The Daily Missoulian., 1909-07-18
NEWSY NOTES FROM CHICAGO

Chicago, July 16.-unofficial reports
that victims of cocaine now number
half million has set about a national
investigation by commission ap-
pointed and financed by George H.
Currier of this city. In Chicago it is
found drastic police regulations and
Jane Adams assistants at Hull house
have quite effectually checked the in
crease of this drug habit, which is to
Americans what the opium habit is to
Chinese, the national curse. In the
other cities of New York, Philadelphia,
Pittsburg and St. Louis, however, the
Currier commission has ascertained
that the dope epidemic yet has re-
ceived no setback. According to
Charles w. Collins and John Day, OF
the commission, "In many ways dope
is like an acutely contagious disease
From one sporadic case the infection
will spread through a neighborhood,
ward, an entire city. Before anything
can be done in suppression it is i'm
bedded in the social body like cam
cerous growth, with many obscure ten
tacles that BATTLE the social surgeon"
A coke fiend," a Young man, is now
awaiting trial in Chicago for pounding
an old man to death with baseball
bat during one of the periodical out
breaks of criminalism that cocaine pro-
duces, killing the man for merely a
few cents with which to buy cocaine.
1t is said that there are 5000 coke
fiends' in Chicago, and that some OF
these consume as much as 128 seals
equal to a pound--in a short time,
the manufacturers profit being shown
by the comparison of 35 cents cost to
$3.50 retail price. The Currier commits
sion has set out to see how this sale
can be stopped and get all the facts OF
the krewsome eighth deadly SIM
The millions made by Chicagoans
popped into the limelight again when
the assessors figures We're completed,
the Marshall Field estate heading the
list with $1o,0Oo,0 900. besides $4,000, 900
assessed to Marshall Field & Co. both
being one-fifth the actual value, or
$50, 100000 and $27,0o0,oo0 respectively.
Armour & CO. was assessed on an
even $lOOO,O00 of personal property,
and the Pullman company on S., 100000,
each being one-fifth the actual. Mrs.
Pullman and Mrs. p. d. Armour
found 100000 of personal property
when assessors called and Mrs. Mar
shall Field $75ooOO, The furniture and
fixtures of the Auditorium hotel went
in at ss59, 1856, and the equipment of the
vast Illinois Steel company at $1,34O,-
900, blast furnaces, train roads and all.
Montgomery Ward & Company's stock
was put at $2.O00,00o, and John r.
Walsh assessed at $4,000. The street
railway companies are assessed at
s22, 900, ,0OO Samuel w. Allerton proved
to have only 100000, which is about
the sum charged to Henry Crawford
and Eugene S. Pike, capitalists whose
names have not become famous. There
are many such men and women OF
wealth. as the assessor knows, VINO
are not popularly classed with the mil
lionaires of Chicago, but who have the
goods-dry, wet or household. Louis .
Weber & CO. are down at over $2,0OO,- 1
1G0 of personal property, and the AL
bert Keep estate at s2,250000. Among .
the big department stores there is a /
curious difference in the stocks for 4
taxation Carson, Pirie, Stott & Com
oany's figures being s2,25O,000 but
Mandle Brothers, across the street
only sS00,0e0, and the Boston s1ore