The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-07-14
SEDUCTION OF CHILDREN.
REVELATIONS OF VICE IN NEW
YORK.
What Mr.. Gerry Has Done 70 Put
a Stop to the Infamous Traffic
In Young Girls.

New YORK, July lS.-Mr. Gerry ha:
| Just sained swee ping victory again,t
men in New Yo k who are guilty o.
the practice so shoCkingly explo ted
Ia London. He induced the L,gi la
ture TO pass an act constituting the Sc
due ion of child, no matt n ii she
does consent, as an SEDUCTION, punish.
able by impIis s1nment for five years OF
less. Gov. Hill has signed it, and the
law is now in shape tobe used against
the sc1undrels for whom it is meant
81 could talk on this subject for five
vars and then only reach the begin
ming" said Mr.. Gerry. Let me give
you brief resume of the legislation
bearing on the subject. Yesissgo the
law OF New York, as well as nearly
every other State in the Union, made
it crime punishable with death, to
violate the erson of girl under 10.
Consent, Sd called, had nothing to do
with it, the Jaw presuming that a
child OF such tender years was inca
pable of the knowledge necessary t.
consent to her own ruin. AT the
present time the punishment for the
offense is limited to twenty years inn
pIisonment. We have t led
IN vain to get the age CT the
child raited to the limit
of thirteen Years, but have not as yet
succeeded. We have, however, ac-
compished great advance, az | shall
show you. The crime Of rape, as you
must know, presupposes resistlnce
and unwilliDgness on the part OF the
victim. If the woman is a willing
party to the act the euormity OF the
crime is greatly lessened, and the pen
atty correspondingly. Formerly, any
girl over the age of 10, by consanting
to her seducer, absolved him om the
charge and consequences of rape, no
matter how lnuch he might have pre-
sumed upon her ignorance and conf
dence. Step by step. for We have had
to move very cautiously in the mat
ter, ss legislators are conservative,
we have bought sbout such modi6ca-
tions in the penal code that now who
ever is guilty Of seducing girl who is
under the age of sixteen, is guilty Of
abduction and liable to imprisonment
for term not exceeding five years.
The distinction here made is an i'm
portsnt one; the crime Of rape sti re-
mains in all its heinous enorm ty; but
he who has taken advantage OF child
under sixteen cannot now plead in
absolute mitigation of the ofsnss that
his victim consented. Consent makes
him guilty OF abduction and liable to
punishment accordingly. The change
in the code is not based upon the con-
sideration of sentiments. This organ
ization has endeavored to make the
most thorough investigation into the
general subject, and in this effort we
have had the voluntary cooperation
of the highest medical authorities in
the laud. The independent and COM
bined research Of these gentlemen has
shown beyond the shadow of scientific
doubt that girls should be insured the
strongest possible protection Of law
until they sea.S the aga Of Is. l am
speaking now wholly cf the physita',
material effects, casting aside mo-
ment any thought of the moral side of
the subject. l will not attempt to de-
liver hygiene or anatomical demon
ttra'ion Of this dictum, but will merely
assert that such is fact, the conclu-
sion OF expert and scientific study. l
will add, however, that this conclu-
sion is reinforced in a most striking
way by the experiences of this society.
We find the children who are forced
or led astrsy below the age of sixteen
can usually be saved from the most
horrible consequences Of their error
but if girl passes the sixteenth limit
and then fails, it becomes a hope
less case. Dsar me, dear mel l
think l ought to know. / have
tried 20 many times to redeem
girls who had baen led into vice
after they had passed their 10th birth.
day go many times has it seemed as
if our efforts had been crowned with
success, only to find that the unfortu-
nate creature had slipped back into
her bad ways. Icaunot recall single
case where final reform has been ac.
complished under this condition, but
there are q great many instances in
our records OF successful work with
children who had suffered seduction
before reaching the age Of 49,"
SOME OF MR.. GKRRY's WORK.
TIE dealers in little girls are hardly
ever persons engaged openly in car
reer Of vice. They carry on their in
famous traffic under the cover OF some
|, gitima'e business. Commonly they
try to make it appear to their Gus
toners that the girls are on their
premises as employees in some legiti-
mate work--tbat the corruption is ac-
cidvntal and exclu i've. Several Cases
uuexaegerated rom the experience of
Mr.. Gerry's society will illustrate the
point meant. There used to be an in-
nocent looking cigar sto at 4G Delan-
cay street. Mr.. Gerry became ratified
that all was not right there. II 8 Off
cers wers put On the track by men
who lived near by, and who
claimed that they had teen Crimi-
nal acts in ne cigar store from
thsir window. Bat when the officer
tried to see for himself, from the same
windows, he found that it was impos-
sible to witness anything that WAS 90.
ing on in the store. 1t became ap.
parent that the informers had taken
their observat ms from the inside, but
we're ashamed to confess il. They
had invented the window evidences.
1t took two months Of persistent w-rk,
but he got it. The proprietTess OF the
store was Rachel Goldeialez, ali3s j sh-
Ter, i,s Wischler. ibis woman had
two daughter, one undec ii, the
other lG. They wire almost
constantly in front Of the store,
and frequently other younger gIrlo
were geen going in or out. TEs in it.
self was not sig ifieant, but the prss-
ence Of highly respectable men vas
curious. There was lounge Ut the
back OF the shop, and a small bed
room adjoining After time the
officer got sight Of ac ions that we're,
10 say The least, improper, but the
final and overwhelming proof of the
real nature OF Gjlderape ez's business
came when she offered him a choice
Of either of her own daughters.
This was enough for the officer
He st once paced her and the
girls-including third aged 1O-under
arrest. Goderauez was terrified, She