Imperial Valley press., 1914-04-01
By GOTHAM KNICKERBOCKER

New York, April 1.-One commodi-
ty which is considered a prime neces-
s;ty of life by man persons hereabouts
has risen rapidly in price since last
November without an outcry on the
part of the public. | refer to cocaine
Four months ago it cost about 81 an
ounce wholesale and 25 to so cents
deck retail; now the price is $l2
to $50 an ounce to dealers and the
deck" contains one or stingy two
shifts instead of the old four inhala-
tions of delight.
All this is due to conspiracy IN
restraint of trade on the part OF AS
sistant District Attorney Wilmot, an
Oxford university graduate, a daugh-
ter of Minnesota Judge and Ger
man university man. The last three
named are all .'fiends" who have re-
formed and are now seeking to as
sist others out of the clutches o.
drugs.
One hundred and forty-five arrests
OF drug sellers have been made since
November. The traffic has decreased
50 per cent At present every time
a victim takes sniff it costs him
twice as much as drink of whiskey.
Cocaine is one of the things for which
we have to thank our sister state New
Jersey. Across the Hudson they have
a law against selling the drug, but
none against possession. Wholesalers
send their agents across the river to
the big city. The drug is sold only to
persons who are known to be "fends
as least likely to squall. Even to
''fiends" the drug is not supplied If
the would-be purchaser has ever been
arrested on a drug charge. This IS
because the drug seller usually squeals
when in the tolls of the law-so in
variably, indeed, that all who have
been arrested are suspected by the
wholesalers and are cut off from the
traffic. So
Since district attorneys men have
made innumerable raids and have dis
covered the costly drug in such places
as secret drawers, stoves, floor boards
and flutes, the drug sellers ingenuity
is sorely taxed.
They have taken page from the
book of the East Side gang leader who
goes out accompanied by a boy or a
young woman to carry the "gun,"
thus avoiding the dangerous weapon
! law. stjsb.
The drug seller uses new type OF
"white slave" He takes woman"
with him on his rounds who conceals
the stock of "colle" in her garments. A
policeman is forbidden by the rules OF
the department to search woman, so
the only way to meet the situation is
through detectives. The daughter OF
the Minnesota Judge has proved to be
very valuable She contracted the
habit while suffering from headaches
and sank lower and lower until she
was arrested for petty larceny. After
that she resolved to reform and be-
came the ally of the drug crusaders.
1t was through her that the notorious
gang leader "Humpty Jackson" was
arrested as "hop" seller.
Tho y,tuarcifty
quired the morphine habit while eX-
perimenting as a medical student. The
Oxford man was injured in the Boer
war and was treated with morphine
when suffering intensely: He thus be-
came victim.
You must not only be woman to
live in the new hotel at Lexington av-
enuc and Thirtieth street, but you
must also be a business woman. SO
quite a select company is to be ex-
pected.
/ do not give the name of this hotel
because it hasn't any. That is the lat
COZ nIJiSf YOU hflOW. IL oiiJ hioWl
by a street number.
No male person may venture above
the first floor of the building. But
there are exceedingly many cosy hooks
around that first floor. The decora.
tions are especially designed for WON
en-, so I'm told, whatever that means,
Captain George F. Titus of the New
York police is now George f. Titus,
attorney and counsellor at law" Aft
er 27 years work in the blue uniform
he has been forced to retire on account
of an injury to his knee received in
the course of his duty. He is an ex-
ception to the rule that New York po-
lice officials retire rich. He hasn't
made those fortunate real estate