Morning journal and courier., 1894-01-19

Bowsry, and ninety-nine times out of .
hundred Will follow up the acceptance of
the apology with an Invitation to drink.
The thieves do not show any haste In tax
ing the drink, but rather hold of until
they can make 1t appear that they only
drink because of the kindly interest they
take In the stranger. They drop into any
place that may be near, but do not attempt
to do any CROOKED work on the street.
"While the drinks are being poured out
the thieves sixs up their friend very care
fully. They always ask for an expensive
drink in order to get the victim to change
has IL possible. They have drink or two
at the bar aud one of the thieves suggests
going into the back room and sitting down
for few minutes. The stranger may mot
be anxious to do 80, but these crooks have
such winning ways that they will persuade
the average citizsn to go with them against
his will.
1.-THE work is quickly done after they
get to the back room. The drinks are Or
dered and placed on q table. One of the
thieves attracts the attention of the VIC
tim while his partner drops the 'knocker-
out into the drink. II makes no differ
ence whether II 10 whiskey or beer, If the
stranger swallows the dose he is gone
He is certain to fall into Q deep sleep, and
when he swakes, hours afterward, he is
In such 9 confused state that the chances
are that he will stsgger out of the place
without noticing anything. IL he discov-
ers that he has been robbed he may make
kick TO the bartender, who Is, of couree,
always very sympathetic. but denies hav-
Ing any knowledge of the robbsry. The
bartender frequently gives tie Victim q
dollar to show that his sympathy is real,
and IL may bs part of the victims own
money. If he can be got out of the sa-
loon without making a row he usually
falls asleep somewhere in the street, lands
In some station house, and goes down on
the blotter as q common drunk, until he IL
able to tell his story in the morning.
81 never shall forget the first time got
Q dose of the 'knocksr- out at the Old Tree
inn. The 'Peter-plsyers' had bscome 90
active and we had suoh poor luck In hav
ing them identified after being arrested
that was detailed to sct ss q victim.
startsd up the Bowery with a whoop, and
In every bar that entered flashed q roll
of bills with big figure on the outside,
pretended to bs very drunk and invited
every body to drink wherever went.
was picked up by Andy Killeen and Beef
Hogan at Pell str,st, and fell into their
trap inst as IL / were q genuine guy.
| went to the back room in the Old Tree
| inn, and then felt just little shsky, al
| did not care about taking ths inferps
| stuff. had seen enough of it's ffs,ts tc
l make me Q bit skittish, but had to fac.
the music in order to make a sure cas-,
i against the crooks.
i 81 dropped into q chair at the table and
ordered some whisksy. The waitel
brought II In on tray. set my glass to N,
i right, and nearer to Killeen than to me
while turned to look at Hogan's watch
at bis request. / saw KIlieen pour tn.
'knocker out from q vial into my glass
and push 1t In front of ms. The Thieves
drank to my health, and my hand trem
bled bit as / raised ths stuff to my lipe
as bad always heard that IL had more ef
feet upon q sober than q drunken man.
| got 1t down after q struggle and felt q chill
| come all over my body instantly as II
had been struck with a shower of 10.
water. did not feel very pleasant l car
tell you Ny eyes bsgsn to run water
and while WAS rubbing them I began tc
fssl very drowsy.
| TO get up, but when finally tried my fee
| seemed to be nailed to the floor. 1t struct
me as pretty good joke, and began tc
| laugh heartily. l struggled with sll my
might to get to my feet and keep my eyes
open. / thought that my will would prove
stronger than the drug, but soon became
| convinced that the knocker out was q big.
| ger fellow than L After several chills
delightful glow spread all over my body
aud felt psrfe,tly happy and contented
and glad to be In the condition that was
I saw Killeen and Hogsn sitting at th,
table and tried to speak to them, but my
voice seemed to bs the faints,t whisper
As watched, their faces turned toward
/ Nth thax
seemed to recede, become smaller ant
smaller. until they finally pss-ei out O.
4 sight altogether.
'rhs frat thing remember of my res
condition was some one shaking me VIC
lently and asking me to open my mouth
When 1 opened my eyes cav that 1 wa
in my own hons lying on a lounge, will
my wife. Captain Mccullough and a doc
tor standing at my side. a few mo
walked Up. At different times In my lif
have been ruu over. stabbed severa
times, burned with vitriol and woundet
With an AKA, but 1 would rather hav
had all these Injuries at the same tim
than to psss through tie twelve hour
that followed the psssipg of of the st
feet of the 'kuocker OUT The nause
was SO violent that l seeuei to be sut
focstipg all tbs tins. l was go dizzy tha
l could not raise my head without send
ing everything In the room spinning
1 could not stand, for I had prscticalI,
lost the uss OF my legs, and the pain IL
my head WAS 90 terrific that 1t felt ss /
opposing forces were pulling my hesl
spsrt with hooks. i was not able 4
walk for q week steadily, aud did no
feel well for a month. Every psrsol
who takes the 'knocker-out euffers as
did, In q greater or less degree.
THE knocker out as have said.
. compound the parts of which are know
to very few persons. Samples of th
drug have bsen given to chemists 40,
physicians to anslyze, ard no two o
them agree as TO what IL really is. Th
res.on for this Ia that mos. of the knock
er-oue Is mixed with substances whiol
tend to render the poison obscure, bu
do not interfere with i:s deadly work
None of the men who give the drul
knows what IL is, aud all that they do
to follow instructions when they &c. th
poison. They do not always follow th
directions, and sometimes they give o
overdose, which 10 danserous, slthous
the deep coma and distressing symptom
invariably pass away. never heard of
death following the uss Of the 'knockel
out but / have seen some terribly sic
men.
"The Peter players can get sll of th
drug that they wish without trouSls. Tn
supposition that Is IL furnished by som
, drugeists who msk = fpecislty of putin
IL up is not 80. Druggists can give drug
thst will put men to sleep, bat they sr
safe to give to nsa 20 use who have n
knowledge of thtir IF cts The knock
er-out trade is confined to three men 4
this city, and tbs principal sgsnt TO dii
pose IF the goods II Charles Heymau, VII
} 10 known on the Bosery as Dismond Char
, ley. he lives 10 HsIlep. he has made
lot OF monty out of the business, and th
crooks pay him one dollar Q dose for tn
stuff. 1t Is nearly all profit, but he force
the crook to pay him his pr.cs bscsuse th
stuff is supposed to bs made by . secre
prucsss and cannot be obtained else where
When the kn~cker oct frst came ont
commanded ten dollars 9 dose Toe opl
stuff that Pete Sawyer us-d to put the vic
tim to sleep was snpf mixed with beer
Tnis does not always do ths work aud it 1
difficult 70 judge the right amount of snri
to use. Too much of IL makes q man sic
before reaching the sleepy stage, aud q
, soon rs he vomits the effect of it 10 gone
"Heymsn, In his mysterious way, hs
msntion,d me names of half dozen po
sons of which the knocker ont Is sur
posed to be made, but he was not tel
! Ing the truth. The narcotic, which /
guarded with 30 much secrecy and IL th
, base and only poissn used In ali knoci
i er-outs, is chlorAl hydJate. The medic
! nal doss of this poison is from fifteen |
thirty grains, and between thirty sn