Tombstone daily prospector. (Tombstone, Ariz.) 1887-1891, 1890-12-03
ONE OPIUM EATER CURED.
nat IL Took Term in Sing Sing ..2
Endless Agony to DO IL

'sNt ~ Aooh Term IN sing sing 1~~
Endless Agony to DO It
a confirmed opium smoker was re
gently asked whether he ever knew 0
person who had been cured of the
habit.
Only once" he replied, " and theL
it wasn't a voluntary cure by any
means. He vas a man about IS years
old, who had been slave TO the habit
for fifteen years. he was so given up
10 it that his business went to smash,
and he used to resort to all manner OF
things in order to get money 10 pur
chase a shell. he used to crave
eight shells or 50 worth of opium q
day, and | have frequently met him
IN joint that was run by two tough
! Cinnamon in Marion street, Offering 20
roll for smokers in order TO share their
opium. One day he had been with.
eot a smoke for "bout seven hours,
and he became 60 desperate that
he tried 10 rob the till in
grocery store. Tie was detected
and arrested. He got word down TO
the joint telling of his misfortune,
,sDd begging for Gods sake that some.
P.ody would send MIN some opium. ]
ought some dry opium pills and got
acem in to him after deal of trouble.
ae next day / called on him and 9
Dre miserable wretch never saw.
1lIfe was suffering the tortures 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
| 'Gto your hesh, was racking him.
These tortures were joined 10 sewers
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 quantity Of the drug ]
had been able 10 send was disposed Of
! in short order.
There isn't taste Of Il left, he
yelled TO me as / entered his cell in
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
/ had brought He seized them like
| starving man would seize a crust OF
| bread. He placed two of them in his
mouth and rolled them around until
/ they had dissolved, and then washed
I them down with mouthful Of water
( In few minutes he was lying on his
cot as placid and happy as a healthy
/ baby. kept him supplied with opium
until he was tired and sentenced.
managed toslip few of them into his
| hand as he was on his way to Sing
! Sing. | head no more of him and
forgot all about him until one day, on
/ Broadway, several years later, a stall
] II s.l1
on the shoulder and heartily shoob
me by the hand / was nearly sur
/ prised TITO a fit when he explained
I that he vas the opium fend of a few
/ yeaIs ago. he said that when he
] got u Sing Sing the habit was
on IIm very strong. The pills
had given him bad crumbled 70 dust
in Els pocket, and had become So
mixed up with iot OF other stuff thai
f{he could not use them. He was in a
< laying torment thu night and cried
br the drug. The keepers found him,
and the prison physician, who was
/ called, fortunately diagnosed the case
! correctly. II 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
iiend. He was removed to the hospital
and the physician was kind enough to
get interested in the case. He braced
him up with hypoderInic injections Of
morphine every time the craving came
on, and by liberal use of this drug
finally wore away the desire for the
other. OF course this treatment ere
eted the morphine habit, but this was
more readily cured, and my friend
soon lost all desire for drugs Of any
Kind, ard IS a prosperous, happy man
today If he had not been arrested he
Sould certainly have gone the way Of
al the fiends, and have ended his
ifc mself, or died miserably in some
hole He tried to reason the case with
me In hopes that / would surrender
the drug and endure the agonies that
such a privation would produce for
the pleasure attending the feeling that
I was no longer slave 20 it. ] have
heard all of those arguments q thou
sand times, and frequently have lain
in joint with another smoker, and
we have both sworn off, 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 ] am
at it the less disposed do ! feel for
%c-k Of any kind Ny memory e
failing me now, and I am already
pretty well along on the downward
road. III go little further down,
and then good-by to everything
Nau- NNrtr Gtrx,