The evening times., 1896-08-06
WEIRD WORK Of THE HEMP
Strange Experiences Of a Man
Who Took the Drug.
HE SAW STRANGE THINGS
A Carpet Design Transformed Into q
Circus Ring-The Glass Tube That
Led Into q Curious. Country-Hid-
eous Creatures Seen In a Cave-Ef-
fects Followed for Hours.

"Did you ever lake Indian helnp?" asked
one member Of a group OF young doctors
IN physician's room III one Of the city hos
pitals the other morning, us Times re-
porter entered. Every other member OF
the company answered in the negative.
Indian hemp, the spokesman went on to
explain, Is known In the medical books as
"cannabis indica,'' and the plant is ma
tive OF the East Indies. There the natives
call 1t "Gunjah," and 1t is not infrequentiy
used by them as an intoxicant.
The effects efan overdose OF the narcotic.
the physicians dgreed, surpassed In their
weird, SENSATIONAL Influences, those VI any
other intoxicant known I'm civilized coun-
tries. 1t was agreed that some one should
experiment for. the benefit Of the crowd.
AT first it was decided TO draw lots to see
who would be the victim. Finally, how
ever, 1t was considered more advisable.
to all but himself, that the reporter should
take It. so that, as the youngest doctor ex-
pressed II, .le could write up his feelings"
The deal was ON and the stuff brought
from the dispensary. It was an extract
from the herb, q black, sticky solution
with an acrid and unpleasant taste. The
physician who had first proposed the ex-
pertinent measured out fifteen grains. The
reporter swallowed it and sat down In a
chair.
A feature of the carpet in the room was
series of large, lowered rings, Some two
feet In diameter. One of these was at
the feet OF the reporter Another dose
Of eight or ten grains Of the drug was ad-
ministered.
The doctors lined themselves In q semi
circle where observation would be made
easiest, and shortly afterward a slight
dizziness of brief duration followed. When
it was. over the conversation the doctors
had been indulging in had ceased SO far
as the reporter was concerned. All was
still and the head fell slightly forward
on the chest
HowTHE CIRCLE GREW
At his feet the large ring of roses in the
carpet became gaudier. Then 1t began to
grow. 1t stretched wider and wider and
grew brighter still. Presently it was sew
eral rods in diameter. The bright hue
changed and became dull sawdust color.
1t was great circus ring.
Then out came a rider. A large white
horse followed closely after her. and
the two were soon spinning around that
ring with fnghtfui rapidity. the girl
standing on the back of the animal and
performing most marvellous feats.
Another rider followed her; more came,
all with lightning speed, aud the ring
was filled with wbirling, prancing.
pacing, daring crowd of people aud ami
mails, that shook like a Kaleidoscope
picture before the eye.
Men darted out and raised the Rugs
and the trapeze-raised them and fastened
them in the air, 1t seemed. The nets were
stretched; the stages were raised; ropes
were drawn; ladders, barrels. hoops, spring
boards, every imaginable contrivauce one
larged- carpet ring, and the performers
were far more daring than their real
istic prototypes.
When the performance was at its dizziest
height, it began to fade. A few seconds
later the carpet ring lay there just as it did
when the drug first began to take effect :
All changes came rapidly. The ring was
gain starting point. The reporter leaped
forward and came down in the center OF
it. He went on and on and then began to
realize that he was descending glass
tube The tube did not seem to be larger
| than four or five inches in diameter. Still
the descent was made with perfect ease.
1t began to twist. With every curve the
body OF the reporter seemed to shoot
downward with increased velocity until
the speed was frightful. Down, down.
down he went, until it seemed he had gone
o, 900 feet, though the last half of the dis
tance must have been passed in n second.
Tbetube opened and the reporter dropped
out. He was In nower-decked field
where the vegetation was all strange.
| The tube was still there, and 1t ran back
upward, to be lost some where In sky Of
| pink.
TRAVELLING THROUGH SPACE.
whirring noise was heard from behind.
In another instant strange vehicle drew
| up. As it did SO, a long, narrow road that
| disappeared in a pale blue vegetation in
the distance sprang up before the reporter.
| The vehicle stopped. 1t was horseless and
| driverless. The reporter got into the only
| seat there was In the car,
Away it started. AS in the previous SEN
satiops the activity Of the vehicle in
| creased as time wenton. The narrow road
| stretched forth into endless length, and the
| further the car went the further away
! seemed to grow the horizon in front.
| The speed became frightful, and for the
first time since the drug began to take ef-
feet real pain was felt. The breath seemed
to be taken away. The heart was in the
| throat The reporter was choking. In an
| other fraction OF second the pain was 10
be unbearabie.
| But the point was not reached. The
I, strange car came to a sudden and painless
stop. The breath came back, and the
heart seemed to fail into its accustomed
! place, and thud against the W alls OF the chest
| lust In reality when one RECEIVERS from grea
fright or exertion.
| Where the cur stopped all was inky black.
ness. The rider did not need to ahght
4 The vehicle cvaporated from under him al
things fade away in natural dreams. The
blackness seemed to grow denser, when ,
| dim ring of light was seen In the far dis
i tance. The ring came forward.
On the approach of the strange thing sur
1 roundings nghted un gradually. Close
anu closer cume the ring, until anotnel
Of those dizzy passes arrived, and the drug
taker found himself again sitting .befor
the red circle in the carpet.
The stay was not long. By this time q
j sluggish, unpleasant feeling began. Tht
i atmosphere became heavy. The red riDl
ip the carpet grew with that characteristic
rapidity into the gray walls Of q cayerI