Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-06-13
THE ROAD TO RUIN.
How Two Young Girls Have Been
Travelling it-A Sad Story.

Travelling it-A Sad Story.
From the Cincinnati Commercial. 7th.l
Two young girls, one of sixteen only,
another but three years her senior,
daughters of respectable citizens in com
Portable circumstances, are the unfortu
nate subjects Of this sad story Of de-
parture from home, from friends, from
decency and from virtue. The elder Of
of these two victims of waywardness,
Miss Louise, is the daughter of a
preacher; the younger, and less expe-
rienced and confirmed reprobate, has
always had a good home, with her father
man of business. The two girls have
not been long intimately associated, only
for few months past, we believe. The
elder, sBrightly, well educated and
rather fascinating girl, has been longer
under the bane of evil influence than
her younger companion, had, in fact,
been led astray before the two became
well acquainted.
The story told now, is that the younger
girl, Nollie, was the most forward of a
circle of young girls of good families,
who are looked upon by young men Of
their acquaintance as unusually bold and
wild in their behavior, for young girls of
their age. The facts are these: On the
23d day of May last, in the absence of
Louise's father from the city, the two
planned to escape from their homes, and
enter house Of evil fame They ar
rived at this determination after much
deliberation, for they had been talking
r "a A.. (, kn M
lewdness and wickedness seemed to have
taken full possession of them. They
encouraged each other in their conspi-
racy against their own welfare, by talking
over repeatedly and magnifying to large
proportions the petty grievances of their
home life, until they had convinced
themselves and each other that each was
a sadly abused young woman, and that
their only means of happiness was to be
found in a life of shame. They had
planned to do thus and so on the 23d of
May-but were frustrated. The elder
girl had made an understanding with
wealthy young man, and had confded to
him their little plans of future happi-
ness. When this young gentleman
studied over the affair in a cool condi-
ton of mind, he came to the conclusion
that tor his own safety he had better
break the engagement and spprise the
father of his daughters intentions he
did this, and thus was the plan spoiled.
The would-be runaways could not secure
their clothing. However, they soon con-
cluded to leave without their clothing
and in the course Of two or three days
their bed rooms were found vacant when
breakfast was announced.
The elder girl had made arrangements
that secured them sdmittance to several
houses, in their efforts to avoid discovery
by their parents and the officers who we're
set upon their track. They went to sew
eral bad houses of the first class-on
Sixth, Third and Sycamore streets
sleeping here and eating there, taking
breakfast in one house, dinnerin in another
and supper at third always moving,
in their determined efforts to escape from
all restraint They made trip to
Louisville, stopping at notorious house
conducted by JeRnie Laws. While there,
last Sunday, they received warning from
one of their associates here, by telegraph,
that detectives were going to Louisville
and Indianapolis in search of them.
Concluding that they would be safer
under cover in Cincinnati while the hunt
was elsewhere, they Immediately returned
here, stopping at Third street house.
They were discovered, however by an
acquaintance, who informed their parents
that they had returned The fathers, in
company with Sergeant Williams, Of the
Ninth street District Police, commenced
new search night before last, and at
about four o'clock yesterday morning
captured them. They took them imme-
diately to the Ninth street Station and
locked them within cells there. During
Yesterday they had an opportunity to
study, in the society Of their degraded
cell neighbors, the future that they had
courted-to hear language from the lips
of women so degraded as 10 be horrible
in their moral uginess; language beyond
the conception, in its profanity and vul-
garity, of any but the most degraded
mind. The younger girl shuddered and
wept, and shrunk away into a corner OF
her cage.
The other, who had all along acted, in !
a measure, as her protector, curled her
lin in scOrn and maintained her compo- |
sure. She quietly remarked, " / have
turned out and I'll never turn back; |
but you will never find me sinking so low |
as that | can take better care of my
self"
You don't know anything about it,
child" said hsrlot who occupied the |
next cell. You've only taken few |
lessons; you haven't graduated yet in
this school.
The younger girl was taken out by her
father and com mitted to the House of
Refuge. The other was liberated last
evening, being nineteen years Of age. |
She is probably irreclaimable.
A SENSATIONAL STORY.
.--l--.l II -. Ola E..r.nr lillian |