St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-01-10
A Terrible Intoxicant.

lCGuIAGI IOlu % CluloG HI tllG kCOuUu-
ern seas to a Call reporter. He
held in his hand what appeared to
be gaudily-painted BARRIERS pole,
shrunken to the size of a police
mans club. ''That;" continued the
skipper, sis piece of gagus stalk.
It came from Gauptil Island, near
the Molucca group. [ have navi-
gated the South seas for many years
and [ never saw it growing upon
any other island, and [ don't think
you will find any seafaring man who
halls from those waters but will
bear out what [ say. It is a spe-
cies Of cactus. Gauptil Island is a
small one, but is well populated by
natives of the Malay race. In the
interior this plant grows wild, flour
ishing especially in the red, rocky
soil. It looks beautiful when grow
ing, as, You might Judge by the
bright hues with which this is spott-
| ed. The main stalk is covered with
sharp, nettle-like protuber8nces,
and a prick from one of them will
cause more pain than a handful Of
red pepper thrown in your eyes.
When young the plant consists Of
but one stalk, which shoots up
straight to a height of four or five
feet. tits a brilliant scarlet in hue.
Toward winter number Of off
shoots spring out, until the thing
looks like a broom stood upright.
Green and purple specks then APP
pear all over it. A grove of gagus
shrubs is very pretty sight. But
it is the properties Of the plant
which distinguish it. Opium is al
potent drug, but I will back the ex-
tract from the gagus stalk to effect
more damage on the human system
than all the opium in the world.
The natives cut the plant in the
early spring. After they have gath
cred a sufficient quantity they put
it in large bowls and crush it with
huge stones. A grayish sap runs
out freely, and this they collect and
drink after letting it ferment, which
it does easily. One drink Of a pint
is enough for an ordinary man, but
I have seen natives drink more.
Within half an hour after imbibing
it the drinker becomes perfectly
stupid, and lies around like log.
The spell lasts day or more, dur
ing which time the natives say they
live in paradise. y
do white men drink it?"
"I have known sailors to try it,
but they never tackled it twice.
Three years ago I had man in my
crew who was driven crazy by one
drink"
"What effect does it have upon
the natives 2"
"We!l, that is where the gagus
displays itself. If you could see
some of the terrible examples of
gagus drinking in Gauptil you would
be Mortified. The first effect of the
liquor is to soften the bones and
gradually eat them away. There
are natives there, the victims of ga
gus, who are indeed homeless, and
unable to walk or use their limbs.
They then begin to wither away like
this stalk until they die in misery
and commissions. Immediately after
death the head Of the corpse be-
comes soft as pulp; no bones can
be felt; the skull is completely eat
en- away. The body then begins to
swell as though it we've inflated with
gas, and immediate burial is neces-
sary."
"How long does it take to thus
devastate a human being ?" asked
the reporter.
"That is according to the appe-
lite of the victim to the stuff. Usu-
ally two years will finish the hard
est man. Oh, the sufferings of the
slaves to the drink are terrible.
San Francisco Call.