The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-20

inr orea,urea that's 70 deceive thon 90. bat busa
nee y busine.s, and they 20 away 10 become oui
most loyal sdhsrcnts and 70 pose - living sdvor
tsoznouts Of our estshlshmcnt
"Yos oil this Is the bright side Of the all-nigh'
| drug clork life The soamy side begins 10 appear
| about Two O'Clock in he morning. From that time
on until dawn his path Is bosot with trials tribulo
lions and tumut for the majority Of hts customers,
owing 10 dannce with rcd evil ore apt 70 be
quarrolsomo and prone 10 make oil SORTS Of absurd
| and impossible demands Too many Of them are
| vicums Of the opium habit and sometimes dan
| Eerous when their peromptory requests for the
| poison arc refused Between Twelve and ono
O'Clock much Of the all night drug clerks time Is
taken up by tho demands for the beverages Of the
soda fountain All sorts and conditions Of chance
customers. from the very young TO the very old,
from the well dressed roundor who belongs further
uptown to tho slsttern Of tho Bowory. drop in to
slack thirsts which have boon acquired in various
waya the proportion Of mon and women bong
about equal Some have been 70 the music halls
and other places Of cheap entertainment In the
Bowery: others have been engaged In loss innocent
empoyments na the avidity Of thoir ,hirs, pro
ulaima Gradually tho ranks OF thoec patrons
decrease After ono o'clock customers drop In at
intervals and this s,agnaton continues Till about
two, when thero Ia usually a sudden revival Of
rushing buhnesa Its hcn that the opium flends
como hsre In armies Some Of them modesy do
mand twmiy Ave cents worth Of ono Gig nth grain
morphine pills othors want as many az 81 worth Of
oueSrain pala A fow even ask for the dope In the
state used By regular opium dcns and those We are
obliged 70 rotor 70 the Chinese quarter. Generally
thsy arc confused, for they come to M for their
nsts1., after having failed TO gain admittanoe 70
Tho dnua.
"But you dont soil The drug without prescrip-
tons. do your inquired tho visitor
no We don't horo~ replied tho spothocsry, al
though thore placos In tho Bowory whore
medical advice IL given FREQ which will supply tho
applicant willingly with both prescription and
drug. That Is large part Of their all-night
business But q matter OF fact most Of tho
regular opium flonds come armed with preschp-
uona While tho suspicion Is always present In
tho apothccary's mind that these prescriptions
wcrc not issued by persons with authority to pro
scribe deadly poisons, still cannot refuse TO il
them Thoro arc worry few fends indeed in this
city who do not know how to all out their own
prescriptions
Most Of our trouble and physical encounters
with bolligaront customers grow out Of our refusal
to coll them deadly drugs without prescriptions
A great many Of tho women Of tho Bowery arc
addicted 70 the Of opium in ono or moro Of its
forms and whom their requests for or 10 cents
worth Of dope La denied In the hours after they
have had long bout with the bottle they are worry
apt to pick up any portable article and heave II at
the head Of tho clerk. Tho big roughs do tho Same
thing undor similar provocation.
Between two and Ave o'clock We drive fne
trado with tho strangers from out Of town and tho
metropolitan young mon who have boon taking
In Bowory sights. Then the soda fountain Is in
reputation once moro and ON kept on the Jump
handing out vchy and ammonia, bismuth. BIZ
carbonate Of soda and other compounds supposed
to DO sovereign specifics for the relief Of that tired
feeling. During this time too. We have many
calls from the tenement districta Babies arc tho
ones for whom medicine is wanted principally. and
thoy arc usually brought around to US by their
young distracted mothera tbs nothing unusual
70 find our establishment packed at four Ave
0 dook in tho morning with a motley throng Of
young mothers, wailng infants soaked mon,
Bthving to brace up, and blear eyed opium fends,
al shouting their demands at mo In frended
,horuA'