Cortland Woman Had Morphine Habit

 

Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, December 5, 1896.

DESERVING OF PITY.

Victim of the Morphine Habit Gets into Trouble in Syracuse.

   At about 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon The STANDARD received a news dispatch from Syracuse giving full details of the arrest and detention in that city of Mrs. Emma Potter of Cortland. Mrs. Potter was charged with shoplifting from several of the leading dry goods stores in the city. An inquiry was at once made regarding the lady here in Cortland and from every circumstance in connection with the case she seemed far more deserving of pity than of condemnation. There was probably not a doubt of her guilt, but it was learned that she is one of those poor unfortunates who have grown to be so numerous in recent years who have become so addicted to the morphine habit that her mind is affected and that she is rarely ever in a condition to be strictly responsible for all her acts. She is a lady past middle age who has always borne an excellent reputation.

   Her husband has been a respected citizen of Cortland for nearly thirty years. He has looked with horror upon this growing habit of his wife, but has been powerless to stay it. Failing in that line, he has tried in every way to shield her from the public eye and to prevent a knowledge of it from coming to the public ear. The habit is of long standing.

   Years ago Mrs. Potter was a dreadful sufferer from acute neuralgia and under the advice of a physician took chloral to relieve her sufferings. From chloral to morphine was an easy step, and when once the habit was formed it seemed Impossible to break it, but on the other hand it grew in strength and in its power over its unhappy victim.

   Knowing all these facts The STANDARD believed that it was one of those cases which so often arise in the experience of every newspaper where it is better to be silent rather than to parade to the world the trouble of innocent and sorrowing friends, and especially where no one would be the gainer by its publication. Accordingly it was determined to say nothing about it yesterday and see if in the light of the extenuating circumstances the Syracuse paper might not also be silent and no word of this get spread abroad. But these facts were not known there and the papers of last night published the report without a word of explanation. The papers of this morning, however, had learned the cause of this act and of the dreadful habit of the poor woman and were inclined to treat the matter in a kindly spirit.

   We publish this explanation to-day, along with the facts believing that it is only just and due, both to Mrs. Potter, and to her relatives who are held in highest esteem here.

   It appears that Mrs. Potter went to Syracuse Thursday morning to visit a relative for two days. That very afternoon she went to the store of D. McCarthy & Co. and was observed by Mrs. Jennie Dada, a female detective, to take an article from one of the counters. Shortly afterward she left the store, followed by the detective, and visited several other stores, securing a number of other articles. She was soon placed under arrest. Though the articles taken were quite numerous it is said that their value will not aggregate a large sum.

   Chief of Police Charles R. Wright of that city said to a reporter of the Syracuse Standard in regard to Mrs. Potter:

   "Such as she don’t count. It is those clever people who work in pairs and make a living out of shoplifting who usually make their presence felt. Some of the slick ones can enter a dry goods store and carry off the clerk without his ever knowing it. But the woman you have just seen, she is deserving of pity.''

   The Standard said further in regard to this case:

   Chief Wright had not taken a good look at her, so at 6 o'clock last evening when the woman's husband came the chief sent for her and it did not take him long to make up his mind, Mrs. Potter is over 50 years old and not very rugged. In fact she keeled over on the couch and was asked what ailed her. She said she wanted morphine and would have to get it or die. She pointed to a small package on the chief’s desk and identified it as belonging to her.

   "How many doses are there in there?" asked Chief Wright.

   "About two," was Mrs. Potter’s reply.

    The chief, to make sure, divided the morphine into three parts, and with a sigh of satisfaction the "dope fiend" swallowed the potion.

   As a matter of fact, in refutation of any theories that the woman is an expert, it may be said that she has a comfortable home in Cortland. Morphine has got in its deadly work until the woman's mind is not what it should be. Mr. Potter is a hard working man and is to be pitied.

   Mr. Potter knew very little about the trouble in Syracuse yesterday afternoon when the STANDARD man saw him. He had just heard that his wife was in difficulty up there and was on his way up the street to find out more about it. He seemed almost heart broken when the reporter showed him the news dispatch. He went to Syracuse in the hopes that the matter might be adjusted without his wife suffering the penalty of the law. He had not returned this afternoon.


References:

 

Chloral Hydrate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloral_hydrate

Morphine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphine

Harrison Act of 1914: http://www.tmlcentral.com/dfhc-2152012