Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-08-26
SLAVES OF THE PIPE
A GLIMPSE OF ONE OF The SECRET
OPIUM DENs OF TouLoN.


feets of the First, Second and THIRD
Pipes of the Drug.
You are going to Toulor ?" raid an
attachc of one Of the ministries to me
some months ago. "Then you will see
The curse Of the French navy, the east.
trn madness. which our colleagues NJ
the colonial office and ut the ministry
OF marine are trying hard to suppress. !"
THE eastern madness? asked
What is that?"
Opium smoking" said my friend Ia.
eonlcally. ASK some of the Toulon
newspaper men to take you round"
1t was one OF the first things asked
about when got down to Toulon, and
the following is an account OF what ]
saw:
We wero In cafe near the harbor.
a tall and very handsome woman sat
At the table opposite to us ana nodded
iazily TO my compnnion. This did not
surprise me ut all, because all Toulon,
from the prcfet maritime to the scay.
anGcrs In the streets, knew him and
called him by his name. There was a
lazy wearincss or, If you like, weary
laHlness in the woman's eyes which
was curiousIy noticeable.
Are you going to smoke a pIpe2''
she said.
lie looked ut me iuquirlngly.
oh, bring your friend with you. He
doesn't belong 10 the government, does
he?"
And SO we oil three got up and went
out. do not know exactly where we
went, for the back streets of TouloiI
are n very Alsatia for intricacy. We
unlocked door with key which ma.
dame carried in her pocket We climb.
ed three flights OF dark stairs and
knocked at another door.
1t was opened at last, after about q
quarter of an hour, by young woman
In kimono and curl papers. She look.
ed even sleeper than our companion
and did not trouble to- invite us in.
She merely left the door open, lounged
on In front, and we followed.
Imagine room In which all you can
see at first Is the dirty yellow of some
coconnnt mating on the floor, few
cushions covered in bright colors and
several pairs Of feet. 1t is little puz.
cling at first, but you realize after 81
moment that the only lamp is on tho
floor and that it has heavy shade, SO
that the light does not light I'D the
room.
j became used to the scmidarlincss
soon and saw that was In small
square room, in which there were six
or eight people, three women, includ-
Ing our companion, and several men.
l noticed that the trousers which the
men wore We're those of navy officers.
l looked ut my friend, the Journalist,
lnquiringly.
"Oh, yes" he said, "and they don't
care. Once M opium smoker always
M opium smoker"
we had spoken in whisper, but one
of the men. good looking fellow, who
must have been n smart officer not
long before, raised himself on one ell
bow and slowcrcd ut us. Curse your
he said. BE quiet. Curse you'll" And
he dropped back OH to the mat again.
1.-THE second sleep after tho first
Pipe, SAID my friend.
How do you know?"
Because they are always Irritable
thcn," lie said. after the second pipe
1t takes n good deal to disturb them,
and after the third. unless they arc
very seasoned smokers, you could let
off crackers next to them before they
nwoke of themselves, and they would
think that It was wind Tapping the
sails"
Another Of the men sat up I must
explain that there was no furniture
whatever In the room. There was co.
coanut mating on the floor, there were
a few pillows, and that was all. But
tue lighted lamp was in the corner, and
In the middle. among the feet, was a
thing which looked little like Turk.
ish hubble-bubble pipe, a lamp of glass,
In which think spirit was burned,
making small flame.
Next to It, little white pot with q
dark brown paste in 1t that looked like
yarnish, and on small rack, like pen
| rack, several knitting needles. When
| the man sat up the woman In the l;imo.
no and curl papers crawled oyer to
him, took one Of the knitting needles
put her finger and thumb into tbs
paste and cooked "A bail of it OH the
point of n knitting needle over The
| iiame of the lamp.
And noticed then, as the smell be
came morcdcutc, that tile whole room
had Il treacly sicklness about II. That
Of course. was the opium. Next to the
man, where l suppose he had dropped
it., was a long cherry wool stem with q
bulb of amber at one end ana n tiny
cup ut the other. Ithink The cup had a
pin in 1t. hut am not sure. The wo
man put the little ball of opium. which
had frizzlcd and sizzled In the flame
into the cup and held the amber built