The herald., 1898-04-04
/ HORRORS OF COCAINE I;
+ ****** *************'*

an old threadbare shawl, crept along West
Fifth street one night last week. Her step
faltered and she stadied herself by placing
her hand against the buildings as she
passed. She came to drug store and en-
tered as best she could. Without removing
her shawl she made her way to the counter
in the rear Of the store where she leaned
trembling.
"Give me one, quick" she said, raising
one finger. The movement threw the shawl
back from her head and disclosed face
white and tightly drawn that appeared
CHASTITY in the half light. The clerk disap-
peared behind the prescription case and
Immediately returned with powder paper
which the woman snatched eagerly There
was a vial of water standing handy on the
counter and the woman poured some OF 1T
into q small bottle she carried. The pow
der soon followed the water and then the
woman hesitated.
"You have my hypo, haven't your" she
asked, her hand trembling as wires vibrate
in a gust of wind.
Eyes, Nellie" replied the clerk. ''but
there is twenty cents on it."
MY God, man! l can't help the twenty
cents Lend 1t to me quick or Tll-Tll-Oh!
please, please-God, man, can you see me
suffer in this way?"
She was surely in agony. Her teeth.
close them so tightly as she might, still
clattered with the sound of dice thrown on
a marble table; her eyes seemed to roll out
of her head as her shuddering body swayed
to and from the counter and faint, piteous
moan escaped her lips. The clerk, realizing
that another moments delay would mean
utter collapse to the form before him hastily
handed her hypodermic syringe. In the
flash of an eye 1t was charged with the con-
tents of the bottle, and the needle was
plunged carelessly in her arm. With slow,
steady movement the hand went down and
a sigh of relief came from the blue lips of
the haggard woman. As she removed the
needle from her arm, her eyes frightened
little already, raised to look at by
stander who had entered and witnessed the
act. The flesh of her barred arm was a
grayish blue and swollen. AS close to-
gether as the holes of a sieve were the
marks of the needle-some were healing,
others fresh. 1t was horrible, repulsive
arm. With never shadow of shame or
delicacy on her face, this woman met the
strangers eyes and her lips twitched in a
smile. She pulled down her sleeve and
turned to the clerk.
I'll haven't any money now-I had to
have 1t, you know-that makes twenty-five
cents on the syringe"
well, remember, Nellie, no more now
until you get the money. We can't let you
get higher than twenty-five cents" The
clerk returned the syringe to its place in
the cash drawer.
Eyes. yes, know" returned the woman,
replacing the shawl on her head. I'm be
back in a jiffy, and with money enough to
get my syringe. and my necklace, and all
the other things you've got Of NINE"
With that she turned and walked lightly
out Of the door. Her head was high, the
pupils of her eyes dilated and glistening,
her step so light that 1t made no sound.
Peace and satisfaction were in her breast.
Such is the effect of cocaine.
"Poor old girl" said the clerk. half to
himself. IF she don't get some money
soon she won't have any clothes left. The
last week she has come here and pawned
first one thing and another for her cocaine
until we have almost all her belongings In
pawn. She comes in about ten times day
and takes shot and between shots she
goes out on the street and begs for money
to buy them. Her luck has been poor lately.
but she'll get money If she has to steal 1t. ="
MANY LIKE NELLIE
The clerk went back to his cigar behind
the prescription case and the stranger fol-
lowed him forgetting that he had come in
to make a purchase.
do you have many such customers?"
asked the tisitor.
Hundreds of them," smiled the clerk.
UAll as horrible as that One?"
"Some of them lots worse. You'd think
they were going to die. the way they come
in and beg for just a tiny Bit The
clerk simulated a piteous tone Of voice.
'They are all poor and never buy more
than one dose at a time, but when they
come for 1t they want it, and they want 1t
quick"
The druggist seemed to draw inspiration
from his cigar, and said, after moment of
violent putting:
1--WE have about twenty regular cocaine
customers. Some cetHelonly few times
a day, others are as nRrgone as Nellie, who
just left, and come in almost every hour.
They take the drug in different ways; most
of them inject it into the arms or legs:
some let it dissolve on the tongue; some
snuff it, and few put 1t into their eyes
At first they take it in very small doses
| but later, as the habit grows on them, they
increase the size of each injection until
they can hardly get enough in the syringe
at once to satisfy them. Cocaine dissolves
in certain relative part Of water, and II
is generally prepared that way to go into
| the syringe. But one woman who comes
| here regularly takes such large quantity
at time that she could not dissolve it in
water and get 1t all in the syringe She
puts the pure cocaine in bottle and melts
it with match. Before 1t has time to be-
come hard she draws 1t into the syringe and
injects 1t in the arm.
PATRONS FROM THE DIVES
"Oour cocaine customers are mostly OF
the class that lives in the dives of this
neighborhood, and there are among them
several old hays who should be punished
| for teaching young girls to find relief In
| such dangerous way. At the first spell
| of sickness of women who are new to these
places, there is always some cocaine fienc
| to give them an injection. After the dose
| is repeated q few times there is no other
relief from pain, and the young girl adds
| the habit to her vices.
1.-THE cocaine habit is harder to cure thar
any other. Many morphine eaters turn tc
cocaine as a pleasanter drug and stop us.
| ing morphine altogether. There are a few
| who use both and take them in double
doses"
The druggist stared at the ceiling and
talked to his smoke wreatfEs as they curlet
upward.
SHOULD BE PROHIBITED BY LAW