Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-06-23
Salt gake Democrat.
SMOKING OF OPIUM.
ne sensations of u tEFiend,, as Ece-
lated by Himself.
LSan Francisco Chronicle.

remarked a well-informed police officer
To reporter recently. 'In that num-
ber," he continued, "are included men
and women from 40 years of age down to
boys and girls of IA years. The terrible
vice Is on the increase, and it will never
be checked until law is enacted MAKING
II felony to sell opium to white persons
for smoking purposes %
1t was generally supposed" said the
reporter, that term in the county iail
had the desired effect"
III had the effect of stopping those
people from smoking in Chinatown, and
good many of the opium Joints were
closed up. But the fiends began to get
Their own pipes, bowls and lay-outs, and
now tour-tifths of the white smokers hit
the pipe in the seclusion of their bed
rooms, so that every night, and in nearly
every downtown clearinghouse, no mat
ter how quiet it may seem to be, or how
well kept it is, some one or more of the
rooms contain one or more opium
smokers, and secretly and noiselessly
they while away the hours until long
after midnight in that seductive way.
It's now 1890 O'clock" continued the
officer, "and just to show you that l am
not eXaggerating, we will take look in
the rooms of the top story of the L
House."
Together the officer and reporter
made their way to the house
mentioned. Gaining the top floor,
the policeman knocked upon one
door after another and to each room
was tremendously admitted. In the first
room the two occupants, a man and
Eroic 10
tired for the night. The fumes of the
consumed drug were still apparent, how
ever. In the second room, outstretched
on the floor, with a large quilt under
them, were two young "fiends," who
had 'just dropped up to see if Jack and
the boys were in" They were only 60
ing to smoke two pills" apiece and then
quit.
That's always the way" remarked
the officer. 81 never saw one of them
opium smokers yet who had not either
stopped smoking altogether, or was going
to stop. Some of them tell me they have
ordered medicines from the east to cure
them. It's always 'on the way out but
somehow it never gets here, and of
course they can't stop smoking until 1t
does"
The next day the reporter was intro
duced to an opium ''fiend'' and in the
course of a few moments the converse
ton turned to the thing most dear to his
heart-opium.
II don't deny / am an opium smoker,
he said, for several reasons, the main one
being that my looks, the color OF my skin
and my wasted form would tell any OBJ
server different. It's terrible thing, and
in the course of few years will kill me,
but as | haven't got anything particular
to live for, am alone in the world and like
to enjoy myself, l don't know but what
Pm doing just what most OF the world IS
doing, or trying to do-enjoy myself. It's
a wonderful satisfaction to be able to lie
alongside of bamboo pipe, have some
body cook your dope smoke your I'LL OF
the drug and know that you are free from
the desire to gain a name for yourself IN
this world and that you couldn't get rich
| if YOU tried, SOS there is no use IN try
! ing But it's ruin to the man or woman
who once gets the habit Don't you
| know what the habit is? Well, I'll tell
YOU: 1t is craving to smoke opium. It's
| worse a good deal than the whisky haDIt.
! When the feeling comes upon you, you've
cot to smoke; when that feeling comes
upon YOU for the first time, you know
then you are 'fiend;' you might just. as
well give up all hopes of ever amounting
to anything, for they will only make your
life miserable, and at last die out, only to
haunt YOU now and then when you get
the blues and curse the day you ever put
a pipe to your mouth.
tNVhat is the habit like? well, L
couldn't exactly tell you, foI It comes
upon people in different ways. L get 1t
twice and sometimes three times day
| When If comes upon me the persplraton
stands out on my face and forehead IN
GREAT big drops. II do not obey the
Summons of my master my bones begin
to ache. until at last / am forced to 60
I drag myself along up to Joint gem
orally 90 to, and in twenty minutes am
ot neace with myself and the world again:
A half dozen pills have cured my habit,
and a half dozen more have charged my
system full enough to last me SIX hours;
AZ the end of that time | am summoned
AGAIN. the same performance IS gone
through. the same enjoyment and satls-
faction are experienced, and here L am,
on onium smoker, person who lives 1or
NOTHING else in Gods world but to smoke
Quinn Would you believe 1t? Wen,
rs the case with Just 900 men In TINS
town no older than myself, and am "a
yet" ,.,,o,,;oos don't fake
warning from the veteran smokers
e1It makes very little difference to them
They 90 to smoking with their eyes open
At first they do it because they. imagine
thew must be able to smoke before Ihey
con cl ha one of the boys; then they do II
for nothing else but to while away Tue
1ong hours which hang so heavily Oh
+bnir hands. In about six months they
hove a habit The drug is necessary U
their life. and thereafter they are markeC
os eGnnds' In three years they are
mere shadow of their former selves; II
five Years they are walking skeleton
"a IN from eight to ten years they :'re
IL IL skeleton. Some of these uniorCu
u IT'S Who possess sufficient VIII p9We
i il,'e off the habit before it IS TOO IaIe
Y III 80 s,ch is so seldom the case tnaC
o ouO H recall to mind any Just now.
''' The older an opium pipe is the hlgli =
6 ;+s J market value, which ranges ron =
ESQ 10 tS The longer bamboo mas pee pee
, W "a obout a Joint, no matter WhelaJ
Chinese or white, the more II Is PIil1IEI
O .lJ y smoker would steal one as qulcki:
s'liI he q would drink cocktail (provluiiiiiS
% nC strictly safe "trick'' to turn, q
t M"0 term rs. for of all places the oPlur
Cno9 does dread and fear IL Is d a. SSnn
;n r tbe county Jail or State prison; ;o, OT h
- tbo cells of either penal insCtutIoi 1l -
Y III tI onIv bids goodbye to his lloerty, ~
~ 0rcnlv of his opium is cut OH an for
!ti3 I nat entirely cut off, its passage inot
~ 10 Ids IN of his friend on the ouUslue q,
f bmseIf on the inside is 50 haharaTds t t
nun onntal worry caused by thouglJSS r,,