, 1879-04-20
IN THE DEPTHS.
One Of the Places Where Youth
Is Corrupted.
a Cheap Pedestrian, a Cracked Piano,
and Fallen Women.
Why Are Such Places Allowed to Re.
tain Their Licenses7

@"-A~@ ~"@~~A
Since the palmy days of the Colyin Administra-
tion, when the gang Of shoulder-hitters and
ward-thunpers who infested the City-Hall
ruled everything in the shape OF municipal af~
fairs, and their evil influence radiated through
the city,-when high city officials thought
1t no shame to occupy private boxes at
third-rate variety theatres and to encourage the
pretty waiter-girl saloons by their august pres
ence,-bold-faced vice has never been so rampant
in Chicago as it is to-day. From jackson to
Twelfth street the west side Of State is lined
with Italian restaurants, saoen6 where women
OF the town ana boys OF .16 are the chief
customers, dives OF every variety, and
houses OF ill-fame. Even in the after
noon no man can walk along Clark
street south OF Harrison without being
compelled to hear the solicitations Of the vile
women who inhabit that unsayory thorough
fare, and who from the windows where they sit
in more or less undrapcd unloveiness tout for
custom, irrespective Of deceucy and careless OF
the consequences.
TIE TRIBUNE contained few days ago an
account Of two girls, one 16 and the other 13
years old, who were found 10 the internal den
known as 'tMonroe's Garden,' on State street.
The exposure OF the facts in regard to this and
kindred hell-holes has brought in flood Of COM
munications, and has shown the citizens the cx-
taken possession Of the city. One OF the chief
adiuncts to these so-called ''gardcns" Is
the pedestrian business. 4 spluy-1ooted
female or q half-grow lud Is engaged to tramp
around upon a sawdust track, brokcn7down
musician gets dollar night and all be ean
drink to torture the keys of dilapidated piano,
q few tables and chairs arc put in, and 10! the
two-for- -tivc-cent beer-hall blossoms out into a
place where Nine. Brown or Patrick MaloneY Is
engaged to walk so many thousand miles III SO
many hundred minutes, or vice versa.
1t would be impossible tC give list ntfe OF
these places. Some OF them are less objectona-
bic thnn others In that they are not frequented
by women, and Of these little need be said. As
matter OF fact
THE PEDESTRIAN ADVANCEMENT
is in every case an absolute sWindlc, but this Is
d matter of miuor importance. In every in
stauce there is u beer-counter attached, admit
tance free, mid no less FREQ to boys and chill
dren than to grown persons. But there IS yet q
worse class, and that includes tho sink-holcs Of
iniavity, to which the women are admitted, and
which are simply places Of assignation and
gathering grounds for prostitutes, thieves,
pi,nps, and loafers. The pedestrianism and the
alleged music arc features of these places, and
they hnve become within the past few weeks cn-
tlIEi5 kCO p4EuA44u4.
Last night reporter visited one Of these
ranches which is located at No. 112 Monroe
street, between Dearborn and Clark. The place
was formerly au Italian restaurant OF the usual
style, with back roouls fitted with cheap lace
curtains, and where bad beer and worse whisky
were dealt out to customers OF either SEX Re
Gently the rear part OF the premises has been
fitted TN for pedestrian purposes. 4 eii1pt1caI
track was covered With saWdusI, anu the space
within the e!lipse filled in, in with WITH rough
built into recess, = 1profuston Of Chi
ncse lanterns, dirty flags, and played-out
eyergreens were procured, and hard-looking
Bridgeport snecimcn engaged to personatc 3
So-and-so and Such-a-one would walk for. q
silver cup, purse, etc, and the show was ready
to start.
Last night about 9 o'clock the ct walking"
vas in full swing. Forty or fifty young fellows
were seated around the tables, the piano jinglcd
away, and the pedestrians campered over the
truck. He {the aforesaid ped-)
STRUCK EARLY IN THE EVENING, I
declaring that be would see the show eternally
and ererlastingly sunk before he would walk for
So night, but he was ca1ucd down after q |
shtfe, and this attraction was re-
tables were other attractions--the women.
Such crowd as they were,- odd, haggard, rud-
He'd trampers Of the pavement; young, brazen-
'aced prostitutes with stridcnt voices and o.
oue1 WHICH 6olDQed NkC iHAu's !aoEltef
heard in hell, far down." They came in singly |
md in twos aNd threes. They knew the wAir-
,rs and addressed them by their given names,
or at least By their existing aliases. charac-
erlstic OF the male crowd Was
ITS EXTREME YouTHrULSEss.
There were Us few men With boards rs there
we're women with regulations. But, with the
exception of party OF five, apparently stran-
.ers who were ''doing" the city, the men and
lie women were known to each other. |
Both classes fraternized. The women
;aluted the boys as "Billie" or s'Chnrlie,'
md made the rounds amongst them, seeking
n most cases vainly-for an Invitation to drink.
t was noticeable, however, that except the
rowd OF visitors aforementioned the men
,aid little attention to their fair solicltants.
rhe gang Of 'suckers' ~ Jared badly.
They had scarcely seated themselves and
woman who for Years past has been known to
he police ind those whose duties call them out
fter nightfntl as cue OF the most persistent Of
lie vile class to which she belongs. Without
My vacant chair near the table occupied by
his purity, reached out for the pearest glass Of
Eeer, and poured it without delay down her ca-
acious throat. Then she turned'to the nearest
ictim and demanded if he was not going to
rder her something to drink. At the same
loment she caught sight Of couple more like |
INTO herself who had just entered the hall. and
allied to them to come aud sit BY her. The |
rOWd OF visitors raised no objections, and soon |
he whole outfit we're busily engaged in drink
1g, the women Invariably etnptying their glasses
8 soon as they we're placed before them, aud
lWays canlorou6 for more.
At this moment there entered upoh the scene
PoL1cE-oFF1cER.
he hush which fell upon the asscmb1arc was
[most painful in its intensity. He stood with !
is back to the entrance to the hall, inside the
.ore, and judgin. by their looks and actions |
le crowd felt good deal as Don Juan did
hen the statue Of the Commentators accepted
is thougltless invitation to come to supper.
irst one, then three, then half dozen of the
got up md sneaked out. But
do this they hnd to pass the policeman, aud
WIS ludicrous to watch tile mingled air
brarado a,id apprehension with which
ley faced him. OF those who remained
lost busted themselves emptying their
lasses, and there WINS manifest
,clnarion on the part OF the men to get as fur
possible away from their female companions.
turned out, however, that the officer had no
sposition to break up the harmony OF the |
altering, and finally one OF the women, who !
as dressed In heavy sea1-skin cloak and
ported much jewelry, gathered heart Of grace {
I'd walked up to the 'fcop,' whom she favored !
ith her conversation for some minutes. t
The result Of this untoward interruption was I .
zen In the consequent /
DEPLETION oF TIE ROOM.
he policeman had no sooner disappeared than |
,out half the men and nearly all the women