The Worthington advance., 1900-06-22
VERY DRUNK ON COFFEE.
A Brazilian's Peculiar Way of Pre-.
pairing and Using the Beverage
That Upset Him.

The man was arrested as drunk"
yet the captain hesitated.
'Smen his breath" he said to the
officer who brought him in.
The officer did so, relates the Boston
Record, and admitted that he. could
detect no trace of liquor. AS the Off
Ger is an abstainer, his testimony was
competent.
"He acts drunk, and he is drunk or
sick, I don't know which," said the
captain, as the man lurched forward
against the rail.
''His eyes look as if he was full of
DOPE" said the officer. 81 found him
on Washington street,
''Give him cold water shampoo,
and I'll see. if the doctor can come
over"
The doctor was out, and the captain
went downstairs himself to see how
the non-alcoholic drunk was getting
along. The officers had stripped him
to the waist and were giving him cold
water in such quantities that he was
sputtering and blowing and bowling
for all he was worth. Aromatic spir-
it's of ammonia was poured into him,
and the process was continued until
he began to yell for mercy. A foreign
er, speaking English imperfectly, his
condition heightened the difficulty in
understanding him. But If he told the
truth he is the most peculiar drunk
ard that ever came to the attention of
Boston police.
He says he never drinks anything
but coffee and acquired the inebriety
he was blessed with when taken to the
station house solely by ibations of
the cup that is considered so harm
less. His name is John Canavenez,
and his birthplace Brazil. The Bra
zilians, he says, drink coffee from in
fancy, the strongest and blacklist.
The habit has grown upon him to
such an extent that he sometimes
drinks 40 small cups day and of a
strength each cup equal to about a
quart of the beverage we know. He
prepares the coffee himself. MASKING
some of the green berry, he sleeps it
oAAU SU0OPS S0P"AASCAy q 4uohoAUJ4 ~
the burnt berry. Combining the two
until he has boiled all the essential
part out, he has almost a syrup. Put
ting in fresh coffee and cooking this
with it he has a bitter drink that
would make an American gasp, and a
cupful would nauseate a novice. He
consumes about a pound of coffee a
day, and if deprived of the beverage
his nerves are gone completely. He
was two weeks in a hospital in New
York last winter and nearly died for
lack of his narcotic drink.
1t is not, like alcohol, stimulant,
but more like opium in its effect, al
though it produces result unlike
ether or rather like a combination of
both. He attributed his condition the
other day to the fact that his stomach
had been upset, and he had eaten
nothing practically for two days, and
his tipple took hold of him more than
ordinarily it would. He says that only
once or twice has he got in this con-
dition, and that generally he only
feels calm and happy. He originated
his way of preparing the beverage and
never knew of anyone else who used
the same method. The captain con-
cluded to let the Brazilian 60.
"He could hardly be called drunk"
he remarked, "but he is new one on
me, and I hope he won't teach any
Boston people to use his Brazilian cof-
fee dope. We've got vices enough
without new ones being imported"