The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-10-09
EDITOR STEAD COMMITTED.
He Arraigns the King of the BeI&ians
and Other Great PersOnageS.

London advices state that after the
evidence closed for the prosecution IN
the Armstrong abduction case, arising
out of the "Pall Mall Gazette" ex-
posures, Editor Stead caused decided
sensation in Court by the audacity of his
revelations Speaking in his own de-
Tense, he said that he commenced his
inquiry upon finding that the situation OF
unprotected girls was SO desperate that
nothing remained but to compel the
House of Commons to amend the law,
vet this same House of Commons was
honeycombed with immortality, and the
present legislation against vice was
fraud of the worst description. The force
for which disreputable houses are re-
eruited could not be expected to legislate
were familiar visitors at Mime. Jeffreys'
| houses, hence it was hopeless to expect
the interference of the law unless its
energies were greatly stimulated. Mr..
Stead had appealed to the Society for
the Protection of Women, but the Presi
dent ridiculed the idea that any woman
became bad except of her own free
choice. AS crucial test of the useless
ness of this society he mentioned to the
President a recent case, in which a girl
at a house in Trevor Square, where she
was, after being only two weeks con-
fined, tied naked to post and fiogged
by man who kept her in the most
atrocious manner, making her flesh fly
and blood flow Her shrieks for mercy
were heard all over the house, yet the
President of that society did not inter
fere, but claimed that the girl consented
to the birching, and if she got more than
she bargained for it was not the affair of
the society.
THE AUTHORITIES CORRUPTED.
Mr.. Stead then said his last hope was
in the magistracy and police, but, as the
Jefreys case showed, even this final re-
source failed. He then stated that Nine.
Jeffrey's admitted to a member of the
"Gazette's'' staff that she had been sup
plying girls to the King of the Belgians,
princes, dukes, NJ. P.'s, many of the lat
ter being among her customers. Wit
nesses were ready to swear to the presence
of exalted personages and high officials
in houses of Chelsea, when suddenly the
prosecution closed the case, and on the
pre-arranged plea of guilty the procuress
was fined just One-quarter of the sum the
King of the Belgians paid her annually
for her services. AT this juncture the
agents of the Purity Society supplied evil
dence of horrible treatment inflicted by
a wealthy customer of Nine. Jeffreys on
a child Is years of age The society was
urged to make public agitation in the
matter, and vainly sought assistance in the
opening inquiry of the Home Secretary,
and rescue workers all agreed that this
vice had increased with the last two
years. The chaplain of great prison
had assured Mr.. Stead that in one house
the fallen children numbered fifty /
under 10 years of age. In Farnham last |
May there were forty girls under u
years of age, and in only four cases were !
their betrayers punished.
HORRIBLE DEPRAvITY.
In South London police court it was
proved that one man had assaulted six
teen and another dozen children.
There was only one case of conviction in
eight weeks, yet between the beginning
and end of the inquiry accounts of assaults
upon forty-three girls between the ages
of and Is were brought before the
courts Every year it is necessary to
open new homes for ruined children in
order to give shelter to the shattered
wrecks OF English girlhood. Lust and
hunger found mothers who were willing
to sell their daughters for cash down. A
lady whom Mr.. Stead was proud to call
friend was actually prosecuted for assault