Waco evening news. (Waco, Tex.) 1888-1889, 1889-04-26
ONE OPIUM eArea cvago.
Nat Il Took Term In Sing Sing and
Endless Agony 20 Dc t.

Nat II Took Term In Sing Sing and
Kndiess Agony 20 De t.
A confirmed opium smoker was re-
Gently asked whether he ever know a
person who had been cured Of the
habit.
"Only once, !" he replied, land then
II wasn't voluntary cure by any
means. He was a man about IS years
old, who had been q slave to the habit
for fifteen years. He was 70 given up
to il that his business went 70 smash,
and he used TO resort to all manner Of
things in order to get money 10 pur-
chase q she'll He used 10 crave
eight shells or % worth OF opium a
day, and l havo frequently met him
in joint that was run by two tough
Cinnamon in Marion street, offering 10
roll for s.nokers in order TO share their
opium. One day he had been with
out smoke for about seven hours,
and he became so desperate that
no tried 70 rob the till in q
grocery store. He was detected
and arrested He got word down to
the joint telling Of his misfortune,
and begging for Gods sake that some.
body would send him some opium.
bought some dry opium pills and got
them In to him after q deal of trouble.
The next day / called on him and a
moro miserable wretch never saw.
He was suffering the fortunes Of hell.
He was doubled up with cramps in his
stomach, and the inevitable pain be.
tween the shoulders, which feels as
though somebody was driving spikes
into your Aesh, was 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
30 long that he was fairly furnishing,
and the small quantity Of the drug l
had been able TO send was disposed Of
In short order.
There isrst taste OF il left he
yelled TO me as / entered his cell in
the Tombs. Then he rolled his tongue
around a. though searching for any
small particles that might be hidden
away In tooth. / gave him the pills
I had brought. He seized them like a
starving man would seize crust of
bread. He placed two Of them in his
mouth and rolled them around until
they had dissolved, and then washed
them down with q mouthful OF water.
In few minutes he was lying on his
cot as placid and happy as o healthy
baby. kept him supplied with opium
until he was tried and sentenced. l
managed TO slip a few Of them into his
hand as he was on his way to Sing
Sing. I heard no more of him and
forgot all about him until ono day, on
Broadway, several years later, q stall
wart rosy checked fellow slapped me
on the shoulder and heartily shook
me by tho hand. / was nearly sur
prised into a fit when he explained
that he was the opium fiend of O few
years ago. He said that when he
got to Sing Sing the habit was
on him very strong. The pills
] had given him had crumbled TO dust
in his pocket, and had become SO
mixed UP with o lot Of other stuff that
he could not use them. He was in a
raging torment that night and cried
for the drug. The keepers found him,
and tho prison physician, who was
called, fortunately diagnosed the case
correctly. It wasn't much credit to
him, however, for every feature of the
mans face and every motion Of his
body almost proclaimed him an opium
fend. He was removed to the hospital,
and the physician was kind enough TO
get interested in the case. He braced
him up with hypodermic injections OF
morphineevery time the craving came
on, and by liberal use of this drug
finally wore away the desire for the
other. OF course this treatment Gre
ated tho morphine habit, but this was
more readily cured, and nv friend
soon lost ali desire for drugs Of any
kind, and Is o prosperous, happy man
today. II he had not been arrested he
would certainly have gone the way Of
all the 6ends, and have ended his
life himself, or died miserably in some
hole. He tried to reason the case with
me in hopes that 1would surrender
the drug and endure the agonies that
such o privation would produce for
the pleasure attending the feeling that
! was no longer a slave to it. have
heard all Of those arguments q thou
sand times, and frequently I have lain
in q joint with another smoker, and
we have both sworn of, and the very
next day we would both be in the
same place again. ] am getting worse
every year. The habit is growing
more expensive, and the longer I am
at It the less disposed do feel for
work Of any kind. My memory is
failing me now, and I am already
pretty well along ON the downward
road. III 60 little further down,
and then good-by to everything."-.