St. Paul daily globe., 1888-07-08
1T LOOKS ABOUT THIS WAY.

GOONS ADV
place. You must conform to our rules
and pay us 25 cents besides for getting
you the place." he replied.
Il understood that the employer paid
81 for finding a suitable girl. 1t must
be profitable business when you col
lect commission from both parties to
the transaction" | remarked.
He informed me in most impressive
manner that the 25 cents apiece collected
from the girls was not to contribute to
the profits of the Office. But, the aver
age domestic being a very irresponsible
creature, it was necessary to make her
pay part of the expense in order te keep
track of her whereabouts. Eyes, you're
right, mister" Clipped one of the girls,
Il paid for place and I've come here
every day for more than two weeks, not
to mention what I've spent in car fare
going to places where they
HAD HELP ALREADY,
or maybe didn't want help at all. I'd
like to know how much longer have to
stay" He didn't answer, but she and
several others were still there when |
left.
l went to the place appointed, but the
lady said she had hired a girl from that
Office two days ago. 1 sauntered around
to the kitchen door and interviewed the
girl.
"Why didn't you go back to the office
and tell them you had taken this place"'
| said = ''you would have saved other
girls the trouble and expense of con-
ing"
She was lusty Irish girl, and had no
notion of being brought to an account
by another of her own class. AN do
ye think Pm running an intelligence
Office on me own hook, that I'd be after
going back to tell them that I'd got
place afther trampin' over the city for
three days before gettin' this? They
git well paid for every place they git
fur gurrul, aud Pm afther thinkin'
they'll get no information out of me-" 1
saw that persuasion would be lost on
Bridget, so after resting while I re-
ported at the Office and was sent to two
other places. In both of these, the
places were already filled.
"WOuldn't you like to go out of
| town"' he asked, at the same time re-
| citing to me the fine places that could
be had, the high wages and small
amount of work required; also that my
| fare to the place would be paid on prom
ise of staying at least six months. Ide-
clined, because | thought if his state
ments about places out of town were as
| wide of the facts as they were in the
city, they could hardly be depended
| upon.
One of the girls called me aside, say
ing: IF you're stranger in the city
| you'd better be little careful about
where you go; that man has been known
to send girls to houses of bad repute,
| the girls not knowing where they were
| going"
II don't believe it," replied. even
if he had no regard for girls character
he would probably be too sharp to rem
der himself liable before the law, or run
the risk of having his license revoked"
eff you want proof l can send you to
girls who have been sent to those places,
but it's no use for them to complain to
him; he will deny any knowledge Of
the affair."" she answered.
L suspended my search for work long
| enough to look up the girls who were
said to have been sent to such place.
One denied knowing anything about it
at first, but finally said she had been
sent to such place once, but declined
to give any particulars, saying that if
other girls knew it she would be shut
out from them. She made me promise
NOT TO REVEAL HER NAME
in that connection. The other two girls
were more willing to talk ON condition
of secresy on my part. All of them
utterly refused to testify before court
as to the matter, claiming that they
would be forever dlsgraced if the affair
were made public, ,and they preferred to
suffer in silence.
put on my White Cross badge and
went around to interview Mr.. Douglass
on the subject He claimed that he
never knowingly sent girls to houses of
ill repute, but that he wasn't response
BILE for the character of women who
came to hire help; he thought that was
the girls lookout. Of course 1 could
not prove to him that he did know
where he was sending those girls, yet 1t
was in notorious quarter of the city,
and If girls are expected to be able to
Jndge of the locality why should not the
agent, who knows something about il?
felt satisfied in my own mind that
agency of Which such Stories l were a
told. Next l visited the Nicollet
intelligence office, at 80 Nicollet ave-
nue.. The Office is situated in the rear
part of the building; it was very grimy
and dusty; the notion of using the win
dOws for advertising purposes seemed
never to have occurred to the lady in
charge. There were large number of
girls in this place. Here, as in several
other places, was amused to see now
the girls stood in awe of the proprietors
of the Offices. The lady in this Office
was kind and friendly to me, seeming
anxious to do all she could toward get.
ting me place. / went to the first
place where she sent me. The lady
was at home and wanted a grill imme,
diately became walking Interrogation
point.
''How many in family?" / asked