St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-06-29
ONE OPIUM-FieND CURED.
Nat It Took . Term In Prison oo0 8ol
less Agony to do lt.

Nat 1t Took Term II Prisss ssA Esa.
less Agony to do IL.
A confirmed opium smoker was ~
Gently asked whether he ever knew .
person who had been cured Of the
habit.
''Only cnce." he replied. and then
It wasn't a voluntary cure by any
| means. He was man about thirty.
five years old. who had been a slave to
the habit for fifteen years. He was so
given up to it that his business went to
smash. and he used to resort to all
manner OF things in order to get money
to purchase a shell He used TO crave
eight shells or two dollars worth of
opium a day. and have frequently
met him in joint that was run by two
tough Cinnamon in Marion street. Of
fering to roll for smokers in order to
share their opium. One day he had
been without smoke for about seven
hours. and he became so desperate
that he tried to rob the till in grocery
store. He was detected and arrested.
He got word down to the joint telling
of his misfortune, and begging for
Gods sake that somebody would send
him some opium. l bought some dry
opium pills. and got them in to him
after deal OF trouble. The next day
l called on him, and q more miserable
wretch never saw. He was suffering
the tortures of hell. He was doubled
up with cramps in his stomach, and
the inevitable pain between the shOul.
ders, which feels as though somebody
was driving spikes into your flesh. wa
racking him. These tOrtures were
joined to severe pains in all the joints.
as though the limbs were decaying and
would soon drop of. He had been
without opium SO long that he was
fairly famishing. and the small guam
tity of the drug had been able to send
was disposed OF in short order.
There isn't q taste of it left" he
yelled to me, as entered his cell IL
the Tombs. Then he rolled his tongue
around as though searching for any
small particles that might be hidden
away in tooth. gave him the pill.
l had brought He seized them like E
starving man would seize a crust o!
bread. He placed two of them in his
mouth and rolled. them around until
they had dissolved. and then
washed them down with q mouth
full of water. In q few minutes
he was lying on his cot as placid
and happy as healthy baby. KEEP:
him supplied with opium until he was
tried and sentenced. l managed t6
slip a few of them into his hand as hi
was on his way to Sing-Sing. heard
no more of him and forgot all about
him until one day, on Broadway. sew
eral years later. stalwart. rosy
checked fellow slapped me on the
shoulder and heartily shook me by thu
hand. l was nearly surprised into I
fit when he explained that he was ths
opium fend of a few years ago. III
said that when he got to Sing Sing thu
habit was on him very strong. Ths
pills had given him had crumbled t.
dust in his pocket and had become 81
mixed up with lot Of other stuff tha
he could not use them. He was in I
raging torment that night. and criet
for the drug. The keepers found him
and the prison physician, who va!
called. fortunately diagnosed the cass
correctly. 1t wasn't much credit Il
him, however. for every feature Of the
mans face and every motion Of hi.
body almost proclaimed him an opium
iend. He was removed to the hOspi
tai. and the physician was kind enough
to get interested in the case. HI
braced him up with hypodermic injec
tions Of morphine every time the crav'
ing came on, and by q liberal use o.
this drug finally wore away the desire
for the other. OF course this treat.
ment created the morphine habit but
this was more readily cured. and my
friend soon lost all desire for drugs O
any kind. and is prosperous. happy
man to-day. II he had not been ar
rested he would certainly have gone
the way of all the fiends. and have
ended his life himself. or died miser
able in some hole. He tried to reason
tho case with me in hopes that l wouli
surrender the drug and endure ths
agonies that such q privati0n would
produce for the pleasures attending
the feeling that l was no longer Z
slayapto it. have heard all those
arguments a thousand times, and frc
quently have lain in . joint with IN
other smoker. and we have both sworr
of, and the very next day We wouls
both be in the same place again. l an
getting worse every year. The habi
is growing more expensive. and thu
longer l am at it the less disposed do
feel for work of any kind. My memor!
is failing me now. and l am alread!
pretty we'll along on tho downward
road. I'll 60 q little further down
and then goodbye to every thing. "
n. Y. Sun.
House Aftsrmaths.
| Mrs Standardization some moro a