Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-02-21
The Social Evil In Chicngo.

Mcllie Trussel n pafdoned. MOllie Trus-
sell murdered her paramour. Mollic Truss
sell il a courtesan, and an arstocra'ic one
Mollie Trussel has cniicei hundreds Of
Young people into her establishment. No !
ono can tell how many have been ruined. .
and the hopes OF how many parents have |
been wrecked through her. Mollie rrussell /
walked in satin aud velvet. She used to be /
deckcd with diamonds. She rustled through 4
tie streets not only during the day, but IN !
the twilight of the evening, when chaste /
Luna sheds her silver light to lovers To
protect her diamonds not the precious
levels Of virtue and womanhood-bnt with
precious stones bought with evlly earned
money, against robbery on her nightly
walks, she was in the h.bit, as her counsel
asserted on the trial, of Carrying revolver
about her person. With this revolver she
shot a man dead. In truth il was only her
paramour, professional gambler but for
all that he waa human being on whom, b.
the rules Of criminal law, murder nigh, be
psrpetrated. Mollie Trussell was imprison-
cd. Although the act was undoubtedly
murder, Aolhe Trussell Vas only indicted
for granddaughter. She gave no bail, but
took up her quarters in the jail. But the
prison was FOR siollc Trussell no dark cell
whore the prisoner is alone With his cons
science and his sense Of guilt Her prison
was boud,ir scented with perfumes. The
floor was spread with soft, luxurious car
pets her toilet table was covered With all
the para phernaiii Of female fancy. The
window was hung With thick drapcry -
pare the captive the sight Of the iron bars.
ON the yielding bed reposed the rc.axed
form Of Mollie rrassel in "a queenly atu-
tudc, while around her lolled on rocking
chairs the attendants 81 the prisoner, per
haps bound to the privileged urdercss by
the chains OF debt OF course Nolhe Truss
sell was not forced 10 live on the prison diet
for which the county pay, the sheriff fifty
cents per diem, including care and st1jy.
Her money procured FOR her what she
| wanted.
| Let US now turn our glance from the Gle
gantly adorned, sweet scented boudoir Of
| Molle Trussell to the lower region Of the
| Jail, and we shall see there, in the narrow.
dark, ioully smelling cells behind IRON grated
doors, one, two, three, yes, often iour PERI
sons lock ed in, No ray Of light penetrates
,heir cells. No breath o! fresh air finds &C
cess there. In midday il il too dark to
read there, and fortunate 10 the PRISONER
wh0 has psrchance candle end, wherewith
by reading TO make himself forget for a
| short half hour the misery Of his existence.
The prisoner may not, perhaps, lament so
much the loss of his own freedom as his in.
| ability TO buy y quart Of beer but at homo
| are "a helpless wife and hungering aud freez-
ing chldrc Of whose misery hc is always
reminded. lie would be happy IL he could
walk in the corridor around the cells, US so
many others do, but ne cannot meet the
conditions un! Ter which that freedom is to
| be enjoyed, for in those regions the prison
officials are onniposent they can shut up
the prisoners in the cells or permit them to
walk about under conditions imposed by
themselves, and SO it Is sad, not every one
can fulfil these cond tons. And what has
this prisoner done who Sis in yonder dark,
foul smelling. grated cell, 50 sad and miser
ablry DO you wish to know. dear reader :
We will tell you. The man was sick he
had no work anG no earnings; he had moth
ing upon his body, and he thus suffered him
self To steal All old coat worth exactly five
dollars. The mean thief and criminal =
Did he not know that larceny Is forbidden,
and that whoever steals the value Of i've
dollars in paper money, sum which Mol
lie russell has taken as soul tax for every
sin OF her creatures, must work Mt least one
year ut hard labor in the Pcnitentary at
Jolietg And tins prisoner has no horse aud
buggy which he can give to the Sheriff
officer for the procurement Of n pardon
| Alter-this visit TO an imaginary prisoner
such, however, as may be often found ia the
Jals, let Us accompany Mollie Trussell 70
the court room, where y merciiul jury pio
| nounces the mili.st sentence oil the lag
and with reluctance condemns her to one
years imprisonment in the pcnitcntiary
IL Is the same punishment which, few
days ago, was awarded to poor German
farm laborer by the name Of Trap, who
had caught in the act vioator Of his mars
rage bed and killed him on the spot. Let
hum 80 into the peniten,iary who cares =
Neither the sheriff chosen by German votes.
nor his iailor. But Mollic rrusscil, for her
to go IN among tho vulgar inmates Of the
| pcnitentiary, she who 10 often opened her
parlors and saloons - the elite Of the city
this 10 too much. A petition appealing TO
the heart Of the Governor is Immediately
gotten up. Ayoung sheriff official hastens
II not on the wings OF love on those Of steam,
to the State capital, and seeks to storm the
Governors heart. In vain. lie returns and
brings to Mollic the snid news. Bot MoIie
is too good 10 40 sent 70 the pcustcntiary
with the common herd. She ne,d not As
cead The fatal Omnibus. For her 4 special
eqnppsgc j. jc>patched To- tie court house.
aud the general. whesher ~ grand tenue q
in evil dress, has the hoaor % escort Il is
lie TO the pcnitentiary. Molie lrls,cll was
fear weeks ia Joliet, and in hat time WIS
thnrou -hly reformed. This SPEAKS vel ior
thc in,uiutsan. 4 penitentiary u winch a
ce'ir.e>an and rnurd russ j. In tour weeks
converted into yirtuou- and pipus woman
Is a model institution and W. ad.l~e Col.
Chauncey RlNen, our commissioner to the
| Paris Exposition, who subscribed tho peti>
ton, 10 pack NJ the whole peni.entiaty aud
| put 1t on exhibition al PaI.s.
Enough Mollie Tinssel is pardonel -
| The document arrived at the sher,tl's ciiice
on Friday, ani Mt once baihif FASTENED by
the first train to give again to the world and
to freedom the rcpentant sinner.
Molle Trussell has arrived in Chicago
Tins is tho great event Of the day. II the
sun to day will do its duty it will shlnc and
suffer its brightest RAYS to penetrate the
windows Of Moliie's chamber, that it NAV
not show less humanity ios the rescued fall
officials of the jail.
Yesterday afternoon she held her first
grand reception ., the elegant and fashion
able hotel ct Sunnysidc. There were as,
Amhlcd all the beauty and pride and Gle.
gance pertaining to the prominent aud IA
vored calling Of the heroine Of the day
There were also distinguished gentlemen OF
tie legal profession, and there were also a
few dry goods clerks and others, who are
as yet only being initiated into the my s,cries
and privileges Of high life, and there were
not any of the benevolent aud pious ladies
who SO earnestly petitioned for her relief
Moilie made her appearance attired in n
gorgeous manner The assembled multi
tudc received her with becoming reverence.
much Is sourtiers In other countries receive
. queen. She bowed gsaciously TO either
side, and then allowed herself to be led by
Captain Pimpson to chair At the upper end
Of the room. She, in brief address, ex
pressed her thanks to the company FOL the
dee, interest manifested in her behalf-an
interest, she said, which she was glad TO
know was felt by every one in the city, cs-
pecially among the pioas Of her own sex
She stated that during her incarceration