Washington sentinel., 1854-05-20

DIsGRACEFUL DISCLOSURES A Madame
D had, at Paris, some years ago, some dis
agreeable relations with the authorities. who
accused her of having committed an offence
which the French law describes as exciting to
the debauchery of girls under age. She ac-
cordingly deemed it right to Cross the channel,
and to establish house Of i'll fame on an aris
tocratic footing. If amongst our neighbors the
conduct Of families is justly cited as model,
many persons make up for domestic constraint
by eccentricities almost unknown to our coun-
trymen. For these gentle btases there are at
the West end harems, in which even the re-
spect due to children is not observed. The
supply Of these abominable establishments is
the object of numerous speculations. Every
house Of this kind has its correspondents, its
agents, and its travellers abroad, who receive
fixed salaries, and are allowed commissions,
more or less large, according to the Importance
of their services.
1t is ordinarily by advertisements in the pc
ties dffcles or the newspapers that those per-
sons commence their operations. They adver.
tise for very young girls to travel with lady,
or to be sent abroad as temmes dc chdmb1e, or
as shop girls, with good salaries. They offer to
the parents or friends of the girls what appear
to be the best guarantees, and they promise that
their moral as we'll as their material welfare
shall be strictly attended to. They even affect
great piety, and require that proofs shall be
given them that the girls have been virtuously
brought up, far from all dangerous temptation.
For all questions put to them they are pre-
pared with an answer and they freely make use
of the most honorable names. When they
have obtained the consent of their parents or.
guardians, they make them accept sum of
money, and retire with their prey. lfby chance
these means should not, however cleverly en-
ployed succeed, recourse is had to abduction
and violence. Owing to the talent with which
she chose her agents, and to the knowledge she
had of Partisan manners and customs, Madame
D. was able to satisfy all the phantasies of
the gentry and nobility, and acquired in a short
time a large fortune One of her principal
agents was sort of Proteus, who played all
parts, and assumed all disguises; he even at
times appeared as an old man.
The English papers recently announced the
arrest of this person, accused OF having carried
off from Belgium girl OF fourteen, of rare
beauty, and belonging to highly respectable
family. Details we're given of the manner in
which she was given up to icentious no.
bleman, and of The violence exercised on her.
great number of similar facts having occur
red, the English tribunal, which was charged
with the investigation Of the case, had reason
to think that she had exercised this infamous
traffic in France. 1t accordingly begged of the
prefecture of police to cause researches to be
made on the subject A commissary Of police
was entrusted with the task, and ascertained
that considerable number of young girls, es-
pecially Of the working class, had been the VIC
tins of H and his accomplices, and had
been sent to the establishment of Madame
D., in London. Several of these captives
succeeded in escaping from their frightfuf pris-
on, and came back to Paris; but sentiment
easy to understand prevented them from max
| ing any complaint and they endeavored to find
in assiduous labor the forgetfulness Of o fatal
past. All these facts have been transmitted to
London, and will be added to the documents
in the case, which will expose one Of the most
melancholy features of our civilization.