St. Paul daily globe., 1885-07-30
A TOUGH LOCALITY.
A Moral Sewer Situated i'm the Heart
of Town.

needs a thorough eXpurgating at the hands
of the law or its agents, that spot is found
on Minnesota street. 1t is beyond the rec
objection of st. Paul's oldest citizens when
Minnesota street was not notorious, and it
is matter of history that this notoriety
was of the most unsavory kind. In fact, it
is within the memory of younger people
when the street was considered an unsafe
place of resort, and rows and disturbances,
in which razors and revolvers were brought
to play, were of the most unwholesome
frequency. The street was the home chiefly
of colored citizens, the spot chosen for dis
orderly saloons and the popular resorts of
rough characters. \ great change has
taken place within the past few years,
and the hard elements driven from
the street are principally confined to
that block located between Fifth and Sixth
streets. There the former seeds of immor-
ality have found excellent nourlshment, and
vice has increased in enormity in the pro-
portion of the laxitY on the part of the po-
lice. The part mentioned above is accord
ingly the home of
VICE IN ITS LOWEST FORM,
vice practiced with very little restraint,
and to-day there are, to put it mildly, on
that one block, or on one side and corner of
nation houses, and at least one poker den,
and all of these are run openly and without
even the fine imposed upon other sporting
houses in the city. The houses are chiefly
filled with degraded colored women, but in
some are women of both coloTs. For white
girls it is the lowest point attainable, and is
sought only by those whose moral disregard
for everything and everybody allows them
to become the lustful instruments for low
colored men.
One evening this week a lengthy commu-
nicatiOn was received at the GLOBE Office,
reSponsibly signed and vouched for, discuss
ing in detail this obnoxious spot in the city.
The first paragraph reads as follows: 1.-The
midnight wanderings of sinner viewing
St Paul Slums on Minnesota street at II
o'clock at night. The curtain is raised at
the famous Monte Cristo mot, however, by
Edmond Dantes) and it falls in the third
story of stone house on Minnesota street"
The communication continues TO discuss
the unchaSte proceedings and lewd sights
which can be observed in that locality every
night.
TO TEST THE TRUTH
of the statements made, the writer speci-
fed time and place when he would meet
a GLOBE representative and verify the as
oCAblO4o Os d Nloib W lOb CNCu SlAhCu
palaces of sin. This was done, and at
o'clock one evening reporter and his es-
cort stood on the corner Of Fifth and Min
nesota streets preparatory to making the
rounds. The visit amply SubStantiated the
charges and disclosed sights of an unsavory
character and entirely unfit for detailed de-
Scription.
Before leaving the corner the gentleman
called attention to the street, which was
lined with knots of men, chiefly colored,
while here and there stood group of
women of the same race. AS the man re-
marked, no effort was made to keep the
men moving or off the street, and there was
no chance for decent women to walk along
without being insulted.
The first two places visited were places
of ll-repute. The interior of the places
was comparatively neat, but there was
noticeable lack of the substantial appear
ance sought to be shown. In each were a
number of the demi-monde variety, one
place containing about half dozen, with
a fair admiXture of white women. The
groups were of the hardest of the hard, to
all appearances. and apparently as near the
foot of the social scale as it is possible to
attain. In one of the houses were a num-
ber of colored citizens seeking pleasure in
the So-called
''FRUIT OF DIoNYsTUs,"
better known as Milwaukee beer, and ap-
parently enjoying themselves in the society
of the frail occupants of the dwelling.
Another house was visited where the
picking of banjo, coupled with an occa-
sional merry laugh in a rear room, was indie
ative of the mirth within. but i'm the room
nicknamed the front parlor' there was
nothing strikingly noticeable. From one
saloon the reporter was led through the
rear to a parlor in an adjacent building,
where appeared a number of gaming tables
which are said to be in use day and night.
To show the character on entering another
place, the gentleman remarked to the pro-
prletor. after some preliminary talk. '-can
you not arrange to give this friend of mine
one of the rooms overhead tomorrow night.
and furnish a companion for him?" The
proprietor at once agreed to furnish the
companion, but he was at first 10th to
give a room. He finally consented to make
all arrangements and furnish the room.
After completing the tour the gentleman
said: Now l will show you a sight equal
to any you can see on Fourth avenue in
Chicago" and he walked across the street,
followed by the scribe.
''LooK ALONG THERE"
he said. as he pointed to a number of the
windows in the second story along the
street. In a number everything which was
going on was visible, owing to the blinds
being open. In one place particularly the
actions of some persons of both colors. even
though the character of the persons be con-
sidered, were, to say the least, shocking, and
which may not be described. This is
state of things which calls somewhat loudly
for action of some kind on the part of the
city officials.