Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-31
OPIUM SMOKERS OF CALCUTTA.
Wretched Scenes Witnessed In, the
Metropolis of Hinduntan.

FROM the London Globe.
Through absolute darkness, where we
blindly followed the swinging light ahead
between rows of native huts, the caves OF
which on either side almost overlapped so
closely were they packed, to a miserable
den, where some habitual smoker was cas-
lily distinguished, gaunt and hollow cheek
ed: Our entrance seemed to cause no sur
prise. Perhaps a listless glance would be
thrown in our direction, but what a change
when a pipe was ready and handed to q
smoker. There was something terrible in
the eagerness with which they inhaled the
smoke. It is a tedious process. Each pipe
holds but drop Of opium, which, when
prepared, is in soft, sticky state This,
held on the point of a wire over a flame
until 1t swellS to several times its natural
size and takes light, is pushed into the lit
tie clay bowl, which, with a straight stem
of bamboo, forms the pipe. Three or four
powerful draws exhaust the charge. The
seasoned smoker will smoke several OF
these pipes before he falls asleep. Having
seen how 1t was used, it was Interesting
TO come on one of the shops where the
prepared opium Is sold. 1t was the prop
erty of some very amusing and friendly
Chinamen. Possibly the friendly spirit they
showed was aroused somewhat by seeing
with whom we were.
Evidently the customers, of whom there
was no lack, were viewed with distrust as
they were only admitted to a cagelike in
closure in front of the counter from which
there ran up to the ceiling stout wooden
bars These people buy the pure opium
at the government auctions and then pre-
pare and retail IL to their emacfated crrs-
toners, TO whom. needless to say, no cred
1T is given. The worst feature OF the habit
Is that the victim will stop at nothing
which may enable him to get the drug.
Evidently We were in the Chinese uuarter
of the town. for we were taken
on through many turnings of squaI-
i'd streets to where some OF these low
ers of roast pig were gambling
Our arrival seemed to alarm some of them
probably new hands-who thought they
were doing something very wicked where
as the habitues knew that his mild form Of
betting-the stakes were very small-was
winked at by the authorities. Their chief
game was extraordinary for the remarka-
BILE skul shown by the croupier. A number
of cowries were thrown on the table per-
haps couple of hundred or so, and partly
hidden by an inverted saucer being placed
over as many as 1t might cover, that ono
might have as lite idea of the actual num-
ber as possible. The shells We're then rap
idly raked away in lots of three and the
player bet whether three. two or one would
be left. When perhaps half the number
had been removed in this manner the sau-
Ger is lifted to get at the rest. Strange as
1t may seem, the moment this Is done al
though there might still be large number
of cowries left, both around and under
where the saucer had been. the bank at
once stated what number would remain
and actually began to pay winners OF
course. the raking was not interrupted
and We could thus see IL the bank was cor
rect, but in the four games we watched
they were never wrong. Practice must
have given them q sixth sense. 1t was not
canny.