The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-09-03
THE TOBACCO HABIT.
Instances Who're Prominent Men
Have Passed Beyond the Stage
Of Resistance.
Long Continued and Excessive
Indulgence Will Surely Lead
to Fatal Results.
John 8. Reach Would Not Give Up His
Cigar, Even to Prolong His Lifo-How
Depew Mastered the Appetite

A New York correspondent OF the Phila-
delphin Press. commenting on the illness OF
Edwin Booth, which was attributed to the
abuse of tobacco, tells the following stories:
Long. continued indulgence seems to have
had its effect. il not upon Mr.. Booths will
power, at least upon his condition. IL
seems to his friends AZ though he would
rather keep himself under this narcotic in
fuence than to enjoy the vigor of absolute
health. That is a form Of the smoking dis
ease which is recognized by the physician.
but it is not a very infrequent one. The
older Delmonioo, one Of the original ones
of that name, was q victim of this disease.
Ho did not use tobacco any more freely
than Mr.. Booth. because that would BIO i'm
possible, but he used it exactly as Mr..
Booth has. His systom became completely
saturated with nicotine; his skin was yellow.
When he perspired the scent OF nicotine
was percsrtible to those near him.
He was warned that the indulgence
would surely cost him his life, and he re-
piled that life without his cigar had no
pleasure for him. When his last illness
camo il was found that medicine had no Of
feet upon him. and he passed away oven to
the last with a cigar between his lips.
Another somewhat similar case was that
of Frederick Ives, of New Haven. Mr.. Ives
wss a man of unusual business He
had built up 4 large fortune for himself, no
was a strong republican, and he owned the
leading republican newspaper of New Ha-
ven. MIR. Ives from being an occasional
smoker became an inveterate one. Like
MIR. Booth, no was never without tobacco
in his waking hours, and he smoked the
strongest cigars which he could obtain.
When the effect Of this narcotizing began
to DO apparent MIR. Ives friends pleaded
with him, but it seemed in his
case. as in that of Dalmonico, rs
thoguh he preferred to continue his cigar
and to enjoy the drowsy lethargy rather
than to give il up and make n fight for
healthy yigor again. At last sickness came
to him, and when the physicians admins
tered medicines they found that their effect
was absolutely neutralized by tho nicotine
in his system. and even the strongest drugs
had no more influence than would a glass Of
water. He passed awsy-drowsed OFT, SO to
speak, without wa~king-and his case is now
referred to by the physicians as one OF the
chief Illustrations of what nicotine poison
ing will do.
When Gen, John r. Stockton was a men,
DGl VI ~ - y 'hsNs As ''HeS ANs"
Booth, addicted to the excessive use Otto
bacco, He used even to wake up III the
night and light his cigar. Nothing but the
strongest cigars suited him. Nj. Stockton
one morning when no awoks realized how
absolutely the habit had possession of him.
He reached for y cigar. but did not light il.
He said to himself that he had either to
muster the habit then, or to succumb to it
and let il ,hay We it's fatal force with him. He
threw his cigar aside, and he suffered for
AL.-1 80 H-,,.ia ypAnL1 nc hA r nv ya VII toll
me, the aaonies OF disease in his efforts to
<. overcome the habit; but he never put 4 cigar
in his mouth again. His quarter of 81 CEN
fury of activity as attorney general of New
Jersey, his appreciation of the delights of
life, his social charms, his perfect health,
now satisfy him that the sacrifice was worth
the effort which he made. But he thinks
that had he continued much longer he
might ave reached the point where he
cared not what the effects of the nicotine
were.
The ablsst lawyer that Connecticut h0
produced since til. days of Roger Sherman
was undoubtedly John s.. Beach. He was a
singulas ly reserved, quiet and unassumiaG
man, and his only delight was in the prac-
tice of his prof ssion, where hs achieved a
splendid repute, and in his domestic life.
Hud he chosen to give any heed to politics
he might have had any honor which it was
in the power of his party in Connecticut to
bestow. Mr.. Beach Was p~assionately| fond
of a good, strong cigar. lie did not smoke
rs constantly as Booth has, but he smoked
q great deal. After he wat 65 years of age
his physicians warned him that his habit
would, unless given up, shorten his Ga n,
and Mr.. Beach replied in effect that a mat
ter of three or four years would make but
little difference to \ man Slmost 20 years of
age, and that he could not give up a habit
in which he had found SO much consolation.
He continued his eiga 8 and he died not s1-
actly from the effect o. them, but from a
disease whose fatality was hastened BY rsa-
son of the nicctizing OF his system. Yet hs
died perfectly contented to go and satisfied
that he had enjoyed life, met his response
among those who knsw him. and left in
the Judicial decisions of Connecticut the
impress of his professionals career.
Chauncey NJ. Dspew learned to smoke
while ha was u student in Yale college, and
afterward, whom he WAS beginning his ca
reer in New York, he smoked excessively.
Like Mr.. Booth, he was satisfied only with
tls biackeat and strongest cigars. He did
not realize how absolutely the habit had
mastered him until he had been its victim
for more than twenty years. One day
while walking the streets of Albany, son
fifteen years ago. he took a cigar from his
pocket to light it with the butt of one be
had just consumed. 1t occurred to him
on the instant thRt he was a slave of the
habit, and before lighting hls cigar he
"a'hSH sSSel". pAooAo Cun1 2 'uikAt LINK
over his experience, and il then occurred to
him that he was getting h~savv-minded.
dull intellectually, and that he coveted
tho effects Of the nicotine more tina he
no ever coveted political or professional
honors. He then said to himself that it
had gone far enough, and he threw his cignr
into the street, and from that day to thi,
he has notlighted one, although occasionally
at a public Inner he holds an unlighted
one between his lips for the sake Of COM
radeship. Mr.. Depew thinks that if he had
not stopped when he did the habit would
have al solutely mastered him 80 that he
would have been in the same condition in
which Mr.. Booth now is.
Silnmons Must Stand Trial.