The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-06-17
(Continued from Yesterday.)

mat AI the tine ne Otten 1naue tnoIo than $500 a week profit out of the cocaine sold at the tobacco shop. | The explanation is simple. No wretched cocaine victim could get enough of the drug by doctors pre- scription, but fin one of these cigaretts boxes he could buy enough-at a. fla bulous price of course-to last him for weeks. What did he care about the price when he wantgI cocaine? But Mir. Lifts purchases of cocaine must have come a little to at large, for the dealer to whom he went for the stuff refused to supply him with more than about a third of his usual quantity.
 Then one day q very suave gentle man came into Iit's shop and intro duced himself as the representative of certain Government Department --I forget now what the name of 1t was--~nd announced that under a certain Act, think 1t was the Poison and Drug Act, he was entitled to in spect the chemists books.
 I was in the little parlor at the time. AS matter of fact I was just going to step into the back room to make up some of the deadly ciga- rettes when the stranger was brought in by the white faced assistant. You seem to have been buying a good deal of cocaine lately, MT. Lit,' said the man sweetly. For prescrip- tion work, I suppose?"
 "You'n pardon me sir" said Lit, very clearly and politely, but though you've the right to inspect my books also the right to ask me questions, you cannot compel me to answer them. That is a matter of the Direc- tor of Criminal Prosecution, to decide upon. I wish you good day" When the visitor had gone, look ing rather surprised, Lit drew a deep breath and wiped his forehead and said that it was a very near thing, but that he, Idt, was all right. He was not obliged to answer ques- tfons unless a criminal prosecution was brought against him, and there were~, no grounds for that. But all the same the incident proved that the authorities were on the lookout and that Lit must be very careful. But cocaine he must have. Tho profits on the tobacco shop, about $500 a week. the prodts-on the flat about s1,00o a week-perhaps more and on several wealthy private cus- toners that he had. were, of course,
 too good to be given up without
 struggle.
 NOCAlHe pTORGTS anu bEd4tlS e~
 fused to take large orders from him;
 wholesale chemists acted in the same
 way. It was evident that an official
 warning had gone round. Too much
 cocaine was being used: dealers and
 others must be careful
 Supplies were really getting very
 short, and a meeting was held at the
 flat one afternoon, at which I was
 present, for I was now doing all sarts
 of dirty work for my employers
 fetching and carrying, telling lies and
 general degrading myself and all for
 the salse of my board and lodging,
 my clothes, and-cocaine.
 An Ingenious Plan.
 At the flat that afternoon a most
 ingenious plan was propounded by
 IAt, who was the head and brains of
 the whole concern, a plan which was
 simplicity itself. It was this:
 In five or six big towns in England
 empty shops were to be secured.
 small shops at a weekly rental. For each shop Lit would have headed note-paper printed. together with circulars stating that a chemists shop would shortly be opened at the above address. Then, upon the ad- dress paper of each of these shops he would write, under an assumed name, of course, to wholesale chemists in London stating that he would require certain drugs, amongst them cocaine giving definite orders for each. and enclosing cash with order, as it was his first transaction
 The plan working beautifully The drugs including cocaine. were duly delivered at the various addresses. The cocaine was collected by me. I was always in attendance when de- arI-+ r.a.z +AI
 As soon as the cocaine had been obtained, a months notice would be handed in, the shop would be shut up. and I was instructed to say that the intending tenant had changed his mind.
 Then we started again in another half dozen towns of England. and SO, in this simple way, enough cocaine was found to supply our wants. for the present at any rate.
 But like all good things 1t came to an end, and we had to find another way to suppIy our needs. What that way was will tell you later. Ldr tho Chfnaman. who was a very clever man soon began to scent dan ger in the scheme of obtaining CO., cainc by orders from various different addresses. In one or two cases awk- ward inquiries were made, and it was evident that most stringent measures were being taken to prevent an ex- cess being supplied to any one chem ist or person. Even the doctors who came to Lirs shop-for the China man was an excellent ehAmtst-com- plained of the precautions which were en1oinsd upon them to be care- ful fin the uss of cocaine.
 The practice of taking the drug was spreading, there was no doubt at all about that. The circle at the flat was increasinS weekly, daily al- most and fhS difficulty was to sup ply the demand
 At length IAs conceived what we all consid cred to be a very brilliant idea. For a mere triffe hs had bought an old disussd factory standing on one of the reaches of the Thames, and here he was going to manufacture a now too1haehe cure which would shortly bS put on ts1e me -ket, "ft will, perhaps be (. very long lime before the cure is on the mar 1ret," hs said with that peculiar smile