doing bIsi-
ness. several Old soakers who would not be
seen going into barroOm had been allowed co
get their whisky In the store. The whisky was
kept in bottle Labelled tinctura capsici compos-
titus. which means compound tlncture OF Cay
I to hoT.
can De and not melt one OF the old sports, who
had learned to call whisky 'tlnctura capsIcl
compoSltus,, with an ease and clearness of
pitroilef OF years experience, and supposed
that that was the Latin name for whisky. came
into the store, and advancing towards me with
smile that was charming In its elegance. said:
tura capslcl compositus in glass for lmmedllJe
USE, Knew what he wanted, but instead of
gi nan9,tv - % httnm, gave MIN about that
the same as h iis' Iook,n G2l0t aro Wai
Z, h, see that no one eatopt myself vas noticing
gass |p eD me he eopens of the
way that | can never forget Big tears
were pouring out OF his eyes an I altogether he
was the most uncomfortable looking man ever
him at least ten minutes before he could get
control OF the muscles that work the Jaw, and
the power TO artlculate. His first words were,
Great Heavens. what have you given me-
'Tinctuia capsiei compostus,F said, looking
at him as serious As could. my God, man,
l waited t WHISKY Then why did you not
asked for, replied, moving abou. as If had
10 further Interest In his case. | knew thai
While The pepper would burn him pretty lively
II would 90 him no further harm. Am pois
onedE' he managed to gasp with an EXPRESSION
OF horror. Not exactly pOisoneJ, but you are u
Nesy'sick man, l replied After making him
suffer for ten minutes or so, / gave him som
stun IN which shaved ice played a good part.
AND III an hour or so he was all right After
hat when he wanted whisky be weat into Il
oar room. where he also got better whisky than
The tlppl!ng house drug store deals cur.
TBE PARTICULAR OLD LADY.
And now for some other kind of experience
some OF tie otherwise knd:" THE STAR man
asked. after smiling audibiy over the above
narrative.
"Then from the ridiculous to the sublime
am reminded Of this: An aged LAZY. one of
the nandsomeSt, most mOtherly looking ladies
that ever saw, with the single exception, |
believe, OF my own mother, who, OF course In
my eyes, II not in those OF others, was the most
neautiIul woman IN the world, came in the
store one day with prescription, which she
handed me to prepare While | was working
on It, she told me OF all the principal events OF
the lie OF her young son, whom the medicine
was for. Then she became nervous that /
might make mistake and put In the wrong
drug and kept telling me to be careful, to be
very careful She was such fine looking old
1aay, ana aiSplayea suGa tender regard for
mind TO point where could ask her to cease
talking, though 1t was the rule OF the store aud
should be, that mo conversation is allowed
while medicines are being prepared In little
While she had got me SO mixed up that | could
hardly tell paregoric from licorlce root. for
had got unconSciously In state OF sympathy
With her. Finally, told her that I could not
proceed any further unless she remained quiet
She did SO, and the medicine was what 1t should
DE. TIE reason tell this Is to show that drug
clerks are human, like other people: subject TO
the same influences and Sympathies, and that
II persons want accuracy they should gossip as
little as possible While medicine is being COM
pounded"
WHEREIN THK DRUGGISTS LIFE Is NOT A HAPPY
ONE.
druggists are the only persons i believe who
are punished by law If they make mistakes, are
they not?" was the next tnterrogatory the
STAR reporter put.
Yes" the drug clerk replied, "rhe only class,
ana IL seems strange, too. Then, the sale OF
what are known as OiSon5 is heQged about un-
necessarily with laws. During the past year
There were tWenty-SiX men and three women
Wno according TO the cOrOner5 report died
from d. psomania- alcoholism OF whisky apo
pleXy, as IL Is vdrlously called. OF course hun
dIeus OF others died from the same cause
though the plain whisky s.popiexy' Is never put
Id certificate OF death unless they happen to
De neglected Vagaoonc5 who die on the streets
or Ia police station houses Except in the case
OF VagabOnds, SO-cailed respectable, doctors give
acertlncate OF congestion OF the BRAIN heart
disease. 'apoplexy' or some other deceptive
q t,,,,,p ofx ;,gl