Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-05-29
WITH THE OPIUM FIENDS.
A Plain Tale of the Process and r,
fccts of "Hitting the Pipe"

fects of "Hitting the Pipe"
When Judge Brady decided that
there was no city ordinance that pro-
vides a penalty for smoking opium,
| the hearts of the local hop head" con-
lingcnt beat merrily for joy, says the
Kansas City Journal. No more would
the terrible Jail sentence stare them
in the face for indulging in their weak
neSS-for the real "hop- head" fears d
term in Jail where he is forced to abb
stain from using opium Cat least osten-
Sibly) more than he does the pangS of
| starvation or any of the other ills to
which the human frame is subject.
| Poverty is merely a disagreeable cir
| cumstance to the habitual opium user
| sickness, just another reason Tor
seeking the Inconsistencies of the
drug, and crime, something that may
provide material by which the drug
may be obtained. Everything is out of
focus with the opium smoker. Every
thing is or is not of Importance to him
in the exact ratio it bears upon the
use and supply of the drug.
The police estimate that there are at
least 1000 opium smokers in this city,
aside from the Chinese delegation,
which is practically solid as far as the
habit is concerned. The police, how
ever, will not admit that there is a
single Joint" in operation wnere it is
possible for the average citizen to en-
| ter and indulge if he feels that way in
clincd. They say that the law prohib
it's the running of the Joints" but that
| it has long been known to the depart
| ment that individuals may smoke I'M
L;
| long rs they do not sell the use of their
| ''layouts" to others. Nearly every Chi
naman in the city owns a layout and
a large portion of the criminal popu-
lation is equally we'll provided. The
| female users of the drug by smoking
are not very numerous and are almost
| exclusively from the lowest and most
degraded class. One of the greatest
preVentiveS of the operations of Grim
mails, according to the information
given out by the police, is this same
opium. The thief and also the violent
| criminal are to greater or less eX-
tent degcncratcs. There is a weak
spot in their makeup somewhere. They
may plan and execute the most COM
plicatcd crimes and yet the police can
go to work on the case with fullest
tail will be overlooked by the crimi-
nal which will lead to his detection or
else that he will sooner or later have
recourse to some drug or tell his record
to some woman. These are the three
things that tn" police rely upon in trac-
ing out a really great crime. The
man who is capable of robbing a bank
or looting a train and who is skillful
| 70 J, hn It-it h
out detection while he is doing the
actual work, rarely gets clear, even
when he is aided with gifts of a very
acute mentality, because in nearly 30
per cent of criminals of the first class
the use of some drug goes hand in hand
with the tendency to Criminality
| The perpetrators of crime seldom OBJ
tain anywhere near the real value of
the plumber resulting from their opera
tons. They are usually in a chronic
state of financial decrepitude. 1t is
while in this condition that the great
criminal commits some offense that
places him at the mercy of the police.
Then the habit of the criminal is used
by the department to develop the re
lccrd of the prisoner.
Thus the general use of dope is one
detection and suppression of crime.
There are three great classes of drug
users, or rather three divisions that
Iare marked one from the other in the
manner of the use. First comes the
opium smoking division; second, the
users of the hypodermic syringe, and
third. the largest class of all, that
takes drugs of all sorts internally or
by snufflng.
Opium is gummy material obtained
Iby extracting the substance of the
seed pod of the poppy. 1t is one of
the important products of Eastern
IChina and in fact of many of the
lSoCtheaSt Asian countries. 1t has
Iahout the consistency of cold moIasses
land is not unlike it in appearance. 1t
sells from S. to $12 can, containing
pound, and may be obtained from any
large drug house. and in some parts of
the country in general merchandise
lstores.
!; The layout consists of a hollow, reed
like pipe about an inch. in diameter,
: closed at one end and fitted with
wide mouth-piece at the other. On one
; side of the reed about six inches from
the closed end is fastened a convex
bowl something in appearance like an
inverted saucer and perhaps three
inches in diameter.
Directly in the center of this bowl is
very small hole communicating with
the air passage through the center of
! the reed.