Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-08-13
DISCOVERY OF AN OPIUM JOINT.
4 GtDemOeraI'' Reporter Gets a Peep
into One of These Dens Of
Iniquity.


! Knowing it to be matter OF conjecture
| as to the secret methods used to elude the
officers and defy the laws by the Chinese
denizens of this city in carrying on their
opium smoking resorts, DEMOCRAT re-
porter made tour of observation among
! the Chinese quarters of Commercial
street and Plum alley upon several occa-
sions, with the view to informing himself
and the public in regard to the novels Of
iniquity that are allowed to exist, from
the fact that convictions for that crime
are hard to be made. 1t has been an ac-
knowledged fact that dozens of opium
joints are in full blast, and have been for
several years. and that a raid upon
place by the officers merely
forces the Chinese to remove il
to place where it will be
more secure in the future, after paying a
fine into the city treasury. The pallid-
faced men and women whom we meet on
the street fully attest that they are chit
ters" of the pipe, but where they are adj
mitted to indulge in this mind and soul
destroying habit is known only to them
selves and associates. They know full
well that few convictions of the proprie-
tors of the opium joints they frequent
would lead to their exclusion from them,
and thus take away from them the only
enjoyment they have in life In this
matter they have to be true to the China
man to save themselves from the torture
following the deprivation OF indulging in
the habit.
In the early part OF last
week our reporter fortunately found
| that one of the shutters that
close the back windows of chinese
bazaar on Commercial street had been in
! advertently left Unattached. Opening the
shutter and peering into the room be-
| tween the curtains of some bright red
material, our reporter saw five persons
| three white women, one white man and
Chinaman-lying on the floor around
an opium clay out" Under their heads
and shoulders were either blankets or
! quilts made into long rolls, and they all
I seemed to have given themselves up to
the enjoyment of the most complete re-
| pose. From their appearance and man.
ner OF lying it was easily seen that the
women had become abandoned to every
sense of decency and virtue, and their
hollow eyes and ashy pallor, which was
| CHASTITY under the powder on their faces
by the light of the opium cooking
lamp in the layout, which furnished the
only light in the room, showed that opium
had the subtle power to cause them to
commit any crime to obtain it. The
Chinaman would take one of the long
needles from the tray and place a small
ball of opium on the end of it, and cook
1t over the lamp, turning it meanwhile
After two or three minutes the opium
would seemingly be ready for smoking,
and would be inserted in small silver
cup on the top of a hollow reed about
two feet long, which is the opium pipe.
Holding the part that contained the
opium over the flames of the lamp the
smoker would draw the fumes into the
mouth and lungs, and let it escape
through the nostrils. This operation was
repeated several times by all the inmates
ofthe room when Chinawoman, who had
been unseen up to that moment by the
reporter, came to the window and let
down black curtain, which excluded
the interesting sight from his gaze.
The next place visited was back room
IN Chinese wash-house, where two
Cinnamon and one Chinawoman were
openly smoking with the back door of the
room wide open. Nothing more could be
seen that night of interest, the other
opium joints, unfortunately for our re-
porter, having taken more care in closing
their shutters.
On Monday night Plum Alley was
visited, and conversation between two
women and Chinaman was heard in
reference to the arrest of a Chinese doctor
some time ago, and after protestations on
the part of the women that they were not
the ones that lodged the complaint against
the doctor they were allowed to enter
back room, and in a short time the fry
ing noise accompanying opium smoking
was heard. The opening of back door
warned our reporter that it might not be
safe to be seen lying on the shed roof
with his eyes peering down the side OF
the stovepipe into the room where the
smokers were, so he made a retreat bv
sliding down into the small space between
that and the adjoining building While |
waiting Tor the Chinaman-who seeming |
ly had heard something to arouse his |
suspicious and had come outside to in |
vestigate-to enter the house, our report
er heard muffied sounds of revelry and |
conversation, which seemed to come
from beneath the other building, but
thorough search on all sides failed to
discover any opening or outside evidence
OF concealed basement. After a few
more observations, in which nothing of
interest was learned, our reporter gave
up the task of trying to ferret out the Of
against the opium code, and has
confined himself to the observations made
On two successful out of several inefect-
lal trips made among the Chinese quar-
ers.
The police are ON the alert to catch Che
oroprietors OF these joints, when an ar
est of the inmates can be made, and
rom the infrequency of the Arrests com
pared with those of few years ago, it is
'ate to presume that opium-smoking is
lot carried on to such a great extent in ;
he Chinese quarters, but is confined ,
to rooms in private boarding
houses, and in the business blocks. Our S
,olice officers will do well to look after |
hose retired haunts in tenements for t
he white oplum-smoking element. !
Ladies' ShOuId TTsa Or HauIay,s .