ACTRESS AND DRUGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18297, 13 January 1923, Page 2 (Supplement)

ACTRESS AND DRUGS.

* CISSIE tOFTUS 8 CASE; "®.•'■?".:..'■■■."■•-'■'::-:•;■■">•■.■-:■ ■:",'-■.■,"'■■ : '\;- ■■'■:■')::'■■-i ; -. : ; '■''■■■' ■■■'■■'■-■ ; -V A. 'PATHETXO LIFE-STORY,, The, patheito life-story of Mhw-Oiasie Loftuij tli© well-known actress and mimio,' was told at Malborough : Street police j Court in tondon».whon,;Bhei was placed on probation;by Mr. Waddy, the magistrate, on a charge of-being .."an unantihbrißed person in possession of prohibited, ; . An actress at 17,, brilliant and' tfileritedT she was (said Mr. ■Ffampton, ': in an eld* quent plea in his" defence) divorced from her. first ; husband, -.■ only to .find' herself heavily -in debt, and she had to Igo to America to.work toipay off thesa debt*. '~■'.' She returned' to England in' 1903, retmarried in 1909,' but her experiences witk her second husband were no better than' with her first, the next year she separated herself ' from ' her ; second husband, .. and obtained 'a divorce. Illness then dogged her; aha underwent four operations, arid, to relievo her agony, her doctor administered drugs. ' She had before taken them, but from now onward* they became an irrestible habit, so ; great was her desire Jov relief from her sufferings. Her friends knew of her fight to resist the habit. She had suffered aoutely irom nfcuralgia and insomnia,' and at times was almbsiafraid"to appear on the stage. ;, , •''-■.■'•■■■. *>'•'>' ;"■-'' ■■.'' -'."."•■. '""]> ''.

She did;.nbt.take drugs in the; sense that she - was.committing ; a •'- criminal : act, Mr. Franiptoh said. ': A section,, of the Dangerous .Drugs Act. carried a maximum penalty of "six : months' imprisonment, but this, Jie contended, was intended for peo-' pie who .trafficked in.drugs, who, so long as they got some gain from the traffic, cared not;; what; effect- ;it 'produced on others. ' l '.*■-- '■') : ''.-, '■':-■■■<.-: ''■'•• •■•'■• %'■-■:•:• ;\ : - Vi ■

Miss Loftuo" acquired drugs, solely tor her own heeds.,: She had fought against the habit, and -he suggested that tha magistrate should allow Miss Lof to go into home for: six or twelve months,. and be under proper control '. and treatment.; A home was ready, : and a- nurse was 'in Court. '■'-'-•'•■'•■.•. .'■'■' ■;■■■' ';■'•

Mrs. H.. V.: Esmond - (Mies ■ Eva Moore) and Dame, May Webster, (Miss May Whitty), friends of Miss 'loftus,.'-'then -went into the witness-box, ami declared . that they were preparedrto see that Miss Lof -received proper care in a home. - V The Court .was stilled for. a .moment as Mr. Muskett said there Was "other.irif mation," when be added there was no suggestion that Miss Loftus had trafficked: in drugs, .the magistrate' said he agreed there was ; . a great difference. between taking drugs, as Miss Loftus had'done, and trafficking in them. '.''■ ' "I am- dealing with you;" the magistrate said, addressing Miss Loftus, "exactly as I should with any workingclass woman from- a.humble home, of whom it could be said, as > about • you,' that < you have become a victim to this.habit in most pathetic circumstances. .;'_ "I shall try to •• find- : means. to bring about your redemption other than by punishing yon by a fine or .imprisonment. I shall pnC.you on probation: a year, with instructions that' you shall reside where directed, which- carries out the suggestion your counsel has made to me. . . ' " That means -that so- long as . your treatment is successful and you co-operate with the doctors and nurses, you will hear no more of this matter. But .if you re : sume the drug.habit you will be brought to this Court once more."

Earlier in ; \ the -proceedings,; Mr. Muskett, prosecuting, .described how DetectiveSergeant Barney, saw.- Miss Loftus leaving a chemist's shop in. Tottenham . Court Boad carrying a-small brown paper parcel. She denied she had prohibited drugs in it, but it was found''to contain tubes of morphias sulphate and antrophine tablets, and a hypodermic syringe. 'Following! the .magistrate's decision Miss Loftus left .'the -Court "with:: her friend*. 0