The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-10-23
SCENES AT THE Soups.
The Mara Foundry Was
Crowded as Usual
Last Evening.
AST0RY WITH A LESSON INIT
What Justice Stilsing Has to Say OF
the Schools Of IniQuity.

The SOUPS were in full operation again
last night and there was the usual crowd
of girls and young men, some of them
bad, others only silly, but all in danger
Of taking one more step in the wrong
direction.
No one needs to be told that the swings
are mere apologies for amusement. Few
who go care anything for swinging as a
paStilne. They are there to niingie in the
crowd; to find associates whom they do
not meet at their homes to taste the joy
less excitement of half recognized moral
peril; or-and these are uDhappily not
few-for the deliberate purpose of cor
rupting the young. The swings, as has
been said, are only the excuse. A girl
who wouldn't voluntarily get herself
into such u company will yield to the in
often of some girl not so particular, to go
and see the swings So the innocent
mingle with the corrupt, and witness
much which they should never see.
DIsGRACEFUL SCENES.
For disgraceful scenes are of nightly
occurrence. l Witnessed at tnat piace,
last evening, as disgusting an exhibition
as ever saw or heard of. I went to the
place with an idea that possibly some
changes in its plan OF operations might
have resulted from the exposures made
in THE JERSEY CITY NEWS. There was
no 1QQlcdllOu, n0W0V6It uI any SuCn I'LL
prOvement. There were young girls in
The swings as usual. Their attitudes
were as shocking rs ever; their behavior
as little calculated to improve them or
the spectators Among the latter were
the ordinary run of youthful 'toughs,"
many of them really unsophisticated but
all apparently ready for anything.
MISTAKEN PITY.
I noticed in particular young girl
whose appearance was very much in her
favor.
Her company, on the other hand, was
strongly against her She was surrounded
by number of iil-bred and wicked-look
ing fellows, who evidently regarded her
as an easy prey, and were only uneasy
through jealousy of each other. The girl,
it seemed to me, was anxious to escape
from them. l was inclined TO pity her,
and might have tried to get her out of the
difficulty if there had been any way to do
it. watched her edging toward the
door, still followed by the little party Of
suitors, each endeavoriHg to gain her at
tention by some attempted witticism,
usually bordering on the improper, and
sometimes way over the line. Finally
she got outside the building, and the
young men with her. | was hoping to
see her start for home now that she had
got out of the foundry, but, instead OF
that, an incident, which / cannot report,
overcame her patience. and she turned
upon them with such language rs
never heard before; and not only that,
but she accompanied her words with ges-
tures that were simply disgusting
=, turned away and saw behind me q
party of young girls who were about to
enter the place They stood still, and
enough the piece was by no means light
could discern the expressions OF their
faces. They were shocked evidently-one
or two of them very much-but there was
Z also that curiosity which is the worst
temptation, and the desire to show that
they were not 'tfresh" by laughing at the
whole affair; and they did laugh, but
rather Historically, some of them: Then
they hesirated moment, but all event
ually entered the building.
Only q sample scene, have no doubt,
showing how the comparatively innocent
and the woefully dcpraved are brought
together at the soups.
/ thought of poor Edith Riker and of
her mothers grief
JUSTICE sTILsING's OPINION.
In speaking Of the soups, which were
exposed in the last SUNDAY MORNING
NEWS, Justice Stilsing said this morning
that If the soups referred to are the same
ones which were located in the lot at
Warren street and Railroad avenue, they
ought to be suppressed.
He said that there were frequent fights
and disturbances there, and in his opinion
the associations were not the best for
young girls or at all conducive to
morality.
He instanced the case of John Hinse, a
paper hanger, of No. SO Golden street,
who, on September 10 was committed by
him to the County Jail for trial upon two
charges of leading astray Edith Riker a
forrteen-year-old girl, who made his ac-
quaintance at these soups.
The Justice was somewhat indignant to
think that Heinse had escaped indict-
ment ON both these charges, as the
penalty for his offense is Imprisonment
III State Prison for fifteen years.
Il am glad to see that THE JERSEY CITY
News has taken this matter up" con-
tinued the Justice, land hope you will
succeed in accomplishing your object"