The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-13
CHATTEL SLAVERY.
How the Law Helps an Infamous
Trade In Women.
Cincinnati Commerce.

A richly but badly-dressed woman
walked into tbs recorders office yes
terday afternoon. She was remark
ably stout. short, and both in manner
and appearance showed her calling.
She had walked DIP to the desk of the
chattel mortgage clerk, handed him a
paper and a quarter and walked out
again.
'She must have bought another
slave. remarked bystander.
w nat do you mean ~
THAT she is q slave trader; that her
traffic Is not so extensive as that of
the ante-bellum slave traders. but even
more infamous. Examine that docu-
ment she has just filed and yoa will
understand better.
The document was a chattel mort
gage In favor of the woman. The con-
sideration on her side was $50. The
other name which appeared in the
mortgage was that of Young girl.
On the face of it it was nothing more
than a chattei mortgage But there
was another than surface reading
The chattei mortgage was as much a
bond of slavery as was the deed exc
cuted under the law of ancient Greece.
~ " lkth u i5Aia Stll himself
into slavery for debt.
There was one clause in the mort
gage mentioned which revealed the
true inwardness of 1.-THE words writ
ten under the printed word ''Sched-
ule. Here is what they were:
One trunk and contents, one seal saeaue.
one plush dress, one sateen dress, three
cloth dresses, one flannel dress, four cash
mere dresses. four bonnets, Is suits OF
underwear, one otter muff and collar. Eve
pair of shoes, stockings. ribbons, trfnke cts
etc, the above being eli my wardrobe, kept
aud 10 be kept at - Broadway.
"All my wardrobe every stitch of
clothing, every possession she had in
the world. held in the iron clutch OF
the landlady. and To be held until the
girl could pay off this debt-untii she
could wrest enough money from the
rapacious fingers that snatched at al
most every cent of her dollars earned
in shame and degradation.
With these articles in some one else s
possession, with not q shred of cloth
ing she could call her own, for her to
attempt 10 leave the house without the
permission of the mistress of il would
be for her To commit a felony-tss steal
another's belongings. If she incurred
the displeasure of the iandlady she
could be turned almost naked into the
streets, without cent 10 buy either
food. clothing or lodging. She Is alb
solntely in the power Of this slave
dealer, who can sell her TO another
slaye~dealer--as is often done. Or
should aiother siaye-dealer wish to
purchase her she can DO so by buying
the chattel mortgage. and in no other
way
On the county records for every
month many of such mortgages are
recorded. many of them in the name
Of one landlady, whose eyes are ever
open 20 the chance Of making money
and keeping il The schedules of
these mortgages are curious. both
from the standpoint of the slavery
they impose, add OF the wardrobes
they indicate. Shoes and stoc kings,
underclothes. gowns. hats, parasols
hreastpins, even down 20 garsers and
fancy hatpins, are included in these
] lists, The woman who gives one OF
these mortgages Is left absolutely de-
fenceless-as much ckattei a. any of
the things mentioned in the schedule.