St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-05-05
CHINESE OPIUM FiENDS.
The Immense Quantity of the Drug Con-
sumed in New York.

It was for the purpose of giving an
accurate and interesting account OF
how 5000 Cinnamon spend $46S. 349.75
annually just for the pleasure OF
'.hitting the pipe" that the Chinese
reporter of the World made thor
ough canvass of the various haunts OF
Chinatown.
There are at present about twenty
five Chinese firms that deal in refined
opium, both wholesale and retail.
There are eleven private Chinese
joints, where opium is sold at g. rs
per Iounce. These joints do not now
admit white smokers, on account OF
the frequent raids made upon them by
the police, but the stores sell to both
Chinese and whites. although the lat
ter must be we'll. known smokers.
Otherwise he has to suffer for the want
of opium-which, according to all &C.
counts, is even worse than to see
snakes" Great tears would
gush out of his eyes, big
| drops of perspiration constantly
moisten his brow, while his nostrils
would act as if he owned small-sized
fountain somewhere in his head. But
the worst of all the ailments is an ex-
cruciating pain all over his back bone,
rs if he had been just run through a
fine clothes-wringer. Under such Cir
cumstances he would almost be will
ing to give half of his entire kingdom
TO ho 81, - ho
Six pills or pipes, about the size OF
a green pea, would restore him to his
natural condition of life, which would
last him for about as many hours. A
regular ''fiend' will consume about an
ounce per day, which is So. 25.
The sensation while smoking is. in
deed, soothing. No matter how ia
tigued or oppressed in mind, few
whiffs of the pipe would put man in
the best of social spirits. 1t has strange
medicinal properties, and is said to
cure all kinds of fevers and ague, con-
sumption and palpitation of the heart.
| Most Cinnamon are driven to it through
| business reverses and other troubles,
| while not few contracted the habit
through sociability. just as an Amer
lean would do on their stake drink
with friend.
1t takes just about the same length
OF time to get the opium habit as to
get the drinking habit The latter de-
stroys the mind. and makes a man ir-
responsible for his actions, while the
former destroys the body but makes a
keen thinker of the victim. 1t is esti-
mated that there are something over
| one thousand Americans in the city OF
New York who are now using opium in
| the same manner and form as the
| Chinese. Most of these are said to be
well-known and fashionable people, as
indeed no other but people of means
and of leisure could ever be able to
I contract such habit.
The opium-dealing firms sell from
two to five cans per day, each can
weighing about four ounces. Most OF
the wholesale orders come from towns
and cities in and around New York
State, and only now and then the
native American customers from up
town come in to buy their supply.
Say they sell an average of three
cans per day. At wholesale rates.
which is So IS per can for China inn
ported goods, but when retailed out at
the SO cents worth at q time it would
bring it up to about $40 to $11 per can.
At $40, which is the lowest possible
price per can, sixty-six cans amount
to $500 per day, or S24O 900 per year.
There are eleven joints. The ma.
iority of these import their own
opium, said to be direct from China,
but the greater part of which comes
from Victoria, B. C. One of these
places, which Is the best Chinese join t
in town, sells at retail on Sundays
alone from ten to twelve cans. while
the second best place sells from eight
to ten cans on Sundays. On an aver
age these joints dispose of five cans a
day. These places calculate to make
from So to So on each can of Chinese
imported opium, but they are able to
make more when they mix the Vic
toria in with the pure. Thus it can
easily be seen how nearly $1,000, DOC
changes hands for opium per year:
According to Chinese San Francis.
co papers they paid over $500. 600 for
custom-house duties for the Chinese
year just ended on opium alone. But
one very curious fact is that China
man is frequently deceived. When he
pays for the real imported Chinese
opium he gets Victoria (B c.
opium, which is sold in several Chi.
nese stores at S. so per can, but since
the recent custom-house trouble it has
gone up to S6. The same article can
be had in Canada for "a rs to 81. So
If the duties are paid upon these Vic
toria goods it is said by the smokers
that they could not buy it at the above
rates. but would have to pay 81 {
can for il. Wong Chm Foo. in N Y
World