Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-09
A GILDED OPIUM DEN
In the Heart Of Pittsburg Raided
by Detectives Yesterday.
MAGNIFICENTLY FURNISHED ROOM
A Woman Offers Her Diamonds to Secure
Her Release.
POLICE MOVING AGAINST The EVIL

much to their surprise, and an effort will be
made to rid the city Of this evil. 1t is gen.
orally known that most of the Chinese laun.
drymen in this city hit the pipe as relaxa.
tion from toll, and after hard days work
at the washiub lie down to dream OF almond.
eyed houris languishing for love in pagoda.
of pearl and gold. 1t has also been under
stood that an occasional Caucasian was al.
lowed to inhale the fumes of burning opium
for a consideration, but until yesterday il
was not known that Pittsburg was emu
lating the metropolis by having houses fitted
up and especially devoted to this purpose
Yesterday afternoon Inspector McAleese
received information that Charles Sing, OF
Charlie King, as he is generally known, and
who is very intelligent Chinamap. and
member of the Order of Freemasons and
able to speak English duentlv, was operat.
ing an opium joint at No. 113 Grant street.
Detectives Coulson and Bendel were at once
detailed to investigate the matter, and pro-
ceeded to the house.
SURPRISED THE OFFICERS.
The detectives were somewhat surprised
when they reached the. house and saw that
it bore every appearance of being inhabited
by highly respectable family. Lace cur
tains draped every window and there was
nothing to designate the character of the
business carried on within. The detectives
knocked long and loudly at the front door,
but received no answer. They saw an
almond-eyed gentleman peer at them
through window and then discreetly with
draw.
Detectives Bendel and Coulson have
earned sreputation for getting the people
they go after, and they were not discouraged
by the apparent impossibility of getting
into the house without the aid of a battering
ram.
Detective Coulson found that the cellar
door in front OF the house was unfastened,
and although the opening was small and the
detective is of stalwart build, he managed
to squeeze through and get into the cellar,
which gave him easy access to the rest o
the house. Detective Bendel took skirm-
ish through the back alleys, and finally
found the fence in the rear of No. 113. The
fence was ten feet high, while Detective
Bendel would not crowd six feet by any
means, but he finally scaled the obstacle,
and met his colleague in the hallway Of the
house.
The first person the detectives met was
Charlie King, whom they recognized as the
person who squinted at them through the
window. The Celestial was perturbed, and
his pigtail ossillated as if 1t were attached
to an electric EXETER. He insisted that
everything about the house was just as it
should he, aud felt extremely hurt that De-
tective Coulson, or whom he had hitherto
felt the warmest friendship, should invade
his residence by way OF the cellar door.
COULDN'T SEND IN CARDS.
The detectives explained that they had no
opportunity of sending in their cards to
herald their approach, and to end the argu-
ment they sent for the patrol wagon and
placed Charlie under arrest. Then they
made an investigation of the house.
The detectives were amazed at the mag
ni6cence OF the furnishing. They had here
tofore associated the pastime of "hitting the
pipe" with the Spartan simplicity OF the
average Chinese laundry, where the furni-
ture consists of several washtubs, an ironing
board aud strong smell. Here everything
was different. The stairs and floors were
covered with thick, soft and richly-hued
carpets the walls were hung with handsome
paper, and all through the house, at every
door, was draped heavy portiere of Asiatic
manufacture.
There were IL rooms in the house, and
each one was furnished richly and in mod
ern style. The only departure from the
average chamber was settee BY the side of
each bed. Upon this the opium fend would
recline while inhaling the umes of the
drug, and when overcome by languor could
fall hack upon the bed and see wondrous
visions until the effects of the narcotic
passed of.
The detectives wandered from one room to
another until they finally entered cham
ber in which was a woman under the in
fiuence of the drug. She was lying on the
bed in semi-dishabille, and on the settee by
her side laid pipe which had fallen from
the nerveless fingers. The woman was ap-
parently about 25 years oi age, a very hand
some blonde, iashionably attired and wear
ing a profusion of diamonds. She was
partly aroused by the entrance of the detec-
tives, and apparently thought them part
OF her vision. She rushed toward them, and
endeavoring to embrace them both at once,
shouted, "Glory, glory. hallelnjah."
NOT TO BE MASHED.
Messrs. Bendel and Coulson, while not
pain ully bash ul men, were almost routed
by the woman's attack. They soon recov-
cred their selfpossession, however, and
made the woman understand that she was
under arrest. This effected an immediate
change in the woman's dpmeanor. She tore
the diamonds out Of her ears, pulled the
rings off her fingers, and, adding her dia-
mond breastpin and gold watch to the pile,
threw them at the feet of the detectives,
cried: "Take everything I have, but or
Gods sake don't arrest me. il that is not
enough take nv dress and bonnet; take
everything, but don't disgrace me-" The
detectives had some trouble in preventing
the woman from disrobing in her eagerness
to increase the amount of her ransom.
The woman was taken to the Central sta
tion, where she gave the name of Sallie
Woods. A ter she had been placed in cell
the effects Of the opium appeared to return,
and the woman again began singing "Glorv,
hallelujah."
The detectives captured half dozen
pipes, a number Of spirit lamps and a large
amount of opium, the outfit being worth
several hundred dollars. The two prisoners
will have hearing be lore Police Magistrate
Gripp this morning.
Inspector McAleese is determined to
weed out all the opium dens in his district.
He realizes that it is work which will re-
quire much patience and perseverance, as
h .se places are always very quiet, and
there is never any sign on the outside of
what is going on within.
Last night place on Third avenue re-
ceived visit, but it was deserted by all but
one Chinaman, who paid no attention to the
officers but placidly shot spray Of water
through his teeth on to the bosom of shirt.
and went on ironing. There were several
little cubbv-holes rooms in the place.
which is underground, and everything de-
noted that pipe-hitting was not unknown
there. No arrests were made.