Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-11-12
from The ". York 'SaA,)
SOWING GlpJS

We have occasionally referred 10 Tie PIiVa'ioAs
md snlicrings OF The iac!oiy girls ana tie,e i
argc cl:ss in this city oi sempsres>es ana sew
nc girls earning a very precariouS li?ihs whoSe
situations in some respects are y'hih9 nt co'',-
rabIc ard who can with all their efforts, sell
fiom earn more than dollar week, aiser paflhS
their board: and many are respectable, "i Soo,i
families and education, but conPeheu iio'i, az,
verse circumstances 10 derend nron Their daiy
labor for support. Their treatment IRON some
classes OF EMPLOYERS is any thing but cAarllaDe
and proper; and a recent instance came 10 our
l,nowle &c of great brutality and har!Hhip Wh'ch
merits exposure. There is store IN broadway,
over which a fashionab dress-inaker llves, Who
,nn,nys several respectable females IN the Vari-
Gus departments Of her calling. On an occasion
If one Of The recent professions IN broao""s' .ne
,lorekeeper stood in front al his store ana lnc
Young ladies at the windows above gazing q. 'nc
pa.ean; When the whole had passeu, me s'o'c-
;eeper found that, while al the front door, some
me had entered his shop and stolen abont ~ or
40 dollars from his ill Without rejecting lnat
il was possibIe for some one 10 come up rom Inc
kitchen enter the back door of the store, and per-
pe,ra,e the robbery, or waiting his opportunity
cautiously TO detect the thief; the first ldca was
rb,, same of The girls from upstairs had come
down entered The store and robbed him. Accord
inolv he denounced the whole troupe forthWlh;
and The mistress, who had reason 10 place .ne
mos, implicit confidence in the integrity OF her
,,rls instead OF defending them agains, The acci-
Sa,ion subjected each 10 rigid personal examl-
na,;on hv hcrsel, without discovering the least
Evidence Of Guilt; and in fact being aware mat
,bev had not left The room during the procession.
II wouE have been imagined that lhls scrutiny
wond have been suiiicien; and satisfactory; D''',
NJ The ns,iration OF The siorekeeper, she consented
10 send Tor police officer, who, without a war
ran, proceeded TO strip the girls and in the rudes
manner 10 search them, tearing their clothes ana
threatening them with incarceration in the tomos
and terrifying them beyond measure. Noth'ns
beipn found upon them after this indicate sern-
inv the Girls. indignant as well rs distressed al
The treatment they had received, all gave The ms
,ress warning tina, they would leave her, and de-
manded their wages. She finding by tins move
,nep,. that she would suddenly be lcii without
help, refused 10 paw Them until The week expired,
and demanded of one who would not stay mo-
men,. that she must make up the time she lost
while being searched The slorekeeper attempted
Ia apologse for his suspicious but the lady was
still under an impression, without shadow oil
proof that some OF her girls had stolen the mo-
ncy. We stale these facts 10 show how unhapplly
these poor sewing girls are conditioned. Com
PEELED to work hard for scaniy subsistence pro-
baby told BY an unieeling mistress, that she only
gives them work to keep them out o! The poor
house. and subjected 10 continual insults; while
me mistress is probably realizing a fortune from
their labor.