The Northwestern standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1885-1886, 1885-12-19


A remarkable instance of juvenile de-
prayity was brought to the notice OF
Justice Kilbreth at Jefferson Market
Police Court during the past week in
the person OF James Clarke, aged four
teen years, whose place OF residence
was on West Thirty ninth street. The
boy lived with his mother until a few
weeks ago, when she died, leaving the
lad alone with his married sister, Mrs
Alice O'Brien, as his guardian. Clarke
the married sister soon found out after
the mothers death, was a confirmed
cigarette smoker. The woman chided
the lad and cautioned him to stop the
take from him any money by which he
might procure the cigarettes. This
plan she found useless, for upon inquiry
Of some of the neighbors it was learned
that young Clarke had succeeded new
erthe less in getting the cigarettes and
smoking them alone In the apartments
Which he and his mother had occupied.
He then gave up attending school to de-
vote his time to his daily course of CT
gazette smoking, and it was through
this last custom that the sister discov-
cred he had taken the feather pillows
and mattresses from his dead mother, s.
house and sold them for tritle in or
der to secure means of gratifying the
cravings Of his Unsuitable appetite.
At last, finding her young brother had
become a perfect slave to the cigarette,
the sister determined on having him
placed where his remarkable weakness
could be cured. With this purpose she
went to Agent Henry A. Stocking, OF
the Society for the Prevention Of CRU
city to Children, and through the eff
forts of that official secured a warrant
for the lad s arrest. Officer Mccormack
of the Twentieth Precinct, early next
morning went to West Thirty ninth
street with warrant to get the boy.
When confronted with the charge of
having taken his mothers bedding and
sold it to get more cigarettes, young
Clarke began to cry and admitted the
charge was true. The lads eyes were
greatly swollen and the pupils dllated,
while his nervous system appeared
considerably impaired Even on the
way to Court little Clarke's weakness
asserted itself, and Officer Mccormack
was appealed to by the boy pitiously to
procure him a cigarette.
A prominent member of the medical
profession and a chemist OF known re-
pute was questioned as to the case, and
he attributed the craving aud symp-
toms as described to the presence of
opium in the cigarettes. THAT many
Of the cigarettes upon the market con-
tain some extract Of opium in a tine
tured or light form" said the gentle
man. goes beyond question, for at al
most any place Of public entertain
ment where smoking is allowed the
well known smell OF the drug is at once
distinguishable In these low dives
aud concert halls the very atmosphere
lis heavy with tha.-ft Of the atrE. e.
from the cigarettes smoked there.
Cases like that of this boy are more and
more frequent each day, and would
also add the same habit is noted among
females. With these it first reveals it
self in the eyes and complexion. The
skin becomes ashley and salloW, while
the eyes grow dull and dilated. You
seq these symptoms are Identical with
those Of the opium habit. | had a case
Of q boy not long ago like this lad you
mention. But he was Of wealthy par
ents. This little fellow first contracted
thehabit through companions atschool.
When his mother discovered that he
was smoking she took the pfecautioa
of sending a servant to and from school
with him each day. / found the boys
system badly shattered. / was at first
surprised to hear him tell me how he
had tried to smoke cigars to get of his
cigarette practice and could not Like
your boy who has been locked up, he
only felt the pleasure in the paper
rolled article got some Of these eli
garettes. and found III two lots differ
ent qualities of paper that each contain
ed arsenic and faint trace Of opium in
a diluted form.
Officer Mccormack III narrating his
experience with young Clarke, said:
THE boy seems to be q cigarette fiend.
On the way to the Court he actually
begged me for God Is sake to buy him
cigarette. He could not get along with
out one. He acknowledged selling his
mother S bed things to get cigarettes,
and in the neighberhood he was never
known to be without one in his mouth. /
/ have, myself, noticed lately boys con- |
stantly smoking the thing, and the |
candy stores around some Of the pub
lie schools to supply the demand, have /
begun making them a SPECIAL part OF I
their stock Said an inveterate /
smoker, who was asked his opinion on
The boys case: / was always d smoker
If cigarettes until here about two
months ago | began to experience the
exact symptoms and effects that that /
boy Clarke did Then my presence
among some people was complained of T
as obnoxious When | questioned on
This point some Of my gentlemen
friends even went SO far as to intimate
that l was a smoker OF opium. My
breath snelied OF the cigarettes. Il
hen concluded to give up cigarette