The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-06-20
CONFESSION OF
 "A COCAINE FIEND
 By MARY WEST" by ationai News Bureau inc1
By MARY WEST''

and pianos were easy things to hide packages in, explained Lit with a smile.
 Not alone cocaine, but-well. other things will be delivered there" lie explained with 2 smile. And things will also be sent out from there safe ly packed i:I a piano. What more nat ural than plano shoulI leave a piano shop? And, of cou! SC, detectives would never suspect charming young lady like you"
 And so 1t came about that I was the principal agent of one of the big gest, if not the biggest. cocaine dis tributing concerns in England.
 And where that cocaine came from, and how eventually the whole scheme was smashed up, will explain la CT.
 In due time the piano shop was fitt- cd mp with all the appearance of 9 respectable emporium. Upstairs were my living rooms where l stored the cocaine which l used to bring back from the East End.
 Every now and then a -,ano would arrive, apparently quite ul ordinary instrument, but in reality made in a peculiar way, practically hollow in side, and containing space to store away much cocaine.
 A~-N w ttS tcihA A4O ClAdDteS A planO was a thing that would be quite above suspicion and could easily be dis patched to say Liverpool, or any city like that. where his agents would be ready to receive and dispose of the secret contents.
 These hollow pianos were made by some of Lifts gang; where, l never discovered and as matter of fact II didn't interest me at the tims. All had to uo was to fetch as much CO., caine as possible from the East End This 1 used to do two or three times a week, going for it in a cab, and pay ing tho pretended clergyman for 1t always in notes of gold, never by check
 Lit himself used to come to see m after the shop was shut. I used to let him in at the side door and he would help me to pack any piano that might be going away.
 For not alone was cocaine conceal cd in this way, there were also other commodities which he gave me to un- derstand were very valuable and which he obtained without the for maliy of paying duty. Indeed, it seem ed that Lit could procure any drug Nhcitly except cocaine.
 I remember that one of these con modities were saccharine. The duty on this Is enormously heavy, and there was a greater profit on saccharine than there was on cocaine. How Lit got hold of it l don't know ard I didn't trouble to ask.
 Everything seemed to have settled down nicely. Lit was left alone at his chemists shop. He never ordered any more than the legitimate supply of cocaine which every chemist was en- lGH fT fs,,. | well kept up from the East End.
 In Idt's Power.
 There was no fear of a raid on his place, so Lit thought, but he made me pump Lady A. as to whether she could get any further information from the official who had inadvertent- ly given her warning before
 No" she told me when I asked her. T was dining there the other night and I brought the. conversation round to that subject. All suspicion against Lit seems to have been dropp. ed. They know that there is still \ lot of cocaine-taking going on, that the habit is increasing in fact, and they'r. trying to find out how the drug is procured"
 Well, they'll have to be very clever to find us out" said Lit, when I told him what Lady A. had said. q wonder how long that fellows stock in the East End will last? Haven't you been able to find out anything about him as I told yor1?''
 N-no," I faltered, feeling myself nenble as Lit looked at me.
 For was frightened, horribly frightened of this man. He had me completely in his power, and I had to comply with his will absolutely in everything. My nerve was getting weaker and weaker, for l was now feeling the effects of a long course of the drug. It was simply appalling. for when ] come to think of 1t now, the amount used to take; for, of course. l had the run Of the stock I should think must have been the most confirmed cocaine maniac in Lon don.
 But never. try as I might, could I find out anything about this man in the clergyman's dress. He used simply appear at the so-called Social Work CTS club and any attempt to pump him failed.
 At length Lit told me to try and follow him home one day. He said he must know where the stuff came from Lit explained quite openly to me that he wanted to find out who the man was and where he got his stuff from. anu tnen, 1T pOSSlDle, 10 try and get a hold over him SO that he would sell the drug cheaper.
 Profit of S12O,Oo0.0O A Year. |. Ch1naman was now making an average of more than S2,OOO a week, thai is, roughly speaking, S120, ,0O0.0O year. The tobacco shop under charge of one of his agents was still unsus- pected, as was my piano shop; his agents were still about everywhere. And one of my duties now was to take a supply twice a week to a certain night club where it was sold as snuff at a cigar and cigarette counter It can be taken in that way, you know, and some prefer it to the liquid form.
 And here, at this night club. used almost openly receive money for the supply l brought and handed over to a queer looking woman. none too well dressed, but with most wonderful diamonds. She. 1t may be interest ing to learn was what might be called or rather what she called herself a credit r11fl1inpr with 1or0a conpao