The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-08-24
SECURES COCAINE
FROM DRUGGIST
Charles Hall of Gary Starts
a Big Scandal in That
Place Yesterday.
MANY VIST|MS CF DRUG HABIT
Police Will Get After the Physician
and Druggist Who Are Traf-
ticking In Dope.

Through the arrest of Charles Hall, q
"hanger-on" around Gary, on a charge
of drunk, IL discovered that he
was not under the influence of Iiquor
cocaine from local druggist on "A pre-.
scription furnished by a Gary doctor.
and was under the influence of the
drug.
This discovery has started a big
scandal in Gary and the confession of
Hall will give the police the clew to
the identity of the men who are re-
sponsible for the sale of coke" in
Gary and the spread of this habit in
the new steel city
VIII BE Sensational.
The Gary scandal promises to be
even more sensational than the one
which recently was unearthed by THE
TIMES in Hammond. 1t is known that
there are great many victims of the
drug habit in Gary, especially among
the negroes Of that city.
1t has been a mystery to the police
where these blacks secured their dope.
and the revelations of yesterday have
given them their first clew.
quantity of the drug was found on
Halls person and he showed the police
the prescription with which he had Sc
cured the dope. 1t was signed by a
well known Gary doctor, and Hall adj
mitted that he had been supplied with
these prescriptions by this doctor for
the past two years.
The druggist will probably also be
held accountable, for the reason that
he must have known that Hall was
dope fiend. and sold the drug to him
for the miserable profit he could make
out of an unfortunate.
Swears Out Affidavit.
Hall has made an affidavit charg-
ing both the Gary physician and the
| Gary druggist with selling the dope
| and the police will now be compelled
to follow the case to the end Hall
was released but he has promised to
appear when he is wanted as a prose-
| cutting witness.
Judge Fitzgerald says that he has de-
termined to have the case investi-
| gated from start to finish and an eff
fort will be made to make an example
of those who have been responsible
for the sale OF the dope
The names of the doctor and drug
| gist are withheld for the time being,
| but if the prosecution is carried on
with the vigor that is promised, the
names Of the violators of the law will
be published as soon as the case comes
to trial.
| The story is told by a prominent
| Gary business man that there are ac-
| tually scores of negroes who are the
victimsA of the drug, in Gary. It is
said that the dope is sold in little
Walls by saloonkeeper. who secures
| it in large quantities from some drug
gist. and every Monday morning the
ground in the vicinity of this saloon
is literally covered with these little
Walls.
Police Have Been Lax.
For some reason or another the po-
lice have not made an investigation of
this matter. although it is generally
known in Gary that the sale of coke"
is responsible for great deal of the
criminality which has disgraced Gary
from time to time.
The disinterested business man. the
man who is not mixed up in municipal
politics, is demanding an investigation
of conditions in Gary. and in the face
of the recent revelations are demand
ing that the traffic in coke" be stop
ped.