The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-12-16


Since PandoTa's box was first opened
and all the woes and misery TO which
this world is akin We're spread abroad
by that over-curious legendary house
wife, mortal man has sought some sort
of a neDenthe to lessen his sufferings
and TO hide his rlisfortunes in the cloak
of sweet oblivion.
He has found the sleep sisters, whose
siren voices have caused him to for
get momentarily his sorrows, but they
have led him on with sweet promises
till he has forgotten duty, manhood
and self-respect. and then firmly Sc
cured him a slave TO their every ca
price.
Opium, morphine. hasheesh. cocaine
and choral are in common use by the
habitual misguided dope fiend." BY
far the most accused habit contracted
through the use of these drugs, the
most enslaving in it's character and the
most degrading in its results, is the
baneful practice of hitting the pipe"
Sums of Salt Lake.
The slums of Salt Lake, like those
IF every other western city. are peopled
with the devOtees of this vicious habit
In the Orien/r novels of Plum alley, al
the rear of Commercial street laun-
dries. in vile smelling Easements two
stories below the earth, in the filthy
garrets of the lodging houses. may be
found the opium slaves-black, white
and yellOw-calmly hitting the pipe. y
There are no real opium dives in Salt
Lake where any habitue may go OPEN
" and secure a pipe and layout, but
there are plenty OF places to which the
covering slaves stink safe out of reach
of the law.
One Of these places was visited by a
Herald representative. 1t was Ostensi-
bly, q Chinese lodging house on Plum
alley, and had at one time been used as
fantan gambling house, patronized
mostly by Chtaamen and negroes.
In the froTC room of the place were
n number of Cinnamon sitting about
and chatting. Most of them were in
their native costume. Their sallow
dTied-up. faces, their heavy, deadened
eyes and their full, sensuous lips
showed them 10 be Enthusiastically slaves
10 the pipe.
Reeking With Filth.
Beyond this room and toward the
rear of the building was a little box
like stall with the partitions not quite
reaching to the ceiling. from which is
sued the repugnant smell of the poison.
The place was only about eight feet
square, and along one side was built a
hard wooden bunk covered with mat
ting about four feet from the floor Tie
place was reeking with filth and over
run with vermin.
On the bunk was the reclining form
OF a CLinaman seeking oblivion through
the medium of the opium pipe He was
ctr al rf ffrIT !, I,al
fed by the fumes from the pipe. tC
which his swollen. neTveless lips were
glued. His lecherOus. yellow visage was
half lit up by the little opium lamp OF
which the bowl of the pipe was rest
ing
The Monaghan started up at the in
trusion, but with a grunt of dispIeas-
ure at the interruption of his blissfu
dream fell back 10 the enjoyment O1
the pine. There was no light save that
of the opium lamp in which was burned
peanut oil, giving off an odor that via1
with that of the opium in unpleasant
ness. All was silent except for the bub-
bling and sizzling OF the pipe which
suggested something weird and UNI
canny.
Starts in Curiosity.
The devotees of the opium habit are
usually the over-uurioJs, who desire tc
hit the pipe just once, just to see what
it's like" the indOlent, who welcome
the pipe as n pleasant manner in which
10 pass the time. and the miserable
who think they perceive In the habit g
solace for their misfortune.
Not a confirmed habitue, however
can be sound who does not curse the
day that he first bean 10 hit the
pipe" The first pipe proves not at all
smokers imagination to run easily. The
texture of his life is in his opium
dreams woven into a thread of supreme
happiness. All his desires are graft
fed. his ambitions are fulfilled and OBJ
stacleS that without the aid of the drug
appear insurmOuntable when under its
inebTiating influence are unworthy Of
notice.
Just as surely as the novice contin-
ues TO practice the habit the fascina tim
of the vice grows upon MIN more and
more and he is led TO the lowest depths
of degradation for the qualification of
The abnormal appetite Moral ruin
comes to him and with il the oblitera-
ton Of every honest impulse and hon
orahle sentiment. Men soon become
so de9ased by the drug that they will
smoke i'm the lowest and filthiest iens.
Even those whose means are such that
they can afford 4 private layout with
a clean equipment seem only to be able
to satisfy their awful craving with a
filthy pipe in the lowest Chinese dive.
Continued to Spread.
The opium habit was transplanted 10
america by the Chinese. y California
sporting man named CIendenyn was
The first white man in America to use
the drug. He began smoking opium
in 1868. and taught several Of his as
eDeiates the vice. BY 1879 tie deadly