The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-08-05
MANY COCAINE USERS
BAFFLE FRENCH POLICE
Secret Society of Addicts Growing
Daily-Code Names Used To
Outwit Law

Paris, Aug. "a veritable secret
society of cocaine users, growing dai-
ly in membership, is battling the
French police in their efforts to stamp
out the drug evil.
The secret organization has code
names for known purveyors of the
drug and variety of code names
for the drug itself. 1t is feared
that it includes in its membership
a large number of police agents
whose duty is to suppress the traf-
fic, and also of customs ocffiials who
make it easy to bring cocaine into
the country.
The increase in the number of
"coke" users has become so great
that the French Academy of Medicine
is calling for the enactment of dras-
tic laws to curb the evil. The acad-
emy is being supported by number
of newspapers in it's demand that
long terms of Imprisonment be melt
ed out to cocaine sellers and users in
stead of fines, which often do not
exceed $40.
One big cafe, a stones throw
from the Paris Opera, ID one of the
biggest centers Of cocaine traffic.
Most of, the drug that reached Paris
comes in from Germany. 1t is al
legged that French and American
soldiers from the armies of occupa-
tion bring in the largest share. They
make 1900 per cent on their invest
ment and easily escape discovery
because they wear the uniform. Their
supplies hre turned ever to a regu-,
lar cocaine" syndicate, whose agents
gather in the big cafe in the heart Of
the city to receive their shares of
Cooke" to be peddled all over Paris.
Half dozen demimondes, who
are well known to the syndicate, op-
crate in this one cafe alone. They are
well known to the regular drug users
and they know their clientele. A
stranger who applies to one Of them
for a bouquet of flowers" a name
commonly applied to the white pow
der by its victims, is Indignantly turn
ed down. A regular user has no diff
icuity at all. His purchase is quickly
slipped to him, to be concealed in
purse or spectacle case. Girl "snif.
fers" generally carry their packets in
the tops O., their stockings.
The restaurants and dancing halls
Of Montmartre, filed nightly with
American tourists, are active CEN
ters of operations for Cooke" agents
and so are the night markets Of
"Hailles," where refreshments open
ing at-4 o'clock in the morning
catch the "all-nighters" who drift
down from Montmartre. There is
scarcely a night in Montmartre that
does not see a girl drug victim
whirling in an excited dance, sud-
denly fall unconscious to the floor.
In the Bal Tabarin one night a girl
who had won some fame on the
stage but had become a victim Of
the "coke" habit, toppled over dead.
That a considerable number Of
Americans coming to France indulge
n cocaine, whether because they
were previously drug victims or be-
cause they wanted "the experience"
there is no doubt. The vast majority
of them are women. On one recent
night two American women, one of
them former actress, loudly de-
manded cocaine of waiter in one Of
the most fashionable Paris restau-
rants. When they were refused they
chartered taxi and started for
Montmartre.
The cocaine habit has spread rap
idly throughout provincial towns Of
France since the war. At Nice Deau-
vile and other resorts patronized
largely by the idle rich of all ma
tions, the "coke statesmen" find a
good trade. Marseilles, with large