by S. L. Stoner
13. In 1898, the Austrian Bayer pharmaceutical company introduced heroin as an over-the-counter, non-addictive alternative to opium. Bayer introduced aspirin the next year but dispensing of aspirin required a doctor’s prescription.
14. By 1903, the equally addicting derivatives, morphine and heroin, augmented opium’s impact on society. America had three kinds of opiate addicts: those who frequented the opium dens, parlor tipplers of patent medicines and children whose cries of hunger and other discomforts were treated by nostrums like Mother Bailey’s Quieting Syrup. By 1900, patent medicine was a $250 million annual business–that would be $1.6 billion in today’s dollars. Advertising dollars and sales profits kept the media and others silent on the issue.
15. Common journalistic bombast of the day, particularly on the West Coast, resulted in stories about the Chinese and their purported use of opium dens to seduce white women. In fact, surveys conducted at the time concluded that 56% to 71% of all opium addicts were white women. Few of these women, however, ventured into the company of the Chinese or their opium dens. Instead, they were addicted to over-the counter pharmaceutical company nostrums and laudanum.
16. Early in 1903, President Roosevelt began to talk about the need to curtail opiate use in Asia and the United States. He established the U.S. Opium Commission and appointed various individuals to investigate and make recommendations. Companion to this effort was Roosevelt’s determination to enact national pure food and drug legislation. He intended to force pharmaceutical companies to list the opiates and other ingredients contained in their patent medicines. The eventual result of his efforts, internationally and nationally, was a marked reduction in the use of those medicines–and enormous financial loss to the international pharmaceutical corporations. The official declaration that forms the book's final chapter is a verbatim presentation of the document that initiated those efforts at the international level.
17. As noted in the earlier Sage Adair story Timber Beasts, a Christian aid society did sell boys into prostitution. It is unknown how long that practice had persisted but, when it was discovered, it created a great scandal. That scandal, however, broke after the time of the events in this story.
18. Portland’s local temperance league was called the “White Ribbon Society.” Its membership was generally comprised of upper-middle-class women who subsequently became the powerhouses behind many of State’s progressive social reforms. The Society was active in Portland at the time of events in this book. Its members did, in fact, travel to the Wallowa area in order to form a chapter.
19. The character of E.J. McAllister is based on an actual Portland attorney by that name. He did represent unions, temperance women and others who were relatively powerless. He was also an effective and successful advocate in the effort that amended Oregon’s constitution and granted citizens the right to initiative and referendum. Other than those facts, everything attributed to him in this story is pure fiction. The real E.J. McAllister lost his license to practice law when it was discovered that he was a homosexual. He left Portland to live in Myrtle Creek, Oregon where he died of a stroke twelve years later. His obituary stated that “He was a man who had many friends and was highly respected by all who knew him.”
About the Author
Susan Stoner is a native of the Pacific Northwest who has worked as a citizen change agent and as a labor union and civil rights attorney for many years.
Acknowledgments
Once again, I want to start by thanking the readers of this series. Their enthusiasm and support has encouraged Sage to keep adventuring and fighting the good fight. I hope he returns the favor.
To the extent this series accurately reflects history, that is due to those who have done their best to preserve the past. In particular, I want to thank the staff of the Oregon Historical Society and the Portland City Archives and the U.S. Congressional Library. These organizations deserve our gratitude and our support.
This book in the series received special assistance from Joel Rosenblit, Helen Nickum and Sally Ann Stoner. Many heartfelt thanks to each of them, particularly Helen who read every single word with such great care and red pen in her hand. Helen is greatly valued, not only for her grammar skills but also for her kindness and her joy of life. That said, any remaining errors are solely my own.
Family members, friends and my colleagues in the labor movement, both old and new, continue to be the loving foundation of this series. While it is not possible to name everyone, I do want to especially recognize Monica Smith. She was everything a labor lawyer should be and more.
I also want to acknowledge the contributions of the E. J. McAllister’s of the world. Despite being given a very “hard row to hoe,” as Mae Clemens would say, people like him manage to give more, and do more, for their fellow humans than most of us. In his short tenure as an Oregon lawyer, McAllister played a key role in bringing greater justice and direct democracy to Oregon. And, despite the adversity he endured at Oregon’s hands, he did not abandon us. It is comforting to know that he was appreciated by the people in his final home.
But, most important of all, I must acknowledge George Slanina. He has been here for the good times but even more for the bad. Without him, Sage Adair never would have got out of
the Klondike. George’s unwavering support, kindness and always pithy but, right-on, observations make this series possible.
Other Mystery Novels in the Sage Adair Historical Mystery Series
Timber Beasts
A secret operative in America’s 1902 labor movement, leading a double life that balances precariously on the knife-edge of discovery, finds hi
mission entangled with the fate of a young man accused of murder.
Land Sharks
Two men have disappeared, sending Sage Adair on a desperate search that leads him into the Stygian blackness of Portland’s underground to
confront murderous shanghaiers, a lost friendship and his own dark fears.
Dry Rot
A losing labor strike, a dead construction boss, a union leader framed for murder, a ragpicker poet, and collapsing bridges, all
compete for Sage Adair’s attention as he slogs through the Pacific Northwest’s rain and mud to find answers before someone else dies.
Dead Line
Sage Adair encounters murder and mayhem midst the sagebrush and pine trees of Central Oregon’s high desert. This captivating land of big skies, golden light and deadly secrets is the home of hardy and hard people–some of whom intend to kill him.
