The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-21
STORIES OF THE TOWN
DIR. CONAN DOYLE DosED SHERLOCK
HOLMES TOO MUCH.
Gave Him Sufficient Cocaine to XIII
MuIe-A Letter from Gem
eraI Wallace.

A leading downtown druggist is author
ity for the assertion that playing the slot
machine has become a fad with some of
the young women of the CITY,. He says
many of those who come to his store are
fascinated with the machines, and play
them for either soda water or chewing
gum. He also says he does not desire their
pennies, for when they do play the ma
chimes they ask great many questions re-
garding the cards thrown and they take
great deal of time. Whether the playing
of the slot machine threatens to become a
dangerous fad among the young ladies of
the city or not is unknown, but certain it
is that a crowd of them played five PEN
MES each in a prominent drug store after
last Wednesdays matinee. They were we'll
dressed, and belong to refined neighbor-
hood, and they played the machines SEEM
ingly for the fun there was in it. Some
of them took chewing gum instead of
cigars and the froiic ended by one of the
young women buying soda for the crowd.
While they drank their soda they stuck
their gum under the edge of the counter.
After they had gone the clerk took
spatula and, going to the outside of the
counter, said:
Now, just watch this operation He
scraped the spatua under the counter, hold
ing his hand under the blade he drew 1t
along He scraped the entire edge of the
counter and then turned, producing heap
ing handful of chewing-gum wads.
See those, he asked, pointing at the col
lection with the spatula- That is two
to the soda fountain they generally stick
their gum to the edge of it, Men. as rule,
slyly place it out of sight We have been
PIONEERED more recently, because of the
slot machine They have lots M more fun fun
over the devices than the men, and when
they get started they keep playing until
rewards Immediately. and very frequently
they take chewing gum. Then, of course
chewing gum is placed away, under the
edge of the counter great many young
men come in with young ladies and thew
play the machines together. We make
something out of the slot machines. but
they are SO much trouble that / wish they
Three gentlemen were discussing Conan
Doyle and his Sherlock Holmes in the
office of an Ohio-street physician the other
night The talk had changed slightly and
the scientific sleuthhound was being assoc
Grated with the drug cocaine The doctor
was speaking.
Il am an ardent admirer of Conan DOYLE"
he said, and for the most part his plots
are finely developed am particularly fond
of Mr.. Sherlock Holiness but I am com
PEELED to take issue with the author on
some of the things that he has his won
derful detective do. For instance, Sherlock
Holmes has contracted the cocaine habit
He almost lives upon the drug. He keeps
1T always by him, and when he has reached
his wits end over a case particularly in
tricate he takes an injection of cocaine
He uses mort of it, / think, in the store
OF the Sign of the Four At the moment
when his murderer is about to elude him.
when ne is in despair over some vexatious
move on the part of the criminal, he thinks
OF MS favorite cocaine and shoots enough
to Kill mule into his arm. l have been
doing some figuring on this cocaine habit
and have watched Sherlock Holmes close
ly. have no doubt but that Conan Doyle
looked up the drug pretty thoroughly be-
fore he permitted Holmes to administer
IL TO himself, but :. want to say right here,
If that English Hawksllaw took as much
cocaine as IS credited to him he was 1ruly
would have sent him to the insane asylum
in six months. There is not a more deadly
poison of it's class than cocaine"
The laxative young man who sells gro
ceries for a South Meridian-street wholesale
grocery was discoursing on a variety of
subjects. Finally, he got on to the topic
suggested by his drummer friend, who was
new in the business and had a pocketful
of letters Of INTRODUCTION.
II never thought much of a letter of rec
concentration, said the laxative sales
man, but that reminds that l have a
very valuable one in my trunk. You see,
it this way. 1 once had the honor to
live in the same town with General Wal
lace. the author of 'Ben-Hur. AS a ooy
/ knew that the General raised superior
quality of grapes and pears; as a young
man ready to go out in the vNerld for my
self | knew him as friend w<o was ready
to give me all the golden advice that lay
in his gifted tongue. 1 wanted to go on
the road for a wholesale house and i'm
agined that / would require a pocketful of
letters. General Wallace was the first man
| called upon for a letter. Ben-Hur was
just out and the author was a famous man.
He was delighted to write me letter. and
did So / don't exactly remember the word
ing of the letter, but it was something
like this:
Dear Sir-I knew this young mans
family. They are excellent people. He has
been raised properly and he ought to be a
There was a letter that always priced
highly as a souvenir of a great man, but I
the ought to be- and l afraid the COM
mereial world would understand it,
THAT one reminds me of story" said
the friend of the laxative young man.
1.-The other day 1 boarded the cars at the
Union Station and started west Twenty
miles out nice-lookng young woman got
on the train with little girl. The child ap-
| peared to be in her charge. and when the
| conductor came through he stopped to col
| lect the fares. The older girl handed the
| official her ticket, but evidently did not ex-
| pect to pay for the younger.
IN have to have pay for that child
| growled the conductor as he punched the
ticket
why, didn't expect to have to pay for
her. explained the girl, snyly, you see she's
! only six years DID,
\ Now Sallie. you know I'm ten years
| old, broke in the youngster, as the young
woman gave her a vicious dig in the side
| and grew scarlet in the face. The conductor
| n c
1 fare and passed on