The times., 1899-10-22


About by GoId-Fined Tooth.
About how much would you consider
that WORTH" asked a druggist, holding up
for inspection a diamond scarfpin.
The stone was a handsome one, perfect in
color and cutting. and weighing perhaps
trifle less than carat The person to
whom the question was addressed examined
it and then hazarded; oh about $50 or
$75."
You don't think I took any chances,
then, in advancing three and half on ii -
enquired the druggist smiling. Noting his
listeners look OF surprise, he explained:
1T was left with me by a morphine fend-
He wanted an ounce of the stuff and had no
money. As he was regular patron of the
place. l would have let him have a small
quantity on tick, but nothing but an ounce
would satisfy him, and we don't care to
take any chances with that class Of peO-
pie. He had to have the drug. though, and
i-when he found that Il was of no use to talk
credit, he pulled the pin out OF his tie and
| left it as security. l knew just what he
would do, for he's been in here before and
done the same thing. I've held it several
times before, and snail probably own il
some day. The last time ii was in here he
left it for six weeks, and l thought it was
mine But he turned up with a roll and re-
deemed it, so I'll have to wait. 1t belongs
to young fellow who makes his living by
his wits rather than by hard work. Strictly
speaking, | suppose you might call him 4
crook, but he wouldn't steal unless all other
means failed him. When he has money he
uses the drug sparingly but as times grow
hard he spends what money he can raise
for morphine and generally ends by coming
here and leaving the pin. Perhaps he'll
forget it some time That's the way l got
this ring, holding out solitaire The
man that owned it left it for some cocaine.
That was six or seven years ago, so guess
it's mine"
DO you have many things left like
that? ,"
In answer to this question the druggist
said: Just step back here with me and
III show you collection of pledges that
/ pawnbroker would consider himself
lucky to obtain on the same terms" Going
back to the safe, he opened it and pulled
out a small drawer. Several rings auO her
sCarfpin, a small chatelaine watch fra
ternity badge. and a silVer-mOunted re-
| volyer made up the collection As the
drawer was being showed back small
round box, about two inches in length and
an inch in diameter, rolled to the front of
it. This attracted the observers attention
and in answer to a request for permission
to examine it the druggist handed it to
him. II was made of horn and when the
cover was removed with some difficulty
| there were bits OF a heavy. black, gummy
substance clinging to the edges of tue box.
The peculiar odor given out from the box
was Enthusiastically that Of opium.
In response to an enquiring look the
druggist said: That's a hop toi, part Of
a opium smoking outfit. It's used TO carry
the hop or opiumin. had a pipe here
once and this belongs to the same person /
The owner has been away for couple of
months, and l expect him in any day TO
redeem the tot. He's in the same line as the
owner of the fin. In fact practically all
the dopes are crooks of one sort or other.
If they're not short-card gamblers shell
men or bunco artists, they're very likely
| to be pickpockets. The man who owns the
toi puts in the summer at fairs and pic
mics. He sells phOny perfume and other
fake toilet preparations, and manages to
make good, big money, but if trade is
slack he can do bit with the three shells
or the cards, and it wouldn't be wise to
display any great amount of money while
he is about.
How do / know all this? That's an easy
| one. Why. they tell Us all about IT, TIE
most coniding person in the world is the
| average dope, and especially so when t1ey
are about TO brace You for some Of the
| dope or if they think that you use it. If
| you want one of them to open his heart to
| YOU Just let him think that you ara q fel-
| low victim to the habit and he's yo IFS
| And don't you think that they can't spot
| fellow that's up against the game when a
man that's been handling the stuff his
| life would never think of it. And yet 70
| all their sharpness you can make thsm
/ think you're one of them 1t is d queer
| thing the way they wish TO make US their
| cOntidants. InasmuCh as most Of them are
| crooks, you would naturally expect the II
| to be -mouthed, but the reverse is tie
| case. If a small part of the things told us
! by them were overheard by the authorities,
many a mystery would be cleared up.
| suppose one reason for this confidence on
| their part is the fact that we know them
pretty we'll and then again, druggist is
made the repository of secrets the same as
/ a physician. Not only do these people talk
| of their work, but often they show US the
! plumber and more than once they have
! tried to sell me stuff that had been stolen.
| Not that they would say it was stolen. but
| from their eagerness to get rid OF it, and
| the rdiculously small sum they ask for
| H. one can draw q pretty CORRECT COuClu-
! sion as to how it was obtained.
| 1T is not always iewelTy that is offered
US as pledges by the fends. The persons
| that want to be trusted for five or ten
! cents worth Of morphine will offer a
| pOcketknife or some small article of wear
| ing apparel. More than once a man has
| come in and offered the coat On his back
| for a small quantity of morphine. Books
! and household articles are brought in but
| the quesrest thing that ever happened in
| that line occurred about a year ago. 1 was
| alone in the store at the time A fairly
| dressed young fellow came in. and from
/ the manner in which he acted 1 was sure
| that he was after some kind of dope. He
! walked about looking in the cases and at
the signs, finally bringing up in the back
! part of the store. Calling me to one side
| he asked if he could get a small bottle Of
| morphine l questioned him at some
! length. just to make sure that he was a
regular user Gf the drug, and he gave me
| his whole history He was a lawyer in
| enc of the smaller Western cities, and had
| contracted the habit from using the drug
| for toothache. He had taken treatment
| for it, and had been fairly successful but
| every once in a while the craving became
! TOO strong and he would have to break out.
When he felt the fit coming On he would
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