The Topeka state journal., 1899-10-07

pills are cooked, while the Chinaman or
perhaps a regular customer who has
become adept at the business, sits on
the front of the bunk, and tends to the
cooking of the pills.
Dirty and ill-smeIling as the place is,
yet there are on an average or SIX
smokers there day and night, and Joe
Lees customers are increasing so taSt
that even now his laundry has ceased
to be his main means of support. Those
who at first smoked opium Just Tor
fun or were induced to try it by some
of their friends, have tried II again ana
again, and they now find themselves
unable to stop, and the proprietor OF the
joint is reaping a harvest
The secrecy with which this OPIUM
Joint has been conducted and the al
most impossible chance for a stranger
to gain admittance, is probably respoh-
sible for the fact that the joint mas
existed so long, undiSturbed by the pO-
lice and unknown to the general pup
lie. Joe Lee, the proprietor OF the place,
is very cunning and he knows that the
success of his place is in keeping it a
secret from all but those whom ne can
trust and who are patrons OF ms JOINT
He is very suspicious OF a SCrauSet'
whenever one enters MS place OF DAsl-
ness and takes good care that he does
not go or look out into the back room.
To all outward appearances, the front
room is similar to that OF all CnlneSe
laundrieS. The long table and SnelVeS
on which are the bundles OF clotheS-
The omen book. on the table, in which
he keeps his record of the daily WASH
ing, and which is covered Win nun
dreds of funny scraWlS are all there.
But there is one thing about Joe Lees
place which is very prominent anu
which would lead a stranger TO thlnk
that something besides a laundry IS pc
ing carried on there, and that IS the
strong smell of opium, with which the
very atmosphere and everything ABOUT
the place is thoroughly saturated
To- Lee
all. greets you with a funny little smile
and possibly he says good evening TO
Won in his peculiar broken EngllSn. he
seems glad to see YOU yet ne Is sCs-
picious. He looks you all over care
fully for a minute, and being asSureu
that everything is all r1ght' ne Ieaus
the way back into the PACK room room.
First one door is passed through, theh
along short hallway, and through d
second door. Both of these doors are
heavily curtained. You are now IN the
back room. There in the corner IS tnS
bunk, and if you intend to smoke, ana
it is very seldom that anyone get INTO
the back room unless he smokes, the
curtains around the bunk are drawn
back fse of you so pay cents 30s and ass yoI tS
climb in The Chinaman lights the
lamp, gets out the pipe and soon both
are busy. The Chinaman cooking the
opium and placing it on the bowl or
the pipe, and you are in the corner OF
the bunk, drawing deep breaths OF the
opium and filing your system with a
poison that transports you TO the la1Lu
of peaceful though weird dreams.
Once an opium smoker, always an
| opium smoker, is rule that mas peen
| proven more than once, ana aready
| there are over twenty persons IN 10
peka who have become so addicted TO
| this terrible habit that they are almost
daily and nightly visitors to this place.
| These regular patrons are conIlIleu clI47C
mostly to the lower class of society,"
| and of this number fifteen are men and
| five are women. Added to this num-
| Der, are several young men of the city,
! who go, or rather pretend to go, in the
| best society of Topeka, who have visit
ed this opium den upon different oc-
/ casions and hit the pipe" just for fun,
/ to find out how it feels to smoke opium.
| Only the regular customers of the
place have free access. Strangers to the
proprietor are not allowed there unless
| accompanied by one of the regular GUS
/ toners, and he must be Vouched for be-
fore he is allowed to enter. To the
/ confirmed opium smoker, who does not
| live here, there is another way open for
| him to gain admittanee. The con-
1 firmed smoker must have his pipe,
1 every so often, and should he chance
/ to come here, he can get a letter from
/ Chinaman in his own town, which is
| presented to the proprietor of the opium
| Joint here, and If all right, he is ad-
| mitted, and once known can come and
| go as he pleaSes.
! The beginner thinks that no harm
/ can come from hitting the pipe" and
/ the pleasant sensation which comes to
] him, as he lies on the bunk in a doing
/ sort of a way, and feels at peace with
| the world, and the weird and fantasti-
/ cal thoughts go through his mind, is a
| source of pleasure, and does much to
! influence him to try it again. After
; he has smoked a few pills and gets up
and is helped out into the open air, a
different feeling comes over him, and he
I becomes dizzy and light headed, and
remains in this helpless condition until
the effect of the drug wears off. The
J next time the desire to smoke comes
upon him, it is stronger than ever,
and his thoughts are more weird, and
I more opium is necessary to produce the
| desired effect. With every smoke he
/ becomes a greater slave to the drug,
| and soon must have his regular pipe,
| the dreams turn to be more weird and
| more horrible and no doubt his mind
| will soon give away under the immense
| strain, and another perhaps good per-
son IS lost to the world
| Oftentfmes a customer may take an
| opium outfit to his room, which can be
| done by depositing S. with the proprie-
! tor for the safe return of the outfit.
! When this is done, no one knows what
may result IEnOcent girls and young
men may be initiated into the mysteries
/ of opium smoking and given their first
/ lesson in a habit which may drag them
down to the lowest depths of life. A
I Just for fun smoke may ruin them, and
/ be a step IN their life which they can
J never retrace.
PRAISES TENNESSEEANS,