The herald., 1894-12-23
HAUNTS OF THE OPIUM SMOKER
Filthy Dens Where White Men
and Women GO.
Lying Down With Cinnamon in
Dragged Stupor.
"Layoup' That the Smoker Uses
When He "Hits the Pipe"


the Cinnamon know it, but most people
only by hearsay that Chinatown is
honeycomDed with vile dens, where not
only Cinnamon but white men and
women, slaves to the moat damning
vice the world knows, consort with de-
praved Chinese, and lie in the filth oil
these hell-holes in drugged stupor,
while the world around moves on with
out them.
Chinatown, upon it's surface, is bad
enough; stain upon the fair face OF ma
ture a menance to health and civiliza-
ton. even, but hidden in it's dark alley
ways and in and under it's tumble-down
rookeries are reeking dens, 30 filthy and
vile, and their inhabitants 80 vicious
and depraved that the mind revots
when contemplating their influence
upon q Christian civilization.
This ia the haunt of the opium
smoker when he "hits the pipe" Here
he comes on trem bling limbs. with brain
on fire, eyes bloodshot and protruding
skin yellow and traced with blue veins,
emacated, feeble, degenerated, lost !!
The pipe 10 pla ed before him; he
clutches it nervously in his bony fingers
and, placing it to his lips. draws one
long, deep draught. He smokes pipe
after pipe, until the stupor comes upon
him. The den is filled with astench iu.
describable; it Is dark and altogether
loathsome, yet on the couch lie stretched
the remnant of what was once q man
perhaps o brilliant man-at least q
man.
The stupor may last an hour. The
victim of the long draw" lies prone
upon the couch and oblivious 10 his vile
surroundings. dreams of palaces, whore
he loiters in languid Incidence. through
gorgeous apartments, hung with rare
works of art, rich tapestries and elegant
bric-a-brac; where lovely women join
him in the promenade and sweet strains
of music charm the ear. while the ex-
quisite perfume of flowers delights the
senses. Or, again he wanders along the
banks OF ailvery, ripping brook, amid
the deep shadows of an enchanted wood
land. His nostrils GET the odor OF wild
fiowera and the songs OF myriads Of gay
plumed birds come to his ears. Once
more he dreams and stands alone on the
top of the highest mountain. The world
lies ut his feet. His gazs takes in it all.
IL 10 OWhp apt haiO1 Ass 0Soo VIVA
it as he will.
The stupor passes off. He rises from
The filthy cot and leaves the place. Out
in the world again, he sees the streets.
the houses, the people, but they are not
real. He is exhilerated. Strange fan-
ciss fill his teeming brain and the things
he sees taxa on grotesque shapes and do
iantastical things.
Another hour or two goes by and this
exhileration passes off; the poor trem-
bling wretch is himself again.
1t 10 sometimes said the opium
smoker will give up his terrible habit If
the opportunity is only given him.
Some years ago man named Corcoran
was arrested in this city for highway
robbery. He was confined in the county
Jail for several months before his case
was decided in the courts, and he was
taken away to the states prison.
This man was q 'dope iend." Some
two montha after he was placed in he
Jail the jailers detected the fumes of
smoking opium. For months they made
every effort possible to discover the
smoker and at last succeeded. He had
proceeded thus: first he feigned
cough. The physician was called in lett
a small square -cornered bottle filled
with cough remedy. Concoran poured
out the medicine and kept the bottle.
In some way he procured rat-tail file.
He wrapped the bottle in damp clothes,
secured at the sacrifice OF his under
shirt, and then patiently set to work to
m AXE pipe bowl OF the bottle. with the
aid of the file. This completed he
broke off about eight inches of the
handle of broom. accidently left in the
corridor OF the teuk. He took a piece
OF wire out of the rim of tin jail plate.
This wire he used to burn hole length
wise through the piece OF broom handle
and then he had stem for his pipe and
the wire was still useful as dope
needle" used in cooking the opium.
Then he started on lamp. Every day
he skinned the top off his mutton broth
and saved the greasy subsistence in q
cup. Then when he had sucnred SUI
ficent for his purpose he ravelled out
the remnant OF his cotton shirt and
wound the threads to make wick. He
warmed the mutton tallow one day and
fashioned his made lamp.
Every day friend used to come to
the Jail to bring Cinciran pie. The
lids of these pies had been raised and
small quantity of opium concealed uns
dernsath. Thus he got his dope"
He smoked opium every day for
months with his hand made "lsyout,"
and was detected one day by jsilor
who had concealed himself on the tanks
while Cinoiran was out in the Jail COR
ridor. The jailors discovered afterwards
how he had concealed his ''lay out"
every day by wrapping the whole thing
up in an old shirt and lowering it. sus-
pended from piece OF string. into the
closet. =
Perhaps an opium smoker will give up
the habit-and perhaps not.
The "layout" OF an opium smoking
''joint" is curious thing to q stranger
in Chinatown. reporter of The
HERALD went through the dens in the
Chinese quarter yesterday and saw
enough horrible things to last lifetime.
But there is an interesting part to the
''joints" as we'll ss horrible part.
The emoker's layout consists of tray,
lamp globe. pipe and extra pipe bowl,
two needles. and horn box for opium.
The pipes will vary in style and finish
us much as do the pipes Of a tobacco
smoker when they range from the corn
cob, or Missouri mearschaum, to the
elaborstely carved, genuine meer-
schaum. The horn boxes containing
the liquid "dope," in appearance like
molassea. may be rude atfairs-an old
oyster can would do. or they may be-
finely-csvsd, silver or gold mounted.
There are some made of solid silver, and
one was made Of solid gold, worth not
less than $500.
Tho oh q lion douu pou ha oornh