New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-04
Give $4,000 for Hospital
To Be Devoted Entirely
TO Their Cure.
CONVICT LABOR TO
BUILD STRUCTURE
Givcrs Also Have Contributed 10
Salaries of Doctors and
Nurses for Year.

Through the generosity Of a group
Of New York women whose names are
withheld the city soon will be enabled
% give daily treatment TO 100 add
tionaI drug victims. Burdette u.
Icwiq. acting Commissioner Of Correc-
ton. in me absence Of Miss Katharine
=. Davis. announced ycstcrday that the
women had given to the department
$4,000 'or acw hospital 20 ne devote"
cafiroIy 20 drug patient.
The .rcc-.ity Tor IN institution o.
TINS character became obvious lmmcdl
o,cI,. after The Harrison bill aimed at
IlIcg.l dealers 10 narcotics became el-
fccii.c on April l. From the very be.
ginning. station houses were bcsciged
OK tho users Of dope who when the
supply was suddenly cut of were
made dc perate.
The activity Of the police and the
long sentences being imposed caused
the drug dealers to quit business.
Either that or they jumped the price
of the drugs above the reach OF the
average user. Singly and in groups
boys and men pleaded with the police
for relief. and soon the Bellevue Hos
pital drug wards and those OF the
METROPOLITAN and City Hospitals on
Blackwell's Island we're OyertaXed'
The plans for expending the fund
are such that 1t will 20 much further
than might be supposed. The building
will be or Riker's Island, and by en-
ploying convict labor a structure can
he acquired that would cost about ST.
600 if built under ordinary conditions.
The plans have not been completed
but Mr.. Lewis said there would be two
pavilions. The money is available now
he said. and he feels reasonably GER
tain that the hospital will be ready Tor
occupancy within three months.
When il is completed the STAN OF
physicians treating drug cases ar
Blackwcll's Island will be transferred
TO the new institution, thus ctectlng
saving in running expenses. Mr..
Lewis does not think there will be A
necessity of additional appropriations
BY the city TO maintain the place.
No information could be obtained as
10 tho identity Of the women who fur
nished the money, but it Is said they
have contributed to the salaries OF doc
tors and nurses who have been looking
after drug cases for the city during the
last year.
The establishment OF the hospital is
directly in line with the work carried
on by Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt.
Through her attorney, Ernest X. Coul-
ter Mrs. Vanderbilt combated what
was considered a pernicious amendment
to the Boylan law. which has done
much to suppress traffic in drugs.
Besides Mr. Coulter, those who made
& trip TO Albany to oppose the bill were
Justice Cornelius F. Collins, Assistant
District Attorney Wilmot, First Deputy
Police Commissioner Cooley. Guy H..
Scull and Arthur ". Towne. Judge
Edward Swami was active in the mat
ter and finally a satisfactory bill was
introduced by Assemblyman Bloch.
Ernest X. Coulter, one of the leaders
in anti. drug law crusades, while prais-
ing the purpose and givers of the hos
pital fund, had words of severe con-
domination for the city because it was
necessary for private enterprise 10
build the structure.
at is a crying shame" he said, that
private citizens have had to do the
city's work, for i is the city's work
strictly. More than a year ago the
attention Of the authorities was called
to the fact that there would be des-
pcratc situation as q result of the en-
forcemcnt Of the more stringent drug
laws then pending"
Six drug users were arrested last
night in raids on three houses where
the police suspected drugs were I'M
lawfully sold.
Three men, two of them negroes,
were seized at 26l West 124th Street
by Detectives Dolan. Boyle and Nc
Gowan after hard fight. The officers
had heard that George Teazwell. a
negro living on the fourth floor. was
selling narcotics. When the officers
gained admittance they were attacked.
Teazwell dragged Dolan to the kitchen
and started to push him out of the
window.
Fighting of the other two mon.
Boyle and McGowan went to Dolan's