Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-01-18
BOY COCAINE SNIFFERS.
Mother Has Son Arrested Saying He
Is a "Fiend."


Is a "Fiend."
Cropping their way out Of cave In
a cellar cut on Thirty eight street be-
tween Eighth and Ninth avenues re-
Gently, says a New York correspond
ent, five boys escaped capture by plain
clothes policemen sent to the place by
Captain Russell of the West Thirty
seventh street station. The captain
had been informed that a gang Of boys
who had become addicted to the CO.
caine habit frequented the cave. He
said that he would investigate for the
purpose Of getting evidence against
certain druggists who, 1t was alleged,
had been selling cocaine to boys Of
tender age.
The first complaint came when Mrs.
Annie Fromme Of 435 West Thirty
ninth street caused the arrest of her
sixteen-year-o son George, who is
now in the Tombs, awaiting exami-
nation on a charge made by his moth
err Mrs. Fromme obtained a warrant
for her sons arrest because, so she
said, the boy had become a cocaine
fiend. She said that he associated
with other boys who bought cocaine
in catarrh powders from west side
druggists. the boys chipping in" to
purchase the drug. Many nights, she
said. her son came home in a dazed
condition. and at first she believed he
was becoming a drunkard. To straight
en- him out, she said, she was compell-
ed to roll him around the floor Of her
home.
Upon further investigation, she said
she learned that many boys living on
the west side OF town had become ad-
dicted to the cocaine habit. While Ii
was a criminal offense for druggist
to sell cocaine to any one who did not
have a physicians prescription, the
boys managed to get 1t at first by buy
ing catarrhal and toothache prepara-
tions which contained the drug. I'm
der the pure food law the makers OF
these catarrh cures were compelled ia
print on the label the fact that the
powders contained cocaine.
Mrs. F'romme said she found her boy
engaged in shifting the cocaine and
then learned that he had acquired the
habit after seeing other boys shifting
the drug. She said that the boys had
soon learned that the catarrh powders
were not strong enough to give them
the relief they sought. 50 one of them
had discovered a druggist who sold the
cocaine in bulk. so that they bought
ii by the ounce. AS her husband hao
acquired the liquor habit and had ther
deserted her, she made up her mind tc
check her sons cocaine habit.
She bought a new suit OF clothes fol
him, she said, but the boy went ou
and pledged 1t in pawnshop for mon
ey to buy cocaine. 1t was after learn
ing this that she had caused the boy:
that a younger son had also been in
troduced to the drug.
None Of the druggist on the ives
side would admit that they had sole
the drug in It's pure state, but some
Of them did say that 1t was customa.
ry to sell catarrh powders containing
cocaine. The cocaine habit had spread
so rapidly, some of them said, tina
thousands OF New Yorkers-boys
girls, men and women-were now II
the cocaine fiend class.
DR.. Gregory. the chief Of the psyche
pathic ward OF Bellevue hospital, saiC
that unless something was done to pu
a stop to the manner in which som'
druggists sold cocaine, the hospitals
would soon be filled with cocaine users
Many hospitals now had a COCAINE
ward set aside especially for the treat
ment Of cocaine fiends.
Another physician of prominence
said that II was worse in q way thai
the morphine habit, as 1t killed b!
inches the person who became addict
ed to the drug. A person taking al
overdose of morphine. he said, woul'
die Immediately, while cocaine killet
slowly, but surely, those who snuffe'
1t after acquiring the cocaine habit.
Capt Russell said that he intende'
to arrest any druggist whom he caugh
selling cocaine without a physician
prescription.