The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-23
HORRORS OF HASHISH.
A REPORTER EXPERIMENTS ON HIM
SELF WITH THE DRUG.
Chapters from the Dr"amer's Narrative
Strange Condition Into which tho Drug
Tbrows Its victim-Awtward Feeling
Of Duality-The Waking.

Strange Condition Into which tho Drug
Throws Its victim-Awtward Feeling
Of Dusiity-Ths Waking.
An hour had passed.. when OF a sudden
there shot through every pulse thrill un.
speakable. a choking like that OF first love
knew at last the wizards wonder working
band was upon me Every nerve was a
tincle. and the only relief was to tighten
every music and sinew 70 tension that
seelned like to wreck inc. The blood rushed
In vast and ever growing volume to my brain
and the room was whirling like ilywheel
At my thront and heart was that stranglinS
clutch There was a taste on my tongue as
II had drank from Leyden jar, and con
euming thirst was upon me ! wondered
what penalty must be paid for thus trying
70 steal over the back fence into paradise
The dear. bread and butter commonplace
seemed the one thing admirable Fear grew
with the minutes The sense Of isolation was
awful No one was in the same world With
me must enter upon the abyss alone
A friend came in at the door and ] could
have screamed for Joy wanted to fall upon
his neck. Again, like a cold chill. came the
knowledge be can do nothing In voice
which sounded strange and louder than COM
mon gave him greeting then fell back into
tho chair and went on, holding the book be
fore me. 1t seemed as though should fly in
atoms, vet, with mighty effort, | made a
pretense Of talking to him about the weather.
Feet and hands were growing numb The
first sensation Of heat had departed Now
the marrow was all gone from my bones, and
through the osseous chambers cold wind
crept The clutching at my heart was AZ
hideous rs death. | felt the center OF life
within inc freezing up A great weight held
me To speak was 10 utter few ponderous
ard Arctic syllables, and the st lips took
an age to form them The movenlnt OF an
arm was like the motion of vast machine
1 was freezing. Yet all the time, with
mighty rhythm, the blood kept beating to my
brain. Drowsiness came on. and yet closed
eyes would bring no sign OF sleep
VISIONS or ANOTHER SELF
Here, with the fading eye of reason,
could trace the first sense Of that duality
which hashish gives The self material and
the self spiritual seemed sundered and NOV
ing in different worlds. The more violent
the dose the more completely is the outer
nature slbdued, until familiar surroundings
are swallowed In tho vision. 1t Is an incred-
ible characteristic Of hashish intoxcation or
deirum that whatever visions you see you
never seem To see them, but, as 1t were, 10 see
yourself seeing them In all your wander
ings you cannot be alone. Thercis sense OF
companionship-of an attendant, familiar,
vet strange In an instant there is flashed
upon you the knowledge Of that duality; that
companion is your other self
The sense Of duality is doubly apparent In
the talk and action Of one under the spell Of
hashish. His ordinary consciousness of per-
sons and things about him is little impaired
Though he lies as in stupor, and exclaims
drowsiy at the visions before him, the
slightest question will receive ready an
swer. but in a vexed tone. as TO say: go
away and let me alone The hearing is
marvelously fine it seems as il all the out
ward senses were alert and even had a ra-
tionality working behind them, while from
the disjected utterances of the sleeper you
may know that behind closed lids he moves
in a land of wonders manifold
When trying 10 talk sense, he knows his
speeches are broken and wandering. 1t is a
, common expression Of the hashish eater,
waking or sleeping: II know | am making q
fool of myself but | can't help it," The
thought is for an instant, clear and acute
upon any subject suggested, but then the
ideas fee from utterance, and In their pur'
suit the victim gets tired and tangled, and in
a moment cannot tell what the subject was.
Out at the far confines of space there was
q great flaming sickle Of gold and of infinite
Co. llar der, lie
Its point curled ever inward The glitter,
ing, wavy edge seemed TO smile, while to
slow music it girt me closer and painlessly,
softly as though | were OF air 1 felt myself
bisected at the equator The two whiring
hemispheres passed away in opposite direc-
tions into space. Looking back upon this
and other things | marvel how they could
have been so real To sense it seems absurd
Yet the further pass from that strange ex-
perience the more distinct. more vivid, more
glorious grows Its memory, the more its In,
cipient horrors grow small in estimate and
are crowded out of remembrance.
THE SCENE GROWS sOMBER
Twas drifting downward, heavy with the
mist that came from the echoing caverns be-
meath, and the blue shadow Of the calling
spirit seemed ever to be denser, ever to clasp
me closer to it. The darkness had its genii,
damp and slumberous creatures looking from
eyes heavy with lethargy Here and there
diamond, huge as the moon, cleaned with
malignant light from its black dripping set
ting in the hideous and world ribbing rocks
Through the blackness of that place sank
till was Of weight with the mountains
and seemed part Of them. The blue water
sprite had gone in pursuit Of was not with
me, and looking upward | saw her, smiling
down. her sad cold face only a shadow be-
tween me and the far glistenng day Turn,
ing my eyes, pressed into the darkness and
shrank from all about me- The denizens of
the place made no sound, but black spitte
oozed over black teeth and dripped from
their ringy lips
Again the scene changed The clear, blue
sky Of night was all about me- SlumberIng
cities were mere specks beneath us From
inflnity hand Of light was thrust, at my
very side, and hurled into the heavens
handful Of shining stars 1t was as when q
sower casts seed They leaped away broad
cast, left lines OF trailing brightness across
the vault In their wake, and took up their
stations, like sentinels of tho night, about
the blue serene What glories passed, what
raptures drank. among what strange people
did novel could hear their cries, yet all