New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-01
Tortured by Drug Habit,
WOrkhOuse Her Only Cure
Continued from page I

to take the drug and sleep again.
ate regularly, worked and exercised,
and took only enough morphine to keep
myself in condition-keep myself legl-
ing normal ! would try 10 90 without
the drug.
Family Cast Her on.
an few hours there would be in
tolerable pains IN my legs and arms
! would vomit, | would fall on the fiOor
| couldn't hear or see. What could
do? ! had my children to support.
went on taking the drug. My family,
my three sisters and two brothers, cast
me OF. was a dope tiend' to them.
don't blame them. Like most of the
world they didn't understand. Mind
you, all this time none but my family
knew OF this. Being a nurse, ! found
it easy 10 get the drug
There came time, last June It was,
when my supply ran short, and the
laws forbade me to buy It. In my ex-
tremity ! sent for one of my sisters,
the one who lives here in New York"
The sister. who sat beside Us in
Ward u, took up the tale here.
Il wouldn't go the first time" she
said But she sent for me again, and
! went. And the sight / saw-well,
can never forgive myself that | had
turned against her all these years. She
Lar on the floor where she had fallen,
and her eyes were like a wild animal
at bay. ! took her to my home, and
then began my search for doctor who
would understand her case.
They said to me. Tell her to de-
crease And she not having any! One
said. Tell her to 20 TO the country
and forget it. And all this time my
sister was in hell. Perhaps We could
have obtained it Illegally, but she
wouldn't have me do that. ! went TO
sanatorums, and they said, Wen cure
your sister for $50 a week But
didn't have the money, and besides, not
one Of them but held it mental trou-
ole, and ] knew they didn't know what
they were talking about. Bellevue
puts drug victims in the psychopathlc
ward Why. II is no more psychopathlc
than typhoid fever is.
"One night went home to find tho
fiat in confusion. The police had been
there and had searched the place
Police Searched Place.
They came TO the door three in
civilian clothes, and showed then
badges" Mrs Wells took up the tale
Are you the dope fend? they asked
me. We've come 10 look for the stuff.
They turned the rooms inside out. II
was clear that they didn't know what
morphine was. They fastened on some
baking soda This is the stuff they
said. Then they found some paregorlc
aud tin | pointed out the inscription
NO opium, they were sure they had me
Al last they turned on me. We'll
KID they told me and there was
old enough to be their mother, for
am over forty, and they were young
fellows KID, you've got it in cute
place, but you might as well give up.
I told them many times that there
wasn't grain in the fiat. They
scofed Wen get you yet, they SAID
ms they went away.
For days my sister and ] lived m
fear of dispossesslon, for they MAD
queried the landlord and had tclc-
phoned to Police Headquarters over the
house telephone. But the landlord
knew us, and we didn't suffer"
Soon after this Mrs. Weiss sister
wrote 90 Mayor Mitchell, saying that
Sic had something Of interest TO tel!
him concerning the drug crusade, II
he could grant her an interview. She
showed me the answer she received
from his secretary. 1t stated that the
Mayor was deeply engaged with I'm,
portant public business and referred
her to the Police Department
Il had had enough Of tho police,
the sister told me. 81 needn't say
didn't 90 TO them.
"My sister grew worse, 4 that were
possible. She had the lights faring
all night. She would go almost mad
in the dark. Her respiration was up
TO sixty, her pulse TO l4O. She had
fits Of sufFocation. Try TO realize what
that suffering means. and that few
grains of the drug will bring sense
of rest that is like heaven. and you
won't have the heart 10 judge the
done fend.' I did once, but ! never
will again.
at was six weeks ago that | spoke
of my trouble TO a customer who was
a nurse. She told me TO go to Or.
Bishop. When he said to me, It's
physical, not mental | trusted him.
I asked what We could do. Unless
you can afford trained nurses he said,
the only resort is the workhouse. ]
know Of no place In the city where the
craving is treated as a sickness.
prison Like Heaven"
"The matter was arranged through
Chief Magistrate McAdoo, my sister
being only too thankful TO 80. She
didn't have 70 appear in court, as most
Of such cases do. 1t was a voluntary