Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-03
VISIONS IN OPIUM SMOKE.
STORY OF AN UNHAPPY VICTIM OF THE
TERRIBLE PIPE.
suffering Torments beyond Description
Three Years In Prison and Not
Yet Cured.
From the Portland, Or, Mercury

faultlessly dressed in a pepper-and-salt suit
of light weight, but his face was colorless
as that of corpse. His eyes were almost
vacant in their expression, yet at times
CLEAN would shoot through them. His
movements were slow, though his hands
were continually twisting about and finger
ing the buttons of his coat He had the
appearance of an invalid, yet to the initi-
ated he showed what he was-a confirmed
opium-fend. A gentleman kept watch
full eye upon him. At last the young man
seated himself and began a conversation
with the writer, by asking: "Where is the
nearest drug store"
On being informed, he confdentiaIly
and alphabetically said: "Would you
oblige me by getting me an ounce of opium?
have a strange pain in my head and,
being stranger here, they will not give
1t to me without prescription" At the
same time he furtively slipped 81 bill
into the writer's hand. His guardian saw
it and, stepping up, asked: "Did my
brother ask you to buy him opium?" On
being informed in the affirmative, he said:
"You must not. He hasn't had any for
over three years now, and we are taking
him TO Europe We are trying to break
him of the awful habit" Then turning
to his brother he said: II hope your will
is strong enough, Jimmy, to complete what
we have set out to accomplish. Tell this
gentleman your story. 1t will divert your
mind and it may interest him."
The opium-fend turned his dull gray
eyes 10 the reporter, and said:
Would it interest you to hear the story
of man who daily suffers fortunes be-
side which the inquisition was child's
play?"
TO be sure it would" was the reply
His story was as follows:
II am the son of San Francisco mer-
chant, and have seen Chinese opium-ea
and smokers from my infancy, and |
never dreamed that | would become its
slave. | am a graduate of Yale College,
and on my twenty-fourth birthday nv
father made me a member of the firm and
sent me to Hong Kong to attend to our
branch house there. 1t was in Hong
Kong that l hit my first pipe. was
quite i'll from change of water and from
malaria. One evening, a week after nv
customer. explained my feelings and
he suggested opium to alleviate my pains.
At his house | smoked my first pipe |
had read the Opium Eaters Dream and
naturally thought | would visit some
strange land in my stupor, but l didn't. 1t
made me sick, and | thought il most nau-
seous. However, | slept splendidly that
night, and really felt refreshed in the
morning. / had no dreams. The next
evening my pains began again, and /, re-
membering my experience, hit the pipe
again. This time it did not make me
sick, and this time | dreamed / shall
never forget it. l thought Il was in a
beautiful garden with perfumed fountains
and magnificent flowers. Beautiful girls
were walking about, and to my astonish-
ment some were floating in the air They
lowered about me, singing sweet songs and
playing sweet music, and at last faded
away. leaving cloud before my eyes,
from which came slowly-changing colors,
most exquisite tints, rivaling any rainbow
had ever seen, and afar off came the
strains of music, growing fainter and
fainter as the cloud grew more Opaque,
and then l sank into oblivion.
The next night my desire to see these
beautiful things was more oyerpewering
than my desire to get rid of my pain, but
this time it took four pipes to send me off
l didn't see any beautiful maidens this
time, but my dream took the shape of an
ever-changing panorama, and changing
quickly, too, like the slides in stereopti-
con. | saw my home, my friends PLAYING
tennis on the lawn saw horse-race at
the Bay District track as plainly as if
were there; saw the starters flag; heard
the shout, They're off, followed them
around the track, saw the grand stand peo-
pie rise enmass to cheer the victor. 1t
seemed almost an eternity before the series
of living panorama faded away.
you have never seen these things. and
you do not know what it is to be deprived
of them. / became an hlbitual opium
smoker, until l was compelled to hit the
pipe morning, noon and night NY father
heard of it, and called me home. He tried
to reform me, but could not. With DELHI
crate cunning | would promise never to
touch it again. He would then give me
money, and | would strike a bee line for
Chinatown. At last forbearance ceased to
be virtue, and he cut off my allowance.
i borrowed money from my friends to in
dulge my passion. | cared for no one.
Father, mother brother, sisters, were of no
consideration whatever. was completely
Frustrated to the poppy devil. At last my
friends refused to lend me money, and |
resorted to theft. | stole from my home
and pawned the articles; and now comes
the awful part of my tale.
81 was engaged to be married to
beautiful and accomplished girl. | visited
her one night and stole her gold watch,
which pawned for S. This kept me
week in Chinatown. When | came out |
was arrested on warrant sworn out by my
betrothed, who backed by my father, sent
me to San Quentin Prison for three years,
thinking to reform me. Being suddenly
deprived Of the drug became raving
maniac and was for three weeks chained
to the floor of dark cell | tried to kill
the keepers, but gradually grew out of my
frenzy. But the craving for the drug was
still there My betrothed died while I
was in Jail. The warden came to me and
told me, but | was Indifferent. / did not
care if the whole world died if | could get
one pellet of opium. The three years expired
and | came out of the prison total wreck.
i could not work there Icould not eat, and
WASTED away. In my normal condition
weighed 100 pounds; to-day | weigh ITO.
l suffer the most excruciating pains in the
back of my head my nerves and muscles
are all unstrung. Ny brother is my con-
slant guardian. ! do not make a move
but what hesees it. have no pleasures,
nothing but an existence that is painful
except at times when | sit down alone and
think over my dreams froR the beginning.
and that is almost punishment. / am
going over to the European springs and
sincerely hope | may be cured, for / fully
realize the fearful state | am in.
Yes, have compared notes with other
smokers, and some never dream; others
dream the same thing over and over, but
have never met any ore whose brain was
as active as mine when under the influence
of opium. There are not words enough in
the English vocabulary To exnress the