Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-04
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE D1spArcH.I


New YORK, March 3.-A pungent odor
followed Police Captain Murphy around
like shadow all day to-day, and when he
appeared in Jefferson Market Police Court
in citizens clothes people who didn't know
him shifted suspiciously and eyed
him askance. Captain Murphy still
smelled strongly of the Seventh
avenue opium joint in which he
bagged 13American p1pe-hitters on Sun
day night. The whole Police Court smelled
like Pell street laundry when the 1873
men and 5 women-were arraigne6 before
Justice White. The men were all young
and we'll dressed. All had intelligent faces
and without exception looked anxious and
very much ashamed. They nervously eyed
everyone in the room as though fearful of
seeing someone who knew them, and spoke
in repentant and sometimes choked voices
to the Justice. The women were pretty and
wore expensive clothes.
Captain Murphy marshaled the lot be-
fore the bar in the morning and saw them
all held for examination in the afternoon,
that is all, but "Dr. Charles Holland"
who was released on parole. The ex-
animation was held in the big court room
at o'clock. The charge against Nathaniel
Ackerman and Annie Brown was keep
ing disorderly house. There was host
of young men Of respectable dress and ap-
pearance in the court room and outside in
the corridors, who all seemed to know each
other and the prisoners.
MANS HOUSE HIS CASTLE.
Justice White called the prisoners up one
or two at time. The same defense was
made foT all, which was that the flats were
a private house, where opium was not sold
and no admission was charged, and that
every man has the right to smoke opium
in his own house. He asked Captain Muir
ply about every prisoner individually;
whether he had seen him or her smoking
opium, buying it, selling it, or giving it
away. Captain Murphy had not seen
Justice White said that mere presence
in the flat was sufficient to hold the pris-
oners for trial. With one exception all
were held in $500 bail to answer.
The exception was a tall, handsomely
dressed young man with a long brown mus
tache and the beginning of goatee. He
said he was DR.. Charles Holland; that he
had graduated from Philadelphia medical
college in 1880, and had practieed medicine
at sc West Twenty-sixth street until year
and half ago. He had been travelling
meantime, and was now living at the Hotel
Metropole and doing some writing for the
Medical World. He said he was indepen-
IDENTIFY rich.
IN THE INTEREST OF SCIENCE.
He said ne went to the joint for the pur-
pose of experimenting with opium, and get
ting ideas from which to write an article on
the subject. He met Ackerman through a
chance acqua. ntance, who told him that
Ackerman ran an opium joint Hollands
counsel brought this out with an air Of tri-
umph, seemingly forgetful that the testi-
mony contradicted his theory that the fiat
was private house.
Captain Murphy broke in with considera-
BILE vehemence and declared earnestly that
DIR. Holland was above reproach and that
he had talked with the Doctor frequently in
the Hotel Metropole previous to the
that DIR. Holland had always
denounced 1t. DIR. Holland listened atten-
lively, and then corroborated the Captains
Captain Murphy then said that
DIR. Holland had heart disease, and could
not hit the pipe. DIR. Holland at once said
he had atrophy of the heart, and therefore
be couldn't smoke opium, even if he wanted
to. Justice White dismissed the charge
against DR.. Holland.
Previous to the examination DISPATCH
reporter had asked Captain Murphy if he
believed Hollands plea that he went to the
ioint in the interest of science and Captain
had replied "Naw" in very con-
tempuouS tones.
Nathaniel Ackerman, the alleged pro-
prietor of the joint, is slender young man,
with regular features, small mustache and
soft, brown hair. He was carefully
lressed in black. He looked more
ike college student caught in
! daring prank than the keeper
If professional opium den. Annie
Brown, his wife, had a long scar on her LETT
,heek which she got irving to keep the
police out of her room. It is believed that
he names and addresses given by all the
7oung men are fictitious. Some of them
tot bail after the examination closed.