Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-06-25
The OPIUM Habit

o,,r.vs had a horror Of opiates
1 n nav 10 saws Bill Nye. They ale
% seductive and so still IN 'nIm .ha Hood
t;ons IL They steal through ths .hsv % seige
tta lea a wolf on the trail ahu .He' wb;te
nnon mo the heart at last Win lnen ~
fanos till it is still forever. o,,.ter or
In the Laramie there IS clas.o, -
X ~ or fine base of the Me1icIiIo
Ism 5n near the north end OF oneep
%om,taIn DIm and in sight of the glitt9rll,g, ns.
otarnaI 80 frost of the snowy range. ineSo
dhos H. are the homes of young men
fanno Massachusetts,, Pennsy yivanla, anu
Ohio. and now there are SeSel% hsrJs of
or sons,' of Old England wltn ;II;oOs nenTS U
horses. steers and sheep. wortp i, III Unt
of dollars. These young men :a aae no aOs
tbe Kind of whom the metropoiitah as
wr;tes az swing .'youbetcheriiie ,,,.n anu
oaIi;n1 everybody "pardner. Iney
oaa ~ 1,nv Of them college graduates
%6o u,6 can brand wild Maverick or lul-
nisb %1 tbe easy gestures for a strauss
waltz. Lii IN the
They wear human clothes, tax IN tiie
limited States language and nave q
hank account. This spring Iney mas
he wearing chaparajos ana swiIsiIs I,~ .
oroit through the thin air. anu III ou,,
tley NAV be at Long Branch OF co.1n .Io
inc a meerschaum pipe among 'H0
APPS. re will
We'll. a Young man whom We VII,
call Cur.is lived at one of these ranches
vaars ago. and though a very quiet,
I,S;,,5 5-,onr-oyn-businesS fellow, VINO
had absolutely no enemies among fis
comnanions. he had the misfortune 10
incur the wrath of tramp sheep-heru-
or who waylald Curtis one afternoon
and shot him dead as he sat IN MS
buggy. Curtis want armed. lie uiull :
dream of trouble until he drove NOME
from town, and as he passed through
tbe gate of a corral saw the hairy race
of the herder, and at the same moment
the flash of a Winchester rifle. Ihat
was all. II,
A rancher came into town and tele.
praphed to Curtis father then a nan
dozen citizens went out to help capture
the herder who had fed to the sage
brush of the foothills.
They didn't get back till toward day
break. but they brought the herder with
them. | saw him in the gray OF the
morning lying in a coarse gray blanket
on the floor of the engine house. lie
was dead.
l asked, as a reporter, how he came
to his death and they told me-Opium!
| said, did L understand you to say
'sroplum?'' They said no, it was opium.
The murderer had taken poison when
he found that escape was impossible.
was present at the inquest SO that
could report the case. There was very
little testimony, but all the evidence
seemed to point to the fact that life was
extinct and verdict of death by MS
own hand was rendered.
1t was the first opium work had
ever seen, and it aroused my curiosity.
Death by opium, it seems, leaves a
dark purple ring around the neck.
did not know this before. People who
die by opium also tie their hands to-
gether before they die. This is one of
the eccentricities of opium poisoning
that have never seen laid down IN the
books. | bequeath it to medical SCI
ence. Whenever 1 run up against a
new scientific discovery, just hand ii
right over to the public without cost.
Ever since the above incident have
been very appTehensive about people
who seem to be likely TO form the opium
habit. 1t is one Of the most deadly of
narcotics, especially in a new country.
High up in the pure mountain atmOs-
phere this man could lot secure enough
air to prolOng life and he expired. In
land where clear, crisp air and delight
full scenery are abundant, he turned his
back upon them both and passed away.
Is it not sad to contemplate?