Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-08-24
Has invaded, With Demoraliz-
ing Effect, the Navy Of
France.
MOST OFFICERS VICTIMS
After Once Becoming Addicted to Uss
Of the Drug, Victim is Net to &c
Trusted With Any Impoc-
tant Mission.

the, colonial Office and at the ministry
of marines are trying hard to sap
press"
THE eastern Madness" I asked
What is that"
Opium smoking" said nay friend
laconically. Ask some OF the Toulon
newspaper men to take you round
1t was one of the first things L asked
| about when / got down 10 Toulon, n
the following is a0 account OF WA j
saw:
We were. in a cafe near the harbor
A tall and very handsome woman sat
at the table opposite us and nodded
laZily TO my companion. This did mol
surprise me at all, because all Touion.
from the project maritime to the scav-
engers in the streets knew him n
called him by name. There was a lazy
weariness, or. If you like, a weary lazi-
ness, in the woman's eyes which was
Curiously noticeable.
Are YOU coming to smoke a pipe?"
she asked.
He looked at me inquiringly.
'Oh, bring your friend with you. He
doesn't belong TO the government, does
hep"
And so we all three got up n Went
out. | do not knOw exactly where we
went, for the bac streets of Toulon
are a very Alsatia for i~ntricacy. We
unlocked q door Will a. Key "IIlCU
madame carried in her pocket; we
climbed three flights of dark stairs n
knocked at another door.
1t was opened at last, after about a
Quarter of an hour. by a young woman
in a kimono and curl-papers. She
looked even sleeper than our COM
panion, and did not trouble 10 invite
us in. She merely left the door open,
lounged on in ront. and we followed
Appearance of Joint"
Imagine a room IN which all you cam
see at first is the dirty yellow OF some
mating on the floor, a few
cushions covered in bright colors, and
several pairs of feet. 1t is a little puz-
cling at first, but o realize after q
moment that the only lamp is on the
floor n that il has a heavy shade, 50
that the light Ices not light up the
room.
became used to the emi-darkness
soon. and saw that | was in Il small
square room, in which there were six
CT eight people, three women, lnclud-
tng our COMPANION, and several men. J
noticed tina the trousers which the
men wore were those Of navy officers
[ looked at my friend the Journalist in
luiringly.
ooh, yes he said. "an" they don't
care. Once an opium smoker always
an opium smoker"
" lldu opCNClA IA ~ W AtA'hCA 49, ~NS
Of the men. a good looking fellow, who
must have been Il smart officer not
long before, raised himself on one ell
bow and glowered at us. Curse you'll"
he said. BE quiet. Curse you!' AnG
he dropped back on the mat again.
THE second sleep after the first
pipe said my friend.
How do you know
Because they are always irritable
then" ne said. After the second pipe, il
takes a good deal to disturb them, and
after the third, unless they are very sea.
soned smokers, you could let off crackers
next to them before they awoke OF them
selves, and they would think that it was
wind tapping the sails"
Another of the men sat up, | must ex-
plain that there was no furniture whatever
in the room. There was eocoanut mating
on the floor, there We're a few pillows, and
that was all. But the Zig h lamp was in the
corner, and in the middle, among the feet;
was a thing which looked a little like a
Turkish hubble-bubble pipe, a lamp OF
glass, in which / think spirit was burned.
making a small fans.
Next to it, a little white pot with a dark
brown paste in 1t that looked like varnish,
and on a small rack, like a pen rack. sew
eral knitting needles. When q man sat UP,
the woman In the kimono and curl-papers,
crawled owe" to him, took one OF the
kIllLLlDS IttultS, pun ilSl bIiStiS biii
thumb into the paste, and cooked a bail OF
it on the point of a knitting needle over
the flame of the lamp.
Odors Are Sitting.
Ard / noticed then, as the smell became
more acute. that the whole room had a
treacly sickness about ii. That, Of course.
was the opium. Next to the man, where |
suppose he had dropped it, was a long
cherry-wood stem with a bulb of amber at
one end CT 1t, and a tiny cup at the other.
l think the cup had a pin in it, but ! am
not sure. The woman put the little ball
of opium, which had frizzled and siZz.ed
in the flame. into the cup. and held tie
ember bulb to the mans mouth.
He drew at the pipe, inhaling the smoke,
but he was too far gone 20 hold the pipe
for himself. The woman had TO do that
for him. He stopped inhaling after a mo-
ment or two, and she tore the Eeck OF his
shirt open.
Narrow squeak that" said my friend.
II know that chap. He smokes eighteen
or twenty pipes sometimes, and then any.
thing might happen to him.. He would
rather die Of suffocation than take the
trouble TO undo a button
but what Is the insidious charm OF
opium l asked.
That l can't tell you.'' said my friend,
because a first pipe or two won't teach
II " yOt, 5itls iiN w - y S'tNi, VI
will never smoke a third
The woman who had brought us IN, and
in whose room we were. had just PREPARED
a pipe for herself. Smoker" she said, ard
put her pipe TO my lips. l took two or
three whiffs, and then got cut CT tee room
and the house as quickly as possible.
1 learned from my friend, who came
after me. that an the men in the room
were navy officers. l learned, too, the
next day, when l felt better. thas opium.
which in spite OF the Efforts made BY
the government 10 check in the
drug. Is currently scld In all the porss, and
particularly in those OF the south. IL max
ing terrible a among the officers q.
lae rench navy.
! Your opium smoker Is 4 dangerous nsaa
on board a ship, for he IS Ike a sleep
walker. He acts unconsciously. but with
gpparent consciousness. and when urder
the Influence OF the drug. ar ytaing might
happen either 10 him or to the snip ur9e
his charge without his caring. The MN
lister of marine is doing his utmost to re-
!. press the curse, and al. thinking r.ance
! hopes that he u.ay sIrxrcu.