The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-07-11

Stillwat ter Minn. Wednesday, July II, 1883.

GERS who may arrest them at their will.
Now these women dread arrest, for they
know that they will be fined to to the extent
of their purse and if that is found empty a
cell in the wOrkhOuse awaits them sure.
This man sought the Office of detective for
the power it would give him over these un-
fortunate women with whose weaknesses
and fears he had become familiar by long
association.
That city's method of dealing with the
evil affords a man of his character. having
authority to make arrests, rich harvest
field whose fruits he may gather without
risk and without toll.
Humanity knows these unfOrtunateS have
enough to contend agant and suffer without
being left prey for such vultureS to feast
upon 1t is bad enough for city TO eXtOrt
the price of WOman'S shame aud apply it to
a useful purpose. but it becomes All infam-
Gus outrage when that city leaves her after
wards without protection from the parasite
clothed with power which he may and
does use to still farther rob to gain means tC
SQuander in his own base extravagances.
Don't you think it would be just as judi
diciOuS to try to cleanse foul vessel by
rnsing it in fOuler water as for city to sci
such men to guard its morals and expect tC
ma CDen kept SdIo anu clodIl!
am we'll aware that am wandering in
to an almost forbidden subject, but | hope
you will allow me to say few words that
may call the attention of those readers of Oul
paper who are laboring to lift up the fallen
and to purify society to that class who are
left to the ''tender" mercieS Of such men as
the one described and another class OF
shameless and unnameable teaches who live
ho nf
danger of being called to account as all ac.
cessOry of her crime. How can your police
powers overlook these worse than criminals.
and See the poor drunken labOrer lying in
the ditch. made drunk on the liquor sold
by your license, and haul him up before the
bar Of justice and fine him an amount which
will require months labor, at his small
wages. to pay: or in case he is pennileSs,
take the little hoard that his wife has earned
at her tub? There are scores of a class OF
| men in your cities who don't do an honest
days work the year round. yet they live up
on the fat of the land. wear fine linen
every day and are treated with more cOur-
| tesy and less contempt when brought into
| court for some overt act than is the toll
stained labOrer who is SO unfortunate as tt
be caught with more snakes and lOng-tailed
devils inside of him than he can control
One is termed 'HilariOuS Sport the Other
Common Drunk" | advise you to turn
your attention to that class awhile and
think you will discover the channel through
| which SO many of your girls are being car.
ried away to the dens of infamy. 1t is they
who lead most of them by ingenious ways
to start on that journey that leads straight
downward to a dishonOred grave. DO moi
be so foolish as to think you can eradicate
the evil by Furnishing its victims crush out
the source of the evil and there can be nc
| victims. How can we do that?" Insist or
! the enforcement of existing laws. and use
your influence to have others passed and en-
forced that will land that favored class in
the penitentiary the same as any other elias:
of thieves. And stop this thing
of picking out one offending woman here
and there from among hundreds of her kind
and sending her to state prison or extOrtinl
from her all enormous fine to be paid by
the very sin you condemn her for. l once
knew of a girl being arrested three times in
one week and each time made to pay z
heavy fine. not because she was any worse
than twenty other inmates of the same den
but because she would not contribute to a
blackmailing fund. After pawnng all he1
earthly possessions to the leach of the der
to pay her fines. she was kicked out and
ordered to leave the town. on pain of being
sent to prison. Ihave been in town where
there was an ordinance forbidding the fe
male inmates of these dens to show
themselves upon the streets, while the male
leach who owned and managed the place
was given the freedom of the city. was
treated with cordiality by officers and citi
zens, spent Ibis" money freely and wal