Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-09-19
1I1I.EYED DOPE FTENDS
STAND IDLY BY AS OLD
DEN, ARSENAL PASSES
r.,orious Restaurant, Rendez-
~, sous of Drug Users, Sold
Under Auctioneer's Ham
mer. Netting Only $125
uap STORMY EXISTENCE

,olnr. gone, The Arsenal" is no
r.rs ...,surant at Tenth and Winter
ins snown by that name. and said to
~ h.en the most notorious dope den IN
~ ~ virtually was wiped OF the map
.v II was sold under tho aucuoneers
"'-. ~ 40 o'clock this morning. The
rsnss. rnn,.ss store fixtures brought approx.
f'..p,, f...,v si25. From today on, for rent
~ .,ll be IT, only adorrment
~ s.,lins Of the Arsenal" was an event
~. neiehborhood The den had been
/ ~ ouarantine for two weeks. Crowds
ww.s.red in and about the store. among
- ~ many dope users known to the police.
,,sn haggard eyes. many with coat collars
,,,rsd up, they came in force TO get one
v, look at the place they had known
s veil
SMALL RETURNS
,,ounted on a table. a counter or an ice
- q the case might be. George Shaeffer.
sr,sloneer urged the bidders on. Many OF
~ articles. however, went for almost
rothlng.
o.,ser pleaded as the long counter, be-
IA which many dope users and pick
r~tsts have tried TO hide from the police,
-, under the hammer for S1.25.
well don't forget the price of disin-
s-,tlon." came the prompt reply.
ms sale was alive with interest. One
usn suggested that the goods should be
<.,.sa away in patrol wagons the sugges-
IA raised a howl. This place amt being
,,.aned out any too soon." another said.
~vear as / can see it's not so much the
rl.es as the people who infested It,"
soosher bidder said, Il never did see such
hnk
Policeman Charles O'Neill. of the Elev-
.rth and Winter streets station, was on
Ana 10 keep order. He had little trouble.
nany users" were recognized in the
crowd, but their spirits appeared to be
trcken We've known good days i'm the
ant hate to say good-by to it," one
vsl.known user said as he nudged his pal.
rhey greeted another with Hey YOU
what did you come here for, another snlff
Of the stuff?''
ORIGIN OF NAME
Many came out of pure curiosity The
sArsenar' had been so nanleds or nick
named because more powder or dope was
imposed to pass hands there than in a
cosernment arsenal The sugar bowls,
which the police say at times contained
'auff used on the sniftiest of shifting
rarties" sold for % cents in a lot The
tables under which the police say dope
psddlers have made small fortunes, sold at
less than one-thrd of their price.
The lowest prices were goods in the
twelve furnished rooms upstairs The
smount realized upstairs was estimated at
Sieo. possibly less. In all, the propretors
spent nearly $4,000 in furnishing the place
when II was first started.
The life of the Arsenal was brief hut
Gentful The tales its squalld furnishings
nnld tell would rival the most gruesome
Of Edgar Allan Poe's AS a rendezvous for
'cokes," dope fends, piclipockets, crooks,
thugs and cannon" or gunner, 1t became
known in the Tenderloin sections of almost
every city in the United States
The arsenal" proper dates back only
70 1915 On June / of that year Charles
Baumesrtner and John Quigley proprie.
tors took over the place with the lnten-
ton, they said of making 1t a bona .fide
restaurant They cleaned 1t out and at
tempted TO run It on the square" 1t was
10 use II soon attracted the scum of
ne Ienderloin. and within short time
nag won Its name-the arsenal--because
tne vast amount of powder, or dope"
Which passed hands there.
WHERE THE WORST MET.
Many hundreds of arrests have heen
made there for violations of the Harrison
~ Deaths were not uncommon and IL
- not an uncommon sight to see a hag-
$40 ana slckly dope" user pass away"
= was freauented by both men and women.
aM women were the lowest of the low;
ms " msn, even worse. Countless times the
uope dive has been raided The pro.
ns'ors nave been arrested on more than
~ occasion' but as rule only an inmate
q Two we're "pinched."
snow or coke, and other drugs have
essn reported hidden there in sugar bowls.
~ ~ N SAT- cellars. Dope" peddlers made
e pace their headquarters. and TO eyade
y watchful eyes of the police the stuff"
~ passed hand to hand under the eating
1sFs IKE boys pass notes at school.
nAiy the handwriting appeared on the
saa The Arsenal had been fred at time
-1s ume again from ministers IN the pulpit.
~snu Jurles have recommended that IL
speu out. Only recently Coroner
IA sa. ~ aiter the death of drug fiend,
-- ~ 'nat the den should be burned to the
~'unu Two charges now are hanging
|snh 5sungartner's head. lie decided to
s'e He did SO today,