The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-09-30
Dope t'iends Here.

druggists, who have frequent calls for
the dope, are necessarily concerned.
The evilhas been spreading, the claim
being made that the habit was passed
over to the local people from bis swe II
brother in Atlanta and other cities.
A well known druggist said yesterday
that he was surprised ct the number
of requests, and while he had refused
In every instance to supply the de-
mand, he suggested that it Nigh. be
possible for the fiends to, get it else
where. Cocaine is just one course"
above 10 cent corn liquor
Just 4 few moments ago." said the
druggist, "a negro who has been liv-
ing around Greenvillc for years, came
in here and wanted me to save his life
with a pinch of the dope. He was
blear-cyed and wild, and his nervous
ness indicated conclusively that his
system required the stimulaut. When
l questioned him closely he admitted
that he had first used the drug while
working temporarily near New Or
leans. He said that many of the plan
tation owners and steamboat people
gave the drug freely, as e stimulated
the negroes after long hours of work
and gave them ginger 70 keep going.
1t was like doping a race horse for q
killing in the betting ring. The
Greenville mau seemed to like the
effect. and he used it at every oppor-
tuniiy. After leaving New Orleans
he went to Atlanta, and while in that
city he got it with regular band Of
dope fends. Cocaine was the favorite
drug. The average negro, next to
heaven prefers Atlanta, and if he
can copy anything from that town he
is happy.
Thousands Of negroes in South
Carolina have been ruined by the free
use of this cheap corn liquor sold by
the dispensaries. It is wild. Sold at
10 cents a half pint, is within easy
reach Of all, and the ooncoction is so
vile that it has undoubtedly helped
to increase lawlesness and crime.
After his system has been ruined by
this stuff the negro finds cocaine, or
any other dope, blessing, and be-
tween the two the fend will take the
drug. He graduates from the liquor
class as soon as he strikes the higher
game.
MANY negroes get drunk on CO.
caine just as if it were corn liquor,
and it makes them more vicious and
more eager for trouble. They will
fight anything. The black man con-
stitution is such that drugs will not
put him to sleep quickly, but when it
hits the soft spot of the brain he is
looking ior a row. Cocaine has pc
culiar effect op him, altogether diff
ferent from that on white man, and
he acts just like wild race horse
into whose veins strong solution
of cocaine and other stuff has been in
Vjected. He rears and snorts and
kicks and shoots, and he will do any
thing. His nerves are at tension,
aud after the effect wears away he
is prepared to collapse. He must
have another supply or he will go to
pieces, and the fend will get it at any
cost.
"While I was closing the store on
Saturday night, young buck stag
gered in and called for cocaine. I
showed him the door, after telling
him that I did not run q bug-house
factory. At first I was afraid he
would be insolent, in which event he
would have been handled without
gloves, but he resorted 70 other meth
DDS. He began to beg. That fail
ed. Then he offered to bribe. He
had about So in small change, and he
sctually offered every cent Of it for
enough cocaine to settle his nerves
and make him happy. He had to go
without it.
Snow, I do not mean to draw fancy
pictures of conditions which do not
exist. Far from it. My idea is to
call attention to the evil, 80 that we
can do something to check its spread ,,
as every one must admit that the harm
will be far-rsaohing. If the laws are
such that negroes can buy from un-
scrupulous people-and 1 10 not mean
to say that there are any Of that class
here-we should have the Legislature
make change, for I have seen the
thing grow, and it should be stopped.
The number Of black dope fends
around Greenville would open the eyes
of the average man. "-Greenville