The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-11-29
OPIUM DENS In NEW YORK.
SLAVES or THE DEADLY DRUG IN
THE CHINESE QUARTER.

Thousands "Hit the Pips" In Mott
street and vicinity-vne Chinese
Dens Where Hundreds congregste
Nearly All are Opium Smoker.
The idea that opium smoking has been
stamped out in the Chinese quarter OF the
city centering around Mott and Peli
streets, is as erroneous as II Is absurd,
say the New. York Journal.
No one who Ia familiar with tha'
strange section OF the town believes for q
moment in the stories OF the evil bein
eradicated, and, in fact, casual visit.
o the place can get all the evidence
he existence OF the crime that he want
n fifteen minutes tour OF the place.
OF course, there is a little more red ta'
hout getting into a Chinese opium dc
han there is in getting into a saloo
tier hours. You have to know the pre-
yietor or the employees, or be introduce
" some responsible person, the samc
necessary TO secure an entree to one 4
ne large uptown gambling houses.
An idea of the extent of opium smok
1g, as il is now carried on in the Ch
$50 quarter, can be gained from tbes
cts.
Living in this city there are abo'
100 Chinese. In Brooklyn, Jersey c.
I'd other nearby towns there are in
1out 5000 more, making, in all, in Il
ighborhood of IL, 500 who, on Sunda
a in the evenings, visit Mott street f
purpose of gambling or otherwA
ssipating.
Statistics show that about sixty pe
- L.. aIa 1t L
ar laundrymen, smoke opium and
ore or less victims of the fearful hab
lis shows that there are over TOO
ninsmen in and around New York VII
ait the pipe"
All this hitting "is done in the neig
srhood of Mott and Pell streets. Asic
ON the Chinese fiends. there are NOR
an a thousand white women and cir
Chinatown who smoke opium. The
ter are the depraved creatures SUP
rted by Cinnamon. These facts, COZ
iered in conjunction with the one tn
obably less than one hundred buildin
elter all the Chinese and the wh
omen of Chinatown, show on its ff
at opium smoking Is carried on
poutevery building inhabited by Chimes
OF all the opium smoking places in I
ninese quarter the cluster OF tenemer
nown as Nos. and IL Pell street are
iggest. There are two front tenemen
nd two rear ones, and, at a conservat q
| innate, there are at least thirty distinS
0ints in the four buildings.
The houses are said to be the proper
| - woman named Maggie Moran, WI
as won for herself quite a reputation
| be Chinese quarter. People who a.
most familiar with these places say IL
he four houses are occupied by about i.
| Cinnamon and 800 white women.
The AVERAGE joint Is presided over by
| Ghinaman and two or three white giri
Asarule there are but two rooms to a joi
nd both Of these are fitted up with eth
aunks or mattresses on the floor.
Bunks used to be the rule but &
hrewd Cinnamon discovered that the
things attracted the attention of the r
ce and interfered largely with the CO.
uct Of the business. Now mattress
nd, in some instances, bed are used.
In proportion to the number OF bull
ngs it contains, there are probably m
upium joints in Doyers street than
Jther place in Chinatown. Doyers sire
IS not more than a hundred and fl
ards long, extending from the Bowe
a curving direction to Pell sire,
here 1t ends.
Opium smoking Is carried on in nenr
very house, and, in fact, the busin,
mere is worked to such a degree that
roprietors have adopted the plan OF
sxter street clio. hiers, and have station
'touters" on the outside, whose duty
$ to guide the "dops "-seeking visit
the joints.
OF course, the touters do not cry o
the fine qualities of their establishment
IS is done in Baxter street. They have
ar easier and safer plan. They are
ficnds," and spot at q glance the man
woman who is looking for joint. Fien
ecogniEe one another almost
stinctively, and stranger In town, a
customed to "hitting the pipe" G
Il n