The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-10
DREAM PIPES AND LozENsEs
A Description of Visit to a Hashish House
in New York City.

Ii. II. Kane, NJ. D.. in HaPper5.
We paused before a gloomy-lookiug house,
entered the gate and passed up the steps.
The windows were absolutely dark, and the
entrance-way looked dirty and desolate.
Four pulls at the bell, a pause. and one more
pull were followed by a few moments
silence broken suddenly by the sound of
fallen chain, rasping bolt, and the grinding
of a key in the lock- The outer door was
cautiously opened and at a word from my
companion we passed into the vestbule.
| The outer door was carefully closed by
some one whom | could not disun-
guish in the utter darkness. A moment
later the inner door was opened, and never
shall l forget the impression produced by
the sudden change from total darkness to
the strange scene that met my eyes. The
dark vestibule was the boundary line separ-
atng the cold, dreary streets and the ordi-
nary world from scene OF oriental magnlh-
cenCe.
"a volume OF heavily scented air, close
upon the heels of which came deadly sick
ening odor, wholly unlike anything | had
ever smelled, greeted my nostrils. A hall
lamp of grotesque shape flooded the hall
with a subdued violet light that filtered
J through crenated disks of some violet fabric
hung below it. The walls and ceilings, if
ever modern, were no longer so, for they
were shut in and hung by fesstoons
and plaits of heavy cloth fresh from
eastern looms Tassels OF blue, green,
| yellow, req ana tlnSel mere ana
there peeped forth, matching the curious
edging of variously colored bead-work that
bordered each fold Of drapery like a huge
! procession of luminous ants, and seemed to
flow into little phosphorescent pools wher-
ever the cloth was caught up. Queer figures
and strange lettering in the same work. were
here and there disclosed upon the ceiling
! cloth.
| "Along one side of the hall between two
doors were arranged huge tubs and pots of
maiolica-like ware and blue-necked Japanese
vases, in which were plants, shrubs and flow
| ers of the most exquisite color and odor
Green vines clambered up the walls and
across the ceiling, and catching their
tendri!s in the balustrades of the stairs
| (Which were also of curious designS), threw
down long sprays and heavy festoons of
| verdure.
LAS my companion, who had paused mo-
ment to give me time to look about me,
walked toward the far end of the hall, fol-
| lowed him. and passed into small room on
the right, where with the assistance of a
| oolored servant, we exchanged our coats, hats
and shoes for others more in keeping with
our surroundings. First, long plush gown,
quilted with silk down the front and irregu-
! larly ornamented in bead and braid with de-
! signs of serpents, flowers, creseents and stars,
was slipped on over the head. Next a tas
seled smoking cap was donned and the feet
enoased in noiseless list slippers. In any
I
oumstanee l should have felt ridicu'
lous in this costume, but SO in
keeping was it with all l had seen, and
so thoroughly had 1 seemed to have
left my everyday self in the dark vestibule,
that felt perfectly at home in my strange
dress. We next crossed the hall to a smaller
room, where a young man, apparently a
| Frenchman, furnished US, on the payment
of So each, with two small pipes and a small
covered bronzed cup, or urn, filled with
dry green shrub, which l subsequently
! learned was gunieh (the dried tops and
leaves of the hemp plant), for smoking My
friend, on the payment of a further sum.
| obtained curious little box which contained
some small black lozenges, consisting of the
resin Of hemp, henbane, crushed datura
seeds. butter and honey, and known in India
as ma oon, amongst the Moors as Ell Mogen
Passing from this room we assembled the
richly carpeted stairs, enarbored by vines,
and paused upon a landing from which three
doors opened. Upon one pink card bore
! Dryden'S line:
Take the good the gods provide thee.
The knob turned by my friends hand
| allowed the door to swing omen, and, well
coined by a spice breeze from India, we were
truly in Paradise
| "'rhis, he said in a whisper is the public
room, where any one having a pipe or
| lozenge, end properly attired may enter and
indulge-eat, smoke or dream, as best suits
| him..
wonder, amazement admiration but
! family portray my mental condition. Pre-
| pared by what had already seen and expe-
rienced for something odd and oriental still
! the magnifieenee of what now met my gaze
far surpassed anything had ever dreamed
| of, and brought to nv mind the scenes of
the Arabian Nights forgotten since boyhood
until now. My every sense was irresistiby
| taken captive and 1t was some moments be-
fore l could realize that l really was not the
victim OF some dream, for | seemed to have
! wholly severed my connection with the world
! of to-day and TO nave stepped back several
centuries into the times OF genii, fairies and
| fountains-into the very heart OF Persia or
! Arabia.
Not an inharmonious detail marred the
! symmetry OF the whole Beneath my feet
sank almost ankle-deep into a velvety carpet
"a sea of subdued colors Looked at close
! ly, found that the design was that of gar
! den-beds of luxurious flowers, stars and
! crescents. squares and diamond-shaped plots,
made up OF thousand of rare exotcs and
riehly-colored leaves. Here a brook, edged
! with damp verdure, from beneath which
peeped coy volets and tiny bluebells there
! serpentine grayeed walk that wound in
and out among the exquisite plants, and
| everywhere a thousand shrubs in bloom or
: bud. Above Il magnificent chandelier, con-
sisting OF six dragons OF beaten gold, from
whose eyes ana throat sprang flames, the
! light from which, striking against a series of
curiously set prisns, fell shattered scintillat-
! ing into a thousand glancng beams that
! illuminated every corner of the ROOM The
| rows of prisms being OF clear and variously-
| colored glass, and the dragons slowly revolv-
| ing, weired and ever-changing hue was
| given to every object in the room.
All about the sides of the spacious apart
ment, upon the floor, were mattresses COW
| cred with different cOlOred cloth, and edged
with heavy golden fringe. Upon them were
|