The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1888-04-28
A TERRIBLE DRue.
Experience of a Man who Drank Hash
ish and the Effect It Produced.

lives a man who was once as fine a
drug clerk as there is in the city of
Boston. But that was some time
ago, and no doubt he is forgotten
by the fraternity in that city. His
name is Rolphie R. Sanford, and
he is at present residing with his
widowed mother, who owns fine
residence not far from Manchester
His experience with hashish is
worth reproducing.
A representative of the Union
saw Sanford some time ago, and as
it was just after dinner, and he had
partaken of his meal with unusual
relish, he was just in the mood for
talking. "Why, my boy" said he,
"drug clerks of course have secrets.
You want me to tell you little
story, eh? If I should tell you some
of the secrets of course they would
be secrets no longer, but I'll tell
you little of my experience with
hashish. It's a stuff that no one
wants to meddle with impunity,
allow me to inform you. If | had
not been careless | would not now
be able to tell you my experience
with hashish.
''It was some eight or ten years
ago, when | was at work for a
prominent druggist in Boston. For
some little time | had been suffer-
ing with dyspepsia, and the ailment
bothered me so that life became
unbearable. l at last mixed up a
decoction that gave me great relief.
I was to take it before meals, and
placed the bottle on shelf behind
the prescription counter among 9TH
er bottles which are usually found
in that place. One noon [ wedt to
take my medicine. l took down
what thought to be the right bottle
and, discarding the use of spoon,
| placed the orifice to my mouth
and took large swallow. Horrors
The taste told me that | had made
a mistake. | looked at the bottle,
and, well, my friend, l had taken
a large dose of Indian cannabis, or
otherwise hashish. | knew what
the results would be. | staggered
back to the rear part of the store.
How queer I felt. How light | was
growing. Up, up, up | went until
my head bobbed against the ceiling.
| was like a cork floating on dis
turbed water. l glided along and
could look down and see the huge
bottles, each one with hideous
face laughing at me. The stools
on the marble floor seemed to
want to keep me company, and
their click, click on the marble floor
sounded like thunder in my ears.
Suddenly / was plunged into inky
blackness. From the black moth
ingness flashed out bright balls OF
light. reached the sofa and sank
down upon it. My tongue seemed
to swell, and l tried in vain to
scream, but no sound issued. ]
seemed to know that there was q
long, long hour before my fellow
clerk would be back from his din
ner, and then he might not come
into the rear room and discover my
condition. The events Of days and
weeks came before my mind in all
the details, and l saw faces-beau,
full faces-angelic in their divinity
which seemed to beckon to me and
then vanish with a hideous laugh
| All normal conditions and relations
seemed to be presented. Again
was tossed to the ceiling and then
thrown by some invisible force
from one side of the room to the
other. I felt no concussion, but
bounced about like huge foot ball
Then l fell back into dreamy con
temptation and years seemed tc
pass by. Fantastic pictures were
: worked, my limbs felt weighted
with lead, just the opposite to my
experience of what seemed to mt
years ago. l heard somebody say
'Why, Rolphie, old fellow, what's
the matter? Rolphie, Rolphle
The words reverberated like thun
der. My shopmate had returned
Again he tried to shake me to my
self and / never hated a man 81
cordially as I hated him at tha
moment. He got a doctor and
tell you, my friend, they had NJ NJ
easy time to bring me to myself
Every word they uttered surget
into my brain and seemed to ia
) me to pieces. That was peculiar
itv of the stuff. l suffered from
that experience long afterward, AM
it appears even at this day, when
. think it over, that have that feel
ing coming on, SO powerful wa
the impression made on me tina
time. e.'-Manchester Union.
The Story If Ginevra.
Married to francesca degli Age
! lanti the one of her two lovers VIII