The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-11-01
RESOLVED TO REFORM.
A Noted Courtesan Publicly
AvOws Her Intention to
Lead a New Life,
And Will To-day Forever Quit
the Haunts Of Sin and Death
in Kansas City.

Yesterdays Kansas City Journal saw
One of those peculiar cases of reformation
which develop occasionally, and cause for
a time general expression of surprise,
was brought to light Yesterday in this city.
These remarkable changes i'm life that is
supposed bv every one to be dedicated 10
all that is vile and unclean, are usually
traceable TO no apparent source, but seem
to spring from the natural love OF purity
and domestic instincts oi a woman's heart
and nature. Such are It's facts i'm this
case, and there is no doubt but that the
subject will receive all the support and as
>istance that is required to bring the mo-
tivcs of her resolve To a successful Issue.
Annie Miller, who for some time has
been known TO the police and about the
town as the keeper of a house of shame
Yesterday openly declared her intention To
reform, and, in furtherance of this worthy
purpose, has began preparations for clos
Ing up her house tomorrow, and after that
lime Will forsake all that goes i'm connec-
lion with the disgracefui business she haas
been CARRYING on, AMI will endeayor here
after 10 lead pure and virtuous life.
Miss Annie, a. she IL commonly known,
* AT the present time only twcntv-one
wears OF age, but is large. well-developed
girl, who would pass for a Woman Of
rwentv-cisht or thirty. She is remark
ably good looking, and when on her good
behavior, is lad like and refined in her
manners. Her true Name is Annie Jensen,
and she is a native Of ckholm, Sweden,
whence she came with her mother at an
early age and when she was about nine
wears old her mother died and left her a
poor, helpless orphan on the streets of
Kansas City. She was afterwards adopted
10y a gambler named George Miller, who
was at the time living with woman To
whom he had neve been married. This
latter fact Was not known 20 the Young
girl until some quarrel resulted in their
separation. Soon after this, Miller died
and Annie was again thrown on the town
About this time her ruin was accom-
plished on a promise of marriage from a
member OF the fire department, who has
since died.
The poor girl drifted from one step TO
another down the hill, until about one
wear ago she became the mistress of "A
house on Grand avenue, near the foot of
that thoroughfare. In this undertaking
she SAYS she has prospered and made
money, but she WAS Young and did not
have that control over her girls which is es-
sential to success, and which comes onlv bv
resorting to all sorts of unprinci pied and
despicable means known only to an old
and experienced woman that has been long
i'm the business To this WAS attributable
the fact that the inmates of her house were
frequently boisterOus and unrulv, at which
times the police would raid the place, and
the profits OF the disreputable business were
mainly eaten up by the frequent and heavy
fines TO which she was subject On Friday
evening an officer visited the place to re-
monstrate with the inmates and insist
upon their being orderly and quiet He
casually informed the proprietress that she
was unfit for the business. This well
timed remark seems to have been the seed
from which the resolve to reform sprung,
and late Yesterday afternoon Annie visited
the chief of police to iniorm him of her in
tentiOn TO give up the business. In this
she was encouraged, and received some
good, kind, fatherly advice that strength
ened her purpose.
The girl seems to appreciate the diff
culties and obstacles that lie i'm her way,
but indulged i'm the relief of good crying
spell at the station, and left with her pur-
pose firmly set.
In the course of her conversation she
said: ooh, if ma had only lived | would
never have come to this am sure"
The girl says she will obtain such EN-
ployment as she can find, but that she un-
derstands very little abont any but needle
work, at which she is an expert. She says
she has always detested the business she
has been engaged i'm, and that the intoxi-
cation, degradation and distress that she
has witnessed have made her soul sick,
while the fearful oaths and unusual bias
phemy, which minglc with the obscene
language and faint the very air OF house
of sin, have combined To make life for her
about ssch an establishment no longer en-
durable. Being yet Young in years she
has decided To act upon the better instincts
of her mature and will hereafter he true
I" the womanly principles of virtue. and
lead a quiet secluded life. In this il is TO
Toe hoped she will he encouraged by all
lovers of morality, and her open abandon
ment of the life of cnurtesan will proba-
bly, preclude the possibility of any future
retrogression that will throw her into the
society of her old associates