The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1860-05-18
The New York Fast Women

Among the swarms Of male and female
Adventures who lead lives compact of sub
tlety and recklessness, and are drawn to
great cities By love Of luxury and by the
surer field there afforded for a campaign
against society at large, the most subtle
and dangerous Of all would seem 10 be .ha,
arch adyenturess-.he modern Fast Wo
man. Her prototype existed ages since
as long ago as when Samson bartered eve
rything for Delilah: or, later, when "Thais
like another Helen, fred another Troy
\ on can trace her down to latter times
through all historical fact and fiction, find
ing her likeness in many comedy ot
Moiiere, in many novel of Fielding, OF
print OF William llogarth. But it is in
the exciting and fortune makirg modern
American life that she has moro fully de
veloped her operations, gaining at pleas
ure, the entree to our changeful and not
over scrupulous upper circles, and having
her own wicked say about half of oar reaI
life tragedy and farce.
Here vas the body Of a murdered wo
man found floatingin the Jersey City dock:
about fortnight since. Her head, pre-
served in spirits, after days of mystery, is
at last identified by men, to whom, more
than to the passing crowd, it must seem q
dreadful sight For those features, now
foul and ghsstly enough, TO be sure, no,
long ago were portion Of their several
daily lives; not long ago those eyes, now
" staring through muddy impurity," look
ed with the semblance of love into their
own. For she was the lawful wife of one
whom she deserted to lead the dash:ng
life of an America Fast Woman. Becom-
ing accomplished in this life, she seized the
other in her tolls; took charge of his body,
character and purse; debauched the first,
beclouded the second, scattered recklessly
the contents of the third. She shifted her
abode, we are tod, from place TO place
She lived at her victims expense, success
siyely, at the B1andreth House, at the St.
Denis Hotel, at doctors in Astor Place,
at the St. Julien Hotel at the Lafarge
House, at more than one private boarding
house. All this within two wears. And
VIXEN her proYiler saw through the fimsy
veil Of her affection for him, she still main
tanned her extravaganza, plaFthg upon his
terror Of exposure rs skillfully as She had
before played upon his yielding folly She
spent $2U, geo of this one mans money in
two years. During all this time she had
other visitors, doubtless other victims. =
How she has ruined He only knows who
has at last called her to her account. Such
was tho life, and such the end, Of one mod
ern Fast Woman" Well might the
man we speak of, when asked to identify
those shapeless features, do so at his first
glance, and sudderiagly turn away.
1t is only now and then that the career
and terrible influence Of the Fast Women
are thus mprcssive!y set before the public
An act Of violence is committed, bank
forgsr ruins his family and himself, bro
ker comes to grief, and to tie story Of his
wicked eXcesses, there IS the invariable
fast women accompaniment. She does
not share tho criminals trial and conyic-
ton, however, and tie worlds interest in
her soon passes by.
But she is everywhere and busily pres
ent in American cities, and in New York
most Of all. Look for a moment at her
method and appearance.
Tie Fast Woman is by no means a
common harlot. In nine cases out Of ten
she has never walked the streets, nor
boarded in a house Of bad repute. Only
once in a while one Of the vulgar sister
hood rises by superior shrewdness and ac-
complishments to the ranks of the deni-
monde. The Fast Woman affects the pri
yate boarding house. But the heel is the
place to which she gains unquestioned ac-
cess, where she lives most at her ease, and
is enabled lin her own language) to bag
the most game. And it is owing first of
all to the wretched conglomerate, Ameri
can hotel system, that fast women Ct late
abound IN such numbers, and are so dan
gerous to society.
There is always mystery hanging about
the Fast Woman's antecedents. One thing
IS certain, though found on every New
York square, she is rarely New Yorker
by birth. Few city girls who have accom-
rlahments necessary to render a fast wo
mans career successful, enter upon fast
"OiidH b. NH6 comes 10 Us AFTER an ap-
premiership in Boston or Philadelphia.
and she probably went to those cities from
the country long before But no city not
even New York can detain her long. Her
genus travel from spo. to spot. y placer
falling them in Boston, they 90 "pros-
pecting" to other towns. From the Re
we're, whore their last arrangement was
played ont" they come the. St. Nicholas
to see what they can make" And in
the summer they go in throngs from one
watering place to another. Generally two
or three unite their forces for the summer
campaign. Not unfrequently one accom-.
panies a genteel looking sporting man and
his sister, while two others figure as cous
ips or family friends. Together they are
a formidable set.
Mysterious as are the Fast Woman's an
teeedents, Der presents, except in the as.
sumed Summer disguise referred to, are
still more so. She comes to the tre-
speactable" private boarding house almost
always as a married woman Ur fortunate.
IL, her husbands business is Of a nature
that keeps him travelling. lie is the col
lec'or and general agent of some CONNER.
cial firm, or be is engaged in buying flour
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