St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-30
DRUGGED WITH ABSINTHE,
Blissful Dreams of One Who Drank il
For Novelty.
Terrible Effects of the Drug When
Taken to Excess.

A good deal of absinthe is daily consumed
in this city, says the New York World.
AbSinthe is the concentrated principle of
wormwood, well-known and much-uSed
tonic, good when legitimately used. Until
recently the use of absinthe as beverage
has been almost exclusively confined to the
French people. In the Paris salons it is a
very popular drink. Now it is to be found
IN most of the larger saloons of all American
cities. Its more frequent use is in the in
JecuOn OF few drops into a glass of brandy
or other liquor to give it flavor. 1t is also
a powerful nervine, and hard drinkers,
after debauch, employ it to relieve the
shaklneSS and nervousness attendant upon
over-lndulgence. On Saturday night we'll
dressed young man stepped to the bar of
prominent city hotel and gave the following
order: Give me a pony of absinthe per-
cOlated with water" The white-aproned
attendant took a large square bottle from
the bar covered with numerous foreign la
bells i'll Latin and French and filled NINA
ture goblet termed pony" with slightly
GREEN-TINTED FLUID.
Upon the counter stood a small water
tank, under the faucet of which the LIQUID
was placed. A turn of the faucet-gate and
the water dripped slowly out, drop by drop.
The faucet was gagged to regulate the flow
OF the water. The pony stood in a large
glass, and the first drop of water turned the
greenish fluid to milky white. For about
five minutes the water was thus permitted
to drip, the outer glass catching the over
flow. When the liquid in the pony had
been wholly displaced and nothing but pure
water remained, the inner glass was re-
moved, leaving about double the original
quantity i'll the large glass. This was turned
into larger goblet, like champagne glass,
and the customer swallowed it at gulp.
a reporter had witnessed the process of
preparing the absinthe with interest, and
when the customer departed he questioned
the mixer of drinks as to the taste and effect
of the insiduouS fluid.
Ibid you never taste it?" the latter in
quired.
Informed to the contrary, he said:
well, l can best explain to you the ma
ture of this somewhat popular beverage by
preparing a drink of it for YOU"
Permission being given the bartender
handed the reporter glass of chalky-col-
Ored fluid. 1t had strong, pungent Odor
and tasted not unpleaSantly.
Having swallowed the decOction the re-
porter asked questions. do you have
many customers for this drink?o
''Oh, quite number, and it is constantly
on the increase"
''WhO drink it mOStly?"
Most of our customers are those who
have been heavy drinkers of liquors. The
young man who was just here was
VERY WEALTHY
year and half ago, but he got to gam
bling and lost heavily; then he took to
drink. Now he is trying to break off liquor
drinking by the use of abSinthe.'
rs he likely to Succeed?"
''Yes, [ think so, but he is simply lump
ing from the frying-pan into the fire. He
will contract the absinthe habit, which i:
ten times as bad as that which he wishes to
cure himself of. If he keeps it up he will
die in an insane asylum inside of three
years or else he will take his own life."
us abSinthe, then, so terrible task
master?"
There's nothing worse. When man
gets tired of life and hasn't sand enough to
kill himself outright he begins to drink alb
sinthe and accomplishes his object in few
years"
What is the idea of percolating water
through it?"
Il really don't know, but it is claimed
that it makes it more palatable. The clear
drug is too strong to take"
By this time strange feeling began to
creep over the reporter. Little thrills,
though not of an unpleasant nature, coursed
up his spine and spread around his neck and
over his face in warm glow. The mind
began to frame pleasant pictures and sen.
satiOn such as one might experience if sud.
denly left heir to half million dollars took
possession of his Sensibilities. All thoughts
of care and trouble fled to the winds. A
sense of complete dissatisfaction controlled
his whole being. Heseemed in luxurious
day dream, with the most gaily painted pic.
lures for the minds background. To WALL
was no eXertiOn. 1t was as if some unseen
force bodily lifted him and gently carried
him whereSOever his mind willed. A great
sense of WEAKNESS followed. The mere
closing of the eyes was sufficient to invite
slumber.
Next morning an oppressive sense Of
heaviness possessed his frame and the
events Of the previous evening were vague
and indistinct for long time. In fact il
was two or three days before the mind anl
body regained fully their normal attributes