Evening star., 1911-08-27

'.springing" fund, and it is noticeable
that very few of the main cocaine ped
dlers are convicted in New York. no
against them by the detectives engaged
In pounding away at the traffic.
Some years ago In Chicago l was as
signed to get at the cocaine facts in that
town. / found. among other curdling
facts about the traffic. that about 95 per
cent of the Chicago peddlers of coke"
were themselves victims of the cocaine
habit. The only big exception was a
negro, who, from little frame shanty
over on the west side Of Chicago. dished
out more of the drug to a large clientele
than any other peddler of the stuff in
Chicago. This negro was not only not a
cocaine fiend. but he had never used to-
bacco or liquor in his life. None of his
cocaine patrons ever saw his face. They
would rap on the door of the sinister
shanty and hold out their money.
A black hand would reach out through
the opening of the door, take the money
and presently slip little packet Of the
drug into the hand Of the patron The
stream of patrons was virtually unendng,
day and night. Wealthy women would
drive up to the shanty in their carriages
and automobiles, and. on the steps Of the
shanty, brush elbows with shuddering
tramps and down -and-out women, the
riff-raff and scum of Chicago. The negro
sold literally pounds of the drug every
rich out of the traffic. The police SEEM
ed powerless to convict him. He was
arrested time and again, but the case
against him always was thrown out OF
court for some odd reason or other. He
retired from the traffic, l hear, only
about six months ago. and now is living
at ease on beautiful estate in California
A noted New York neurologist. who has
on Long Island, told me the other day
that there Is not a single case of medical
record In which a victim of cocaine has
been permanently cured. He himself
had treated no less than 200 cocaine
fends of both sexes: in some cases the
treatment extended over a year or more.
All of the patients went back to the
coke soon as they had chance.
This physician says outright that the
cocaine habit is absolutely incurable: that
the drug, from the very beginning of it's
use, attacks the brain and SO enfeebles
the will that the victim is wholly lost.
forget just what percentage OF cases or
morphine addiction Were according to MS
figures, durable. but II was consider
able percentage. But the cocaine addic-
ton means utter destruction.
The neurologist told me OF one case.
that of middle-aged lawyer of wealth
and with a splendid practice, who had got
into the habit through some sort OF
nose-spraying dope that he had used for
catarrh. The lawyer went all to pieces
from the habit within less than three
months, and his family had him COM
mitted to the sanitarium He remained
under the treatment of the neurologist
for fourteen months; took daily exercise.
became stronger and more rugged than
he had ever been In his life, slept per-
fectly, ate ditto, and had his chance for
a happy and prosperous life thus handed
back to him. as 1t were. upon a tray. At
the end of the fourteen months he was
discharged as q cure" Even the doc
tor thought he would break the record
rxo PnfnP0 niuhffon
lawyer was roaming the streets of New
York, crazy from cocaine. and inside of
a month he was dead from it. And still
the cocaine laws over here have been a
dead letter ever since they were spread
upon the books.
CLARENCE L. CULLEN.