The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-29
STORIES OF DRUGGISTS.
MISTAKES WHICH Arm MADE IN
CHICAGO STORES.

WhiSkY-Hunt for q woman Who
Ordered QUINN and Got Poison.
From the Chicago Times.
Country village life centers around the
corner grocery, where people gather to tell
stories, exchange gossip and while away
she time. A city like Chicago has no place
that corresponds entirely with such resort,
but the nearest approach to it is the city
drug stors-the all night drug store in par
ticular. Since the soda water fountain be-
came the largest portion OF many drug
stores and comfortable settees have on that
account been placed in them there are at
fractions that were before unknown, and
people are recognizing the fact. Downtown
the all night stores are the places whore
people wait for the horse cars that run so
few ana far between, be it to the
north or west or south side of the
city. And so the drug clerk sees more
strange things and more funny ones than
does any one else who stays indoors in
the whole city of Chicago, except possibly
the hotel clerk, the railroad ticket agent
and the box office clerk at the theater
Even in the busiest store his time is not all
filled with putting up prescriptions Of chlO-
ride OF sodium and aqua pura and charging
see what is going CD, to notice the queer
things that happen and to hear the queer
things that are said. Victims Of the NOR
phine habit are known at every store. 1t il
of little use 10 try 20 be strict IN the matter
OF sales to them. They are desperate in their
desire and will do anything in the
world to get the drug. Laws that require
physicians prescriptions for the sale OF
poisons do not regulate it, for the prescrip-
ton necessary can always be obtained.
And the store may be ever so strict 10 its re-
quirements, but some way will be found TO
get the dose wanted. A wonderful pro-
portion of those who use morphine are
women. Most of those who have acquired
the habit themselves eat it direcs or take it
i'll water. Those who use bypodermic in
jections are usually the ones who have been
taught by physicians or else are physicians
themselves.
Yes, have seen some bad cases Of opium
or morphine eaters" said clerk in one Of
the big State street drug stores. ''There
was a womaH who used to come in here
every other day and buy a 6O-grain bot
tie of morphine at time. l never knew
how many people she divided with, but she
had friend who was in the habit of buy
ing that much twice week, so l suppose
there was a colony Of them. One day this
first woman came in at her usual time and
wanted the usual quantity, but she had no
money. She begged and pleaded with me
to trust her, but refused TO do it. Then
she offered anything Sas bad for it and used
svsrJ induoemsnt that a woman oan
make. Finally. when she saw that
1t was Of no use, she left In tears
and thought l vas through With
her Within an hour, however, the woman
was back again, this time with the sum of
rooaey necessary to make her purchase.
Where or how she got IL | don't know
Anyway abe wanted the morphine IN a
hurry and gave 1t to her. She asked me
for a glass OF water, so that she could take
some there, as she could not wait until she
got home. showed her where the hydrant
was and watched her with some curiosity
To my horror she poured out into her hand
fully one-hRlf OF the contents OF the bottle,
and was aboat to swallow It at a gulp. l
sprapR for her and knocked her
hand so that the poison fell on the floor.
She at once became very angry and
insisted that IL would not hurt her, as she
took that much every day. l was afraid
that she intended 10 commit suicide, but
she finally persuaded me that it as all
right aud had TO give Her thirty grains
more to make up for what l had taken
from her. Then l watched that woman
swallow the thirty grains Of morphine and
she minded il no more than you would that
much water. The ordinary large dose for
beginner is one-fourth of grain, so she
took 100 times an ordinary dose. j saw her
often after that al d iear1ed that she was a
very respectable married woman. The
story of that dose Is a pretty bard one to
make some people TO believe, but it is never
thelsss true"
1T makes me shudder yet to think Of my
experience with morphine dose" said a
Cottage Grove avenue druggist. at in
cluded a mistake Of my own aud the great
est luck in correcting it that a man eyer
had One night about II 80 o'clock a young
woman came into the store just as | was
about to close and handed me prescrip-
ton which she wanted me to fill. l had al
ready put out some of the light so the room
was little dark, but read the prescription
carefully enough and saw that
it called for morphine. hurry,
please said the girl. MY mother
is sick and 10 alone in the house, aud
want 20 get back to her, I hurried and
when gave the powders / said to her:
you know exactly how much of this to
take and how to take it, do your %, yes
she said, and started out OF the door on
run. Then for some reason that l can't
tell went back TO my prescription case,
got the paper and brought it forward to
brighter lamp. l was Mortified to see that
l bad misread 1t before, that it called only
for quinine, and that of course the girl
thought she had only that harmless drug.
And she had started on the run to give 1t to
her sick mothefl
"What was to dos
~ was almost wild with fright, but
grabbed my own little case of medicine.
containing some antidotes. and started down
the street on a run IN the direction In which
she had vanished. By this time it was near
ing midnight, and up here in the residence
part Of the city there were few people to be
seen. None Of them had noticed girl run
ming. and SO no one could help me. Let me
tell you that hunting 10 that way in Chicago
at midnight is pretty blind work. l saw
two or three houses waere the lights were
burning, aud at each one OF them asked IL
any sick person was there, making an excuse
for the inquiry and my excitement by say
log that was looking for certain doctor
for very urgent case and that he had
been known TO come TO this neighbor-
hood. None of them knew of any sick
person, and wandered up and down these
streets for half an hour almost crazy at the
thoughts Of the penitentiary staring me in
the face. Finally at a certain house, some
one came to the door and in response TO nv
question, said, No; we have no sick person
in this house, but in the house on the next
corner there is an old lady who is sick
didn't stop to thank her, but ran for the
house. When l rang the bell who should
open the door but the girl 10 whom l had
given the poison. She was almost fright
ened TO death, and said, %, am SO glad
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