New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-29
COCAINE ALARMS PARIS
Traqic Death of M. Bichet
Starts Police investigation.
EVIDENCES OF PROTECTION
Growth of Trade in the Drug
Leads to the Belief That
It Is Winked At.
fBv cable to The Tribus. J


paris. Dec. 2S.--The tragic death or
NJ. Bichet, professor in tise Royal
French College at Budapest, from an
injection of morphine has started the
police investigating the case OF young
woman who was found in a dying con
dition in a hotel in the Saint Georges
quarter and taken to the Laribohslere
Hospital where she died soon after ad-
mission. 1t was found on examination
that injections of cocaine had been
made in her thighs. and 1t was after
ward learned that the young woman.
who was identified as Mile. Yvonne
Book. twenty-seven years old and a
native Of Bres., had expressed the In
tention of committing suicide by means
Of an excessive dose of cocaine.
While morphine seems TO be the
favorite drug in army, navy and stu
dent quarters. cocaine has lately taken
its place in Montmartre. The first re
suit of the police investigation has
been the arrest of man named Jar
zuel, whose address was found among
the papers Of a young chasseur OF one
Of the large restaurants. and who Is
known as being able TO procure CO.
caine. This man was formerly hack
writer for the press, but he seems 10
have abandoned letters for the more
lucrative trade Of secretly selling
drugs. He lived alone, but was daily
visited by a great number OF young
men and girls and - proprietor OF
the house had already threatened to
give him notice, as he feared he was
engaged in some Illicit business.
Not Unknown to the Police.
Jarzuel had free entry TO most OF
the gay establishments of Montmartre.
and had a very large circle OF Gus
toners. His trade was so notorious
that it is impossible to imagine 1t was
unknown to the police, and the only
point TO be elucidated is how Jarzuel
contrived TO secure sufficient quantities
of cocaine to satisfy the demand.
A similar strange Indulgence appears
10 be extended by the authorities TO
I.cstranguez, the poet, who is said to
have supplied the morphine which
killed Bichet Inquiries at Rouen.
where he was garrisoned, elected the
information that while performing mill
tary service Lestranguez rented a sin
Gle room in town, furnished It with a
bed. table and a few chairs, and here
he used To receive his soldier friends
in multi. and all would remain shut up
FOR hours in silence.
Lestranguez then fell i'll, and at the
hospital the cause of his sickness was
quickly discovered. but the only step
taken was to forbid soldiers to have
rooms outside the barracks.
Vi,tim Temporarily Cured.
Lestrahguez and woman nearly
killed themselves on one occasion with
morphine. Thereupon his family made
him undergo a course Of special treat
ment which temporarily cured him, but
no gave way again when he left home
for military service.
Lestranguez has written 10 news
paper denying he furnished Bichet with
the drug or that he is a decadent poet,
as this category of rhymers, he says,
died out in 1888.
Il am. if may venture TO say so,
Neo- Parnassian and classic" he de-
clared.
Had the Chamber Of Deputies been
sitting questions certainly would have
been asked. as there is general indig-
nation at the supineness Of the author
tiles i'm this matter In the midst OF
the festivities Of the season, however,
A. N more than likely that the whole
problem will be forgotten until fresh
cases again arouse public interest.