Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1883-01-05


The proprietor Of one of those curiouI
baxaars Of medicine Ian eastrside drug
! store-Fecently talked with unwonted
frecnem of the habits of some of his Gus
| toners. After little woman enyeloped
In Z tattered shawl had glided stealthily
out Of the store, having been refused in
Der pleadingy for an eighth of an ounce
Of morphine, the druggist remarked thai
uhe was Z angular individual, but fair
sample Of certain class he had TO deal
with. "This Is the section of the city, "
be continued, "where the census-takeI
rolls up the big figures, and, of course, !
have an opportunity to zee good many
such charnctenL It is remarkable what
habits people become addicted to. A
woman comes here occasionally who has
mania for eating cloves She IL never
without them, and is always passing them
to her mouth one at time with distress
ing regularity. Her friends are frequent
~ seen arresting her hand in its slow but
probably fatal errand. But it is of no
use. No one will refuse to sell cloves,
and her appetite for them is apparently
almost beyond control. Her face is
round and fair, but has lividnew about
It that nothing else will give. believe
instances of a passion for cloves are rare
The habit of taking compound cathartic
pills occasionally fixes itself on persons
who use them too freely. To their hor-
ror they sometimes find they are ~ much
necessity to them as the pipe to the
opium smoker. There are several such
cases about here. all of them poor persons
who were trying TO save doc
ton' bills Snuff dipping il a
disgusting habit confined TO the lowest
women. Troops Of them come in here on
Saturday night for snuff. Some of the
better class Of customers have small, yet
injurious habita They indulge mildly
but constantly in cinnamon bark, cassia
buds. grainsof paradise, lovage, flag, dried
orange peel, snakeroot, cardamon seeds,
manhmallow, and numerous other roots
and barks that are all medicinal in prop
or quantities, but undoubtedly hurtful
when taken day after day, simply because
the palate Graves them"
"How about the chloral, absinthe and
other destructive habitat"
"The chloral habit l see but little Of"
was the reply. "It is more commonly a
vice Of the wealthy and those in literary
pursuits. Ihave Just read an account Of
its most famous victim-an English poet
and painter, have forgotten his name.
The effects Of absinthe are like the break
ing down of the famous one-horse shay,
It Is served up in mild form In every
clubhouse and frst-clsss bar in the city
In the shape Of cocktail. France is the
country for absinthe drinking. Ether
'frolics were once . common kind of in
toxication with certain classes, but are
now pretty we'll out of style, except with
students They occasionally bdy ether
by the pound and inhale it through pa
per tunnels or from spongcs. 1t does not
seem to create any appetite, and after
one or two trials Is generally given up.
But of course tho greatest Of enslaving
drugs Is opium. "A gum opium eater can
never be mistaken. There is kind Of
dry, leathcry look about him that not
even the sun will give. Opium consum-
ers are very tricky, and will bamboozle .
new clerk with false prescription, or in
some other way, every time. Opium as
prepared for smoking does not come In
my line. ."-N. Y. Sun,