Evening star., 1901-05-24
Scenes In the Opium Joints.


Just the reverse of this one bright spot
In Chinatown were the scenes In the opium
Joints visited Nearly always in the
depths of the earth are these miserable
gloomy places The largest place we Wis
tied was in the cellar Of the original Pal
ace Hotel of San Francisco, now a tum-
bling structure given over to Cinnamon.
The opium smokers care nothing about
t.cing gazed at by visitors. They go on
H"nchalantly with the pipe. Here is one
just beginning to hit the pipe while
there is one just reeling off into that state
which follows the use of the drug. The
surroundings are dirty and depressing and
to increase the horror here stands two
white men with hats in their hands beg
sing for money. Il remember one of these
fellows" said the detective. when he was
Il bright. splendid boy. from a good family
and having everything he wanted in life
He began to experiment with the dope
and for five years he has been beggar
His big. black eyes and the outlines of his
face show you that he was once a hand
some fellow. He IS what call hypo
hrnd. that is, ne is q victim of hypodermic
injections of morphine or of anything else
that Will bring back life enough to feel like
n is still living They fit about here at
night like shadows and beg little money
from the visitors who are continually pass
ing through. No. l wouldn't give him any
money. but they are buth getting ready to
show You all how they inject the drug.
They are raising their shirt sleeves Now,
you See the great knCtted blue places on
, their tieSh where The sharp points of the
hypOJermic syrinS~ has gone in. See. they
place the syringeS 20 the arms. press the
points under the flesh and inject the drug
We all turn away from the scene and from
the degraded human beings who have fall
en- SO low. but came 70 see Chinatown,
and the detective tells us that have
only b-gUU TO take in some OF the sights
The doctor who is with us makes ma tiers
worse by saying that back in the east he
has among his patients many people in
high station who have fallen TO this same
stage, but manage 10 suppress the true
facts from all save husband or a wife.
Visit to Chinese Thenter.
We go 70 the Chinese theater, to a mag
nifcentIy furnished joss house, to restau-
rants. jewelry and other stores and to
gambling houses. We are not taken into
tn. gambling room while a game is be-
cause this would queer the game that night
and not Chinaman would return 10 the
game. We couldn't have gotten in il We
had wanted TO without breaking down
doors. as the gambling is conducted far
back in the houses. and TO get in you must
pass through number of doors and by a
number OF iron-barred windows. behind
which are secreted Chinese dOorkeepers
who scan you TO see II you are a detective
a police officer. These doorkeepers are
responsible TO the gambling house for the
admission Of people.
Here and there We saw faces fit away
We passed along. and knew that notlhca-
tiOu Of our preseGce had been given. Haif
OF Chinatown is made up of these gambling
dens. and the police officials know that a
game Is going on all he time. but they can
never secure evidence to convict before the
judges. who insist on positive testimony
Officers occasionally raid the houses. break
In the various doors, but when they get into
the gambling room they find Il number OF
caceful-l0uking Cinnamon sitting around
talking. laughing and reading. The beans
that are used in fau-tau are dumped down
a sewer or thrown out OF a window, and
the banker disappears with the money.
When the Cinnamon are taken before the
Judge their attorney makes much of this
outrage on the rights of peaceable Chinese.
who sitting in their club talking and
doing nothing wrong. Every other door in
Chinatown bears the marks OF hammers
and axes. where the police have broken In
at different times 10 arrest the gamblers.
The doors are OF great thickness and on the
inslde heavy iron bolts. By the time
! axes make their way through these de-
fenses the Cinnamon have disappeared
| through secret places and the police find
nothing. they run into a body of China
! men who protest against the invasion OF
: their rights and clubs.
How Fan-Tan Is Played.
Fan-tan. the chief gambling game. is
played with beans. The banker takes a