Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-11-06
Life in New York.


The succeeding incidents are related in
Mr.. Dyer's article on the "Magdalens
of New York, ;" in Packard's Monthly
for September:
The following story reveals one of the
modes whereby Magdalens are made IN
! this metropolis:
In the month of February, 1852, Isaac
W. England, Esq, formerly the city
editor of the New York Tribune, was
returning to this city from Liverpool in
| the emigrant packet ship New York,
l in which he had taken a cabin passage,
/ for the purpose of learning practically
! how emigrants Jared in such vessels.
| Mr.. England did this with view to
! exposing the atrocities then practised
upon emigrants, and which he after
] wards did expose in the columns OF the
/ Tribune with such effect as to be largo
/ ly instrumental in the fundamental re-
/ generation of the whole emigrant busi-
ness, and the creation of the Castle
! Garden Commission.
/ Among the passengers in the second
| ca bin of the packet ship was a hand
/ some English girl some nineteen years
| of age, from near Mr.. England's native
/ town. The fact that the girl came from
| near his native town led Mr.. England
to feel an interest in her, aud he learn
ed that she was coming to America to
| join h5r brother, then living near Potts
| vile, in Pennsylvania.
On landing in New York the girl went
/ to a boarding house in Greenwich
street, there to await her brothers ar
rivaI-it having been arranged that he
should come to New York for her.
Mary (for that was her name) had not
| been in the boarding-hOuse many days
/ when a German woman called there in
/ search Of a bar-maid, and seeing Mary,
she at once sought to induce her to ac-
cept the situation. 1t is not uncommon
/ for English girls OF the class sto which
| Mary belonged, to act as bhr-maiis in
! England, that being there respectable
employment.
Deceived by the complaisant manners
and Iured by the liberal promises of the
glish girl accepted her offer and went
with her to her saloon-a basement in
William street near Pearl.
After one days service as barmaid,
Mary was bluntly informed by her en-
pIoyer that she had been brought thith-
er to serve in capacity which we will
not name, and was ordered to make
ready for at once entering upon life
of shame.
The horrors tricken girl, frantic with
terror, set about Immediately leaving
the premises. But she was too valuable
prize to be allowed to escape. The
bag into whose clutches she had fallen
locked her up in back basement room
extending under a CRATE in the yard,
and open to the inclemency of the
weather; and there she kept her for two
DAYS and two nights-the girl not dar-
ing to eat or drink anything all that
time, for fear of being drugged to insen-
sibility and ruin.
The only sustenance that passed that
girls lips for eight and forty hours was
the snow that she scraped from the area
grating Ner did she dare to close her
eyes in sleep for an instant.
And while thus imprisoned, constant
efforts were made to intilnidate her to
the fate to which the keeper OF the place
was determined to drive her. For this
purpose man after man was sent 10 her
prison. With some the simple state
1ment OF the case was sufficient to turn
them from their purpose; but against
others she had to fight as if for her life
for that which was to her dearer than
life
But lack ofsfood and lack of sleep be-
gan to tell upon her. Her strength fail
ed, her mind weakened, and it seemed
as though her doom was sealed.
On the third day of Mary's imprison-
ment Mr.. England, who was about to
start for Rhode Island, bethought him
self to his young cOuntry-woman, and
determined to call at the boarding
house in Greenwich street to see what
had become of her. He did so, and
was informed that she had engaged as
bar-maid in William street saloon.
Having knowledge of such places, Mr..
though pressed for time, he determined
to call at the saloon and see what kind
of hands Mary had fallen into. he
went thither and the moment he enter
ed the place he discovered its character.
On inquiring of the Iandlday for Mary
he was told that she had gone to Penn
sylvainia with her brother, who had
come for her two days before. Some
thing in the woman's manner excited
Mr.. England's suspicious, and he told
him, and that Mary was still in the
house.
At this the woman flew into passion
and swore VOlub1Y at Mr.. England in
several languages. This strengthened
his suspicious of foul play and he grew
more peremptory in his manner and
speech. While he was contesting the
matter with the landlady one of the
girls in waiting passed near him, and
muttered something which he under
stood to be a statement that Mary was
actually in the house.
Upon this Mr.. England took decided
ground, and told the woman that unless
she Immediately produced the girl he
would go for an officer and have her
arrested. This brought her to terms.-
She gave one of the Mattresses "A key,
and an order in German, in pursuance
of which tho girl went and JIIf4eelSod
6Ige room in which Mary was confined.
As soon as the door was opened Mary
came rushing out, and seeing Mr.. Eng
land, she flew to him-sobbing hyster-
icallv, and cIinging to his armand
cried:
"Take me from this place, Mr.. Eng
land; take me from this place 20
After demanding Mary's trunk,
which WAS delivered to him, with all
her things, Mr.. England Immediately
took the rescued girl to place OF safety.
Mary's brother had died as she soon
learned, while she was on her voyage
to meet him. But a young New York
Lawyer saw her and loved her, land won
her, and married her, and she is now
living, happy and prosperous,in in Brook
lyn.