Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-07-09
aa,iseellaneuus &sading.
THE COCAINE HABIT.
Much More Serious Danger Than Is
Hydrophobia.

Much More Serious Danger Than Is
Hydrophobia.
Within recent years the cocaine
habit among negroes has grown 10 De
a great evil in Charlotte and many
other southern cities. The negro VINO
takes cocaine becomes temporarily
crazed and there is no crime whlch ne
will not commit or attempt when un-
der its influence. Policemen dread him
as they dread nothing else, for he has
both a maniac's strength and ma
MACS fury. In Charlotte are joints
where cocaine fiends hold periodical
orgies; these places, filled with crazy
demons, bear little resemblance to the
dreamy atmosphere Of Chinese opium
Joints. Opium or its derivatives-mor-
mime. heroin, etc-would from the
standpoint of society be far preferable.
To procure cocaine the habitue VIII
undertake any crime; and since ne Is
or soon becomes, worthless as a work.
er. crimes and shifty expedients con-
stitute almost his only resource. The
police know well that. the frequent
purse-snatchings on Charlotte streets
are attributable to cocaine nenos.
They know, too, that crimes OF Vio-
lence in the community arise mainly
from this same cause, Thus the CO.
caine negro commits crime to supply
himself with his drug and Is most
dangerous criminal when supplied.
Continued spread Of the habit threat
ems the negro population, and the white
south in it's relation to the negro pop
ulation, with menace unmistakaoiy
grave.
These remarks are written without
any reference to the recent cases in
the recorders court of Charlotte for
selling cocaine improperly on pre-
scription. One defendant was very
little blamable, according to the evil
dence and the courts decision, ana
the other still less. We are discussing
the large problem Of the cocaine negro.
This is primarily a problem OF how 10
cut off his supply, and 1t presents great
difficulties. The maddening drug has
so little bulk and weight that enough
to debauch whole city fo- weeks can
easily be carried in one pocket. Negro
vendors Of cocaine sell by the "snin,
and the trade yields huge profits.
These negroes seldom have very much
difficulty in getting stock, for, just
as there were always white men will
ing to sell Indians guns and rum
though the massacre Of white women
and children inevitably followed, so
there are white men now who will
sell negroes cocaine. And 1t should
not be supposed that drug stores are
the only source Of supply. There mas
grown UP a distinct cocaine trade. It
is strongly believed that the drug Is
shipped to negro vendors in Charlotte
by a regular purveyor from at least
one outside point
At Senator Kluttz's instance the last
legislature closed up a wide gap pre-
viously existing in the law of habit
forming drugs, and "habitual users
can no longer buy from druggists
without prescriptions. Since then pros
poets for curbing the drug habit In
general have been improved by pro-
posed limitation, manufacturing and
importing pharmacists asserting, up
on the amount Of such drugs to be i'm
ported each year through American
customs houses. In cities where the
evil has grown it behooves the police
to exert themselves actively. Every
one working against cocaine will have
the gratitude and support Of the bet
ter class colored people, who recog-
nize in this drug a deadly enemy OF
their race.-Charlotte Observer.