San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-08-10
SAD HUMAN WRECKS.
VICTIMS OF THE OPIUM HABIT AND
THEIR FATAL CRAZE.

VICTIMS OF THE OPIUM HABIT AND
THEIR FATAL CRAZE.
Scenes In . Baltimore Drug stors-'yienA"
Customer Afsss llSdndght-A 1Gissrsbis
Glass Of Tr.ds-Dsspaa. - su1Hins.
Habituai Lying.
"You want to watch tends, do youi Wen,
Just ut down You WON'T have long to watt
It's about time for them 10 begin to come In
II was shortly after midnight, a. the clark
In the Baltimore drug store made this answer
to . reporter:
I'VE have about thirty dend customers"
Is over thirty years old The habit kills them
of young, guess They generally begin to
come in about u O'Clock at night, and for an
hour or two there IL quite . rush Of them
Then the trade drops OF until about In the
morning. From that time ON to 2 they drift
In pretty steadily. There ID very little NOR
phins or cocaine sold during the day"
Tho clerk ceased his recital to whit on two
young womsn-such as might be seen drink
ing and looking for victims around saloons
after dark
The reporter was sent out Of sight, behind
a prescription case
''Gimme eighty cents worth Of coke, Petite,
an give Mamie the balance in DOPE" said
one Of the women, laying down a silver dol
lar.
The clerk gave them the cocaine and NOR
phine.
Before they were well out Of the store
scrawny, miserable little young man of the
clover" type sneaked in His chinchilla
coat was threadbare, and, with his turtle like
head and neck and trembling chin, he looked
disgusting enough
Gimme ten cents worth o dope, young
Teller" he said as he staggered up to the
counter.
He watched the operation Of weighing very
closely. "How much did you gimmeF' he
asked, looking with Ill favor on the small
quantity Of the drug in the scales
"Four grains" replied the clerk, laconic-
ally.
~ get six up to de udder corner, he NUT
tered
well, why don't you 60 and get it 2"
asked the man behind the counter, pausing
with the wrapping paper in his hand "You
don't have to take this Do you want it, or
don't your
As the man still kept sullen silence he
took the little tray in his hand preparatory
to throwing the four grains back into the
drawer, but the lover stopped him and paid
his ten cents
eve don't want the trade, said the drug
clerk when the morphine fends had disap-
peared, 'but ON account Of bur location they
come In here to get their dopa I guess we
charge them more than others do, but it
doesn't seem to stop them. It's miserable
class OF trade They get the drug by the
dime or fifteen cents worth and arc always
finding fault with the quantity We give
them"
Another member Of the same fraternity as
the last fiend shanbled In.
THAT fellows a good two hours behind
his time" said the clerk "He usually gets
his good night dose about IL o'clock. won
der what kept him Couldn't get the money,
I suppose, and at last he comes around to
stand me of. Well, he'll get left, that's all. {"
The young man he spoke OF showed plainly
the effects Of his deprivation of the drug.
His wretchedness was extrema He was ner-
vous and trembling, and he came up to the
counter with q miserable, despairing air.
Gods sake crowd in all you can It's all I
got"
He could hardly wait for the powder to be
wrapped up. But the clerk carefully kept it
in his hand until the fiend had dropped two
dimes on the counter.
Let me have some water" he asked, tax
ing hypodermic syringe from his pocket.
"Take your stuff out Of hereI" answered
the clerk, sharply "You can't dose your.
self in this shop"
The suffering wretch fairly rushed out
when he got the coveted drug.
The next applicant was a woman. She
could not have been more than 20 years old,
and not great while ago must have been
more than ordinarily good looking. Now
her features We're drawn into hard lines. Her
big black eyes were sunken and lusterless,
and her whole appearance was expressive of
despair and suffering. She shook the rain
from her draggled, disarrailged dress and
loose, uncovered hair, and a pleading look
came into her face and mingled with the
beaten down expression already there.
She stood there some moments without
saying word
"WellT growled the clerk
She raised her dark eyes to him and cow
cred as if struck with a whip.
81 want some cocaine, "'she said in low
tone.
chow much do you wantoa asked the clerk,
impatiently. --.- --. .,.-----.