Morris tribune., 1881-11-24
IMMORAL CHICAGO.
A Region in the Heart of Chicago that Revels
in Sin-Where Thugs and Thieves and
Low Women Hold Nightly Revel.

Low Women Hold Nightly Revel.
The following from the Chicago Tribune,
reveals state of iniauity which challenges
competition anywhere in the world:
The West Side police now claim that they
have the ''thug bonanza" which they
locate on Randolph and Lake Streets, in
the region between Clinton and halsted
streets. Scarcely night passes but that,
in the small hours, when nothing is heard
but the jingle of Car bells or the footstep of
some solitary pedestrian, the officer on beat
along one of those streets hears yells for
his constabulary legs will carry him. Ere
he reaches the place from which the cries
emanated. shrieks for aid from
another spot in the opposite
direction, and from debating as to
which victim is in the most urgent need for
help he loses ground, and the thugs get
throug IN their work and are far away when
the limb Of law reaches their prostrated
victim. Occasionally the police happen to
fall on the thieves just as they are SO brfsily
engaged in searching an unfortunate as not
to see the approaching blue-coat. A case
like this happened few nights ago. Two
officers were parading Randolph street, near
Halsted, when cries for help came from
Lake street, and they responded immedi-
ately. On arriving there nothing was seen,
but on their way back they ran upon two
notorious thugs who had thrown an old wo-
man Is years of age to the ground. Taken
by surprise, the villains were unable to
move, and the "come-alongs" were per-
suaded to spend the night at the West
Madison street police station. They we're
fined 500 each next morning.
The locality owes it's population of thugs
to the cheap, low saloons with which it is
infested. These resorts of the above fra
ternity usually bear becoming names. Red
Harrys" and the s'Mad House" stand out
as shining examples. Selling poisonous
whisky at five cents glass, offering con-
Went hiding and sleeping places under the
counters and around the premises, these
saloons form the most tempting and prin-
cipal resorts of thieves of the worst descrip-
ton. The above mentioned places are on
Randolph street, where many solitary in
| dividual is bounced upon, and in many
| cases the event is not heard Of, the ag-
grieved party desiring to avoid publicity.
If these saloons are vile, their upper stories
rank over them in villiany of worse de-
scription, and, being run conformity with
the saloons, the two form an amalgamation
to help one another and also to defeat the
efforts of the police. Infested
with fallen women and fe-
male thieves, they are useful to the
male thugs in hiding their spoil, and also
in hiding the latter gentleman himself,
when hard pressed. Sounds of drunken
revelry, brawls, and fights make hideous
the entire night, and those cyprians who
on the window stills in decent wardrobe,
| nd RI 111ro NV into fhoir
dens. Inattention to their solicitation is
answered by them with volleys of abuse and
an occasional missile, which, if well di-
rected, lays the recipient of it on the side
walk, where he is jumped upon and rob-
bed by the ever watchful thief. The up
per stories are also supplied with secret
doors which connect one
house with the other, and which,
in cases of emergency, form
very easy escape for the inmates.
Being houses of designation, they are often
patronized by higher class of misguided
girls, who, belonging, in some cases, to re-
spectacle families, find the secret door a
successful means of eluding enquiring pa
rents and friends. One case is cited by the
police in which a Scotch, an English, and
an Irish woman called together one night at
one of these notorious dens, each in quest
of delinquent daughter, whom they sus-
pected of being in the house. The demands
of anxious mothers were met with rounds
of vituous indignation by the landlady, who
invited them to search the premises if they
liked. At the same time the alarm was given
to the girls, who escaped through the Sc
cret door into the next house and from
thence to the street.
The inmates of these houses are princi-
paliy young girls, all of whom. when ranged
before the police court, after successful
raid by the officers, present the appearance
of besotted drunkards. Living Immediate
ly above casks Of vile poison, which they
obtain for five cents glass, they find the
temptation to strong, and are most always
intoxicated. About a month ago a young
girl named Tay lor, Is years of age, resid.
ing in one of these houses, was found dea6
in her bed, and inquiries revealed the fact
that she had been ON a spree of months
duration, the liquor being supplied to hel
for nothing when her funds gave out.