Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-14
BOY B or 19, SLAVE
or DRUGS, SEEKS
TOBEGTN NEW LIFE
Tells Amazing Story OF the
Ease With Which He
Was Able to Buy Nerve
Destroying Substances.

,uu.r,v.four hours out Of police cell,
,ov ~ 10. pale, thin and hardly able to
-. oro foot after the other, told today
,,ow he took TO using cocaine ana heroin
ana what the drugs have done to him In
49, Two wears. he has been their victim
v,n,am schaffer, ga Olive street, Is the
bov. He was arrested as disorderly
aharoc,er. Magistrate Tracy, at the
Ir,ovsntb and Winter streets station, gave
hlp, his freedom yesterday. Today he be-
gins his fight against the drugs
scbsffer lie a haxen-haired youth VINO
r,s fa,rIv sturdy in the days before he
hsean experimenting with heroin. lie
,.e,rhed about 140 pounds them Today
his weight Ia down to 120 and the clothes
ho WARS are sizes too large, though once
,hev fitted him. His head hangs weakly
- ho has trouble walking more than a
few steps.
scbaffer has been treated twice for the
drug habit. once 1t was In the House Of
correction where he sreved three months
nfter stealing from department store to
got money for the drugs. A month ago
he was discharged as cured from the
Philadelphia Hospital
"But you cant keep away from 1t
Ground here" Schaffer explained. as he
told his story. "t kept away from the
drugs two weeks and then two men held
come heroin before me. I've been pretty
bad since then"
His being pretty bad" resulted in an |
attack of heart failure, which caused his |
arrest When Patrolman McKenna. of /
the Eleventh and Winter streets station,
found that Schaffer was not drunk. the
boy was sent to the Hahnemann Hos
pital and then back to the police station.
81 had a close cali" said schaffer. "I
was filled with heroin and cocaine all day
and n convulsion got me. That's the way
they all die" he added, shaking his head.
Schaffer can clear up the mystery that
surrounds the making of 17-year-old CO.
caine iends.
Hard to get cocaine? Well, / should
say not" he exclaimed II never had
any trouble buying all 1 wanted when [
had the money. Did they mind selling to
a boy? They did not. | could show you
a good many drug stores where you can
buy 1t now. But most of it comes from
the cocaine peddlers.
II started taking drugs just about two
years ago. | used to stay around pool
room at Eighth and Vine streets. The
fellows in there asked me il 1 didn't want
10 try some heroin. So did. | took It
very day for month and then l thought
I'd stop. But | couldn't"
The only times since then that the
;chaffer boy has lived without drugs have
,een the periods just following his re-
ease from hospitals.
~ worked for some chemists at Eighth
md Callowhil streets when / first began
sing the stuff," Schaffer went on. But q
couldn't hold on long after the habit -,
,ot me. started taking one tablet of
ne-sixth of grain a day. Saturday l t
ook 35 tablets.
''Of course. didn't always have money
o buy heroin. used to steal things from
apartment stores when / needed money. c
'nce you get the habit you can't go more I
han three or four hours without heroin. p
II used to take little things from the f
ounters and / never got caught. But s
lst march picked up some jewelry and =
1ey caught me out on the sidewalk"
Schaner was sentenced to three months
the House of Correction for that. He
as released on June 5 and then got work
5 a Mrechanlc. 4
- Oas getting along all right" said
chaHer. 81 didn't go with the old crowd
nd ] thought had won.
But one night down at Eighth and
Inc streets I met fellow named Hart 7