The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-09-30
ALADns OPIUM PAR1oa.
4 House Over Whose Threshold
Only wealthy Women
OAn 9tep.
Phll0dClrhiA Times.

| ..sS w. UReUUS psssSOI IA ~
city. She resides In . small unpSe
tending brick house on Mount Ver
non street, . few doors from Tenth
A small silver plate on the door bear,
her name, but there is NO other In
dleati0n that the house h inhabited
The gnee1 blinds are always KEEP
closed, and the door II only open 10l
the patrons Of the place who silently
come and 30. 0rS. ChlsOsm 6s pale
re1ned-Sooking woman 0f about 3
yoem. an4 her arpeai ance does nol
ind!cete . victim OF the opium habit,
AZ lar - could be seen IN = hasty In.
specti0n Of the three rooms on the first
nooF, the interior Of the house b
furnished with . luxury rarely at.
tempt d In house OF the kind. The
walls are rich in gliding and decoIa-
tjOn ON the door are heavy Tcrkirll
and Persian rugs, and statuettes,
pictures and bric-a-brac are scattered
about In every direction. 1.-The rooms
used for smoking are up stairs" said
MIS-. Gibson yesterday, land, o
course, cannot let yOu see them
but you can Judge by these that n
expense has keen spared In fittinR up
the house: came t. Philadelphia
on the 18th Of last February, and /
am quite satisfied tl,at shall do yery
we'll here. My customers are con.
stantly increasing, aud among them
are some 81 the wcaithiest ladies' sin in
the city" On being questioned
about her ante cedents, Mrs. Chisom
told . story Of an adventurous
career.
Seventeen year3 ago." she said.
I married . wealthy Southern cotton.
planter. He was the owner Of u large
plantation near New Orleans. and fSr
two years lived there happily. How
did l begin 10 use opium: Well, It
b the old story. wac III and 4 friend
advised me to try II. l did, and ever
since that day l have been unable to
do without It. Nv Iife beceme a
burden. ] neglected everything and
could take tntervst In nt.lhing cCn-
meet ed with my home. l made sev-
eral efforts to give up the hapit, Tut
/ found il impossible; and after
every attempt l began taking II In
ereater quantities than ever before.
Ny husband died two years after NV
marriage, and after his death I
turned everything had into money
and went to live IN New York. There
/ put myself under the caro- Of a
ph! stcian who advertised to cure q: e
opium habit. He gave ME coffee
baths and brandy In large dCxes. hut
/ used tO clusle him and net the druv
and take It secretly.
ut was In New York that / first
learned to smoke opium. was
taken ~ friend to IN opium l,arlor
on Eighteenth street, kept by q
French woman named Mime. Fanlan.
Mansfield, 00ntaland aod o..ser no
forious women were regular patrons
of her place. No men were admitted,
and rooms were fitted up with ORR
Initial luxury. / often ren,a. ned there
. week ut time without seeing the
outside world. Women prominent in
society came there als0, but ~ . rule
they did not smoke much the novel.
" Of the thing alone seemed to NJ
tract them. 1t soon became too ex-
penstve for u 10 continue 10 gO there
10r her changes were enormous.
About this time the IDEA Of having q
(DIace Of my own suggested itself tO
me. ha0 . number OF friends and
money enough left 10 furnish . few
rooms. 80 ] opened an opium parlor
10 East SiAtecntl. street. My place
x,on ('e.a'nc popular. Many II Nine. |
FanIau's customers came To me-, and
my succexs was assured. would te
there to-day had It not heen for the !
lreachery Of one whom, I iHfrienaleti.
Among the freiuentcrs Of the French
:o'''an'* place was = young actress,
lhen playing leading part In one Uf
lhe New York tlIeatcfx. She was |
very beautiful and quite the rage !
among the gilsled youth who affect |
lhiL ~ theatrical. She came. original !
y, l think, from, England, and of all !
The "ptuna-takers | have ever seen !
sIe was the wort. She WIS CONF !!
|'lctely infatuated with it, and when !
rver she could escape frOsn her duties
1t the theatcr she would cs,n,e tO |
Nine. Fanlan's and smoke. A short !
lime after ] had opened my place she !
'an,e to me broken In hesaltf, and In i
lcject poverty. ! pitied her, and /
|OOk her In and gave her home, i,ut
'he proved nm migrate, and I .Oon re- !
greited my kindness tO her. In order ,
~ obtain money she informed the
iD('ands Of some Of my hest patrons
hat their wives came IL NV house to
'nsOke opium. Of coursc, this great
y injured my business Ia New York,
,ut Il taught n,e les> on that ! have
not fOrgOtten."
Mrs. Chist,ln claims that many Of ,
he fretluenters Of her place on Mount
Vernon street move In good society
md rvstlle In the fashionable QUAR-
en- Of the city, and she seems to CON-
'tCler herself y public lencfactress In
,tEertng > quiet retreat tO women vic
Inns Of the opium habit. where they
an indulge In safety and comfort.
'ThOsc who are in any way kOwn
re stared at . little BY the Others
vDnen they first co,ne,' she naively
e."arkesi. "but they do not seem to
MIND this, and are very sociable with
ach other. They would use opium
'nyway, and they might NJ we'll
Ome to me - take It IN their own
ZONES. During the winter parties Of
l'ree Or four will often come togct her.
Actresss-S generally come In this way.
enIatn two Or three hours and then
cave together" Mrs. Ch:somn re-
used to tell how much she cl,argpd
l'ese aristNcratic opium smokers. hut
rOm her indirect illusions to cOflSv
erved every hour and carriages con-
family On hand her charges must le
:'nstalerablc. She vigorously tx
luce: the sterner sex, saying that
Sen do not interest the women who
indulge In opium.
II h related of Rev. William Ar
hur, the Presidents father, that
'hiIe presiding over the baptist
'hurch In West Troy his choir
naw)etl out the hymn with varia-
o,.s. which did not please him. 70
e t'~'k his text and preached two
ours and forty minutes His l,eud
.'acDn grew impatient and consulted
IL watch. Keep your watch in