The Washington herald., 1915-03-12
DOPE USERS SUFFER
AS SUPPLIES SHRINK
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

Philadelphia. March I.-By the police.
who have arrested her in many a raid
on the haunts OF coke sniffers." she Is
called the toughest proposition in the
Tenderloin." By her associates she Is
known as Queen of the Cookers" But
Stella Martin was merely a likeable girl
of refined manners and bubbling spirits
when she sat In the police station today
and filled in the time before her return
to Moyamensing with a little chat about
her life.
A few minutes earlier she had faced
Magistrate Tracy. mute but unafraid.
For a week she had been in Moyamen-
sing prison. unable to obtain bail, await
ing hearing on the charge of having
cocaine in her possession when caught
i'm a raid on the Arsenal" OF this count
she was discharge. But last July she
was arrested for peddling cocaine and
as this case is pending and as her bonds
man recently withdrew her bail. she was
committed to Moyamensing again today
until new bail could be raised.
The Queen of Cookers is a girl OF
Pennsylvania Dutch extraction: tall slim.
and with yellow hair cut in a boyish
Castle clip; She usually wears n dark
blue sailor suit and dark blue coat. Her
eyes are a clear blue. with very long
dark lashes. Her complexion. when she
is on the coke is fresh. She would be
attractive. except that two years of the
Philadelphia Tenderloin, with drugs and
the life have given a hardness to her
face. She is - years old.
Stella has two languages. One OF them
is the mother tongue OF the Tenderloin
and unprintable The other is the edu-
Gated. careful speeCh of a girl who once
went to the boarding school. She did
not drift to the slums from a mill or
workshop. Her parents live in re-
spectacle part Of Philadelphia. The nus.
band whom she married when she was
only IS Is the son OF Philadelphia
Clergyman.
I'm cured OF the drug habit Stella
announced today. Il took the cure for
heroin in MoyamensinG year ago. and
haven't used heroin since. Cocaine never
became a habit with me. IT | stay down
round this district. I'll use cocaine
whenever I'm at coke party. where
the stuff is passed around. But | won t
buy it-that's too dangerous-and | won [
sell il, for that's more dangerous still"
Eight men last night requested Lieut..
Smiley TO send them to the Philadelphia
Hospital dope ward TO cure them or
the drug habit. The number sent to
the hospital since the new Federal law
, went into effect on March is eighteen.
The drug fiends say that it Is easier 10
get cured than 10 get the dope"
stabbed n dope" Fight.
one man was stabbed during a riot
| in The Arsenal" a restaurant at Tenth
and Winter streets. frequented by vic
tins of the drug habit, late this aft
ernOon.
The tight started over the possession
OF few heroin tablets. since the
"anti-dope' law went into effect herOin
has been more precious that gold TO
! drug users.
The injured man is David Bremen.
| 81 years old. of 63V North Third street.
He is at the Hahnemarn Hospital with
serious knife wounds in the face anu
chest Bremen ran into the Eleventh
and Winter streets station about
o'clock with blood streaming from his
face and chest. and, after telling OF
the riot. collapsed.
Special Policemen Mcfarland and
Riley with a squad of hluecoats hurried
to the Arsenal. They found tables and
chaiIs overturned and other signs OF
disorder. but the lighting dope ttends
had vanished Some one had warned
them the police were coming.
The police say hcroin has been scarce
since the Harrison ant-narcotic act
wont into effect last week. The Arse
nal is recognized in the Tend"rloin as
the headquarters for peddlcrs OF the
drug. and there the victims. sunk'n-
cved and hollow checked. have been
gathering.
Today some on" displayed few "'
tho lonzed-for tablets. A dozen men
and women tried to snatch them and a
general fight started. Some one Mashed
knife. and Brenner happened 10 De
the nearest to II.