The herald., 1896-10-02
cnLOROFORM AS A Triple
A WOman's InfatnatiOn for the Drug
Lands Her in Prison
Los Angeles Who Supply Her
With Funds.

A woman suffering from the effects
Of a chloroform spree was arraigned in
Jefferson Market court yesterday, says
the New York World. The formal
charge was suicide. but she soon sue
oeeded in clearing herself Of that, and
explained that she had been accustomed
to taking chloroform to relieve pain, and
that she had taken an overdose She
was discharged.
When the woman was arrested and
taken to the Thirtieth street police sta
tion Wednesday night she gave her
name as Emily Nevin, and her address
as No. 201 West Seventeenth street
Both name and address were false. She
gave her age as twenty-six, but she
looked and is several years older. The
policeman who arrested her said he saw
her drinking the chloroform from bot
tie. She had two-ounce bottle, nearly
empty, which she said she had bought
a few hours before. 1t bore the label of
fashionable Broadway drug store.
DO you drink this?" inquired the
sergeant.
The woman, who had sunk on the
floor in stupor, simply nodded An
ambulance surgeon worked at her with
stomach pump, but could find no trace
OF the drug. He decided not to take
her to the hospital, and she was put in
cell. During the night she howled for
more chloroform. She was so nervous
before going to court that 1t was neces-
sary to give her sniff at her bottle.
A little investigation showed that the
woman is q chloroform tippler She
has been arrested four times since April
and each time has given a different
name different address, and differ
ent excuse for using the drug.
G 40 rr.t - =,
goes on chloroform spree Her hus-
pand Is a travelling salesman in the
west, but he could not live with her be-
cause of this habit. He has ofrered to
place her in some institution where such
cases are treated, but she will not go.
When she gets maudlin she refers to
some secret trouble, but whether she
means her separation from her husband
or the complaint from which she is suf-
ferlng is not known.
At Bellevue and other hospitals thew
have refused her admittance. She ap-
pears to have some friends, for fines
have been paid for her in court and a
place was found for her in the Margaret
Stratten home, No. 103 West twenty
seventh street. For few weeks she ap-
peared to reform. She formed an at
tachment for one of the nurses, Miss
Craven, and confessed to her that she
soHetlmeS uSed an ounce or two of the
drug daily. She sometimes drank 1t and
sometimes inhaled it.
Just as Miss Craven started west on
her vacation a remittance came and
Mrs. Hume went on another spree. Last
Friday she went to the home and took
away some clothes. Nothing was seen
of her afterwards until she was arrested
on Broadway.
DR.. Isaac Oppenhei2er, whose cure
for opium and kindred habits is used by
the charity commissioners at Bellevue
hospital, said last night:
"Chloroform tipplers are rare, but not
particularly so. The same effect may be
produced more speedily by the use of
hartshorn or ether. Patients that have
treated for the hartshorn habit tell me
that that has the quickest effect of all.
ut Is quite possible for a woman to
accustom herself to taking two ounces
of chloroform a day, but like everything
else, the time is pretty sure to come
when she will take too much. Women
are our worst cases. suppose the ef-
! feet of chloroform is similar to the ef-
| feet Of ether drinking, which is very
prevalent in the north of Ireland. Its
effect is speedy and the recovery is
equally surprising. A man may be
stupidity drunk at IL and sober as a
Judge at g.