The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1912-07-11

fayette formerly of Whiting, and his
fight to save drug victims were the
subject of an interesting article by w.
Fl. Blodgett. staff correspondent of the
indianapolis News this week. The
article in part was as follows:
"One of the men in Indiana who is
making a determined fight against
cocaine and the evils it brings, is the
Rev. Father Michael l. Byrne. priest
in charge of st. AIMS church here.
Father Byrne is a practical preacher.
He looks out for the bodily good of
his people as well as their spiritual
welfare and 1T does not make any diff
|erence with him whether they are
members of his church or not. When
he meets a down and outer he does
not feed him on tracts or invite him
around to prayer meeting, but he puts
his arm under him and holds him up
and maybe gives him a drink if he
thinks the man really needs it. In the
end the poor chap gets back to his
old form and the good priest is salts
fed. That is just the way he is carry
ing on the fight against the cocaine
habit wherever he meets it.
Relates Hammond Experience.
Before taking charge of ST. AIMS,
at Lafayette. Father Byrne was priest
in charge at Whiting, and in his con-
gregation eleven different nationali-
ties were represented. In order to get
in closer touch with his mixed mem
bers. the priest obtained a vacation
and went to Europe where he visited
| every one of the eleven countries rep
resented in his congregaetion-studi
the people and their habits.
do you find much cocaine used
among the Foreigners he was asked
Yes and 1 found that the SIavs
are great users of cocaine; they use it
for a stinulant, q narcotic and also for
an intoxicant. In fact, they are the
| only people I ever knew that engaged
| in cocaine drunks. The stuff is alb
horred by the Poles. never knew a
! Pole to it in any form. The old
original Irishman will not use 1t either
IL mean the real old bog of Ireland
lmick-he will not touch it, nor will his
daughter nor his son nor his wife. But
the third generation of Irish. I am
sorry to say. are taking up the use of
cocaine
| THE Americanized IRISH sus-
gested-
That's what you might call Them
responded the priest. and there is GER
tainly work for the church to do in
the ranks of the third generation of
Irish.
| The cunning of these coke fends is
something extraordinary continued
Father Byrne. One of them-a wom-
an from Hobart-was put in the jail
| at Hammond and the officers found
that she was getting the stuff and
using it and they could not tell how
she got 1T. After a long time they
found out. When her friends would
come to see her she would have them
take ring to jewelers. under the
pretense of having 1t fixed. The ring
would come back to the Jail in a small
box. Inside the box and under the
ring would be cocaine. and this cocaine
she would hide under the nails of her
fingers and toes and 1T was a longtime
before the officers could keep the stuff
away from her
Rich Persons Curse.
i Father Byrne is also president of
the Lafayette board of charities and
the jails and poorhouse come under his
jurisdiction.
There is not so much cocaine used
among the poor you would imagine.
he replied in answer to the question.
In the first place, it is very expen-
sive habit. and very poor persons can
not indulge in 1T. / find very little
of the habit among the real poor with
whom I am thrown In contact a great
deal. They have not the money to buy
the stuff. In our poorhouse 1 think
there are only ones / ever saw in the
Jail were transients the police had
picked up. No. 1t is the people with
money that indulge themselves the
most in this habit
Father Byrne believes with many
others that there should be a strict
law against the sale of the drug under
any conditions. and that the law
should be rigidly enforced.
I'm his coy little study the Rev
Father told of the battle he is making
against the most deadly of al habits
and he believes that because of his
efforts Lafayette is cleaner of it than
most cities of its size.
" Did you ever have the drug come
close to you? I asked.
hof